Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-03-15
HUNDREDS DEAD ON
French BATTLESH|P
POWDER MAGAZINE ExPLoDEs
ON BOARD THE lena AT
TouLoN DOCK.
VICTIMS MAY NUMBER
800; SCORES INJURED

Over 600 Officers and Men on Board
Vessel When Awful Disaster DC.
ours Without Warning - Many
Drowned by Jumping Into Water.
Toulon, France, March IA pow
der magazine on board the French bat,
tleship lena blew up Tuesday while
the vessel was in the Missiessy dock,
owing to the explosion of compress
ed air torpedo. 1t is reported that the
casualties number from zoo to 300.
Semi-official figures state that it is
certain that over SO of the Iena's crew
were killed, 100 were seriously In
jured and 200 were slightly wounded.
The officials say that these returns are
probably under the mark. Rear Adj
miral Manceron is among the wound
ed, and included in the killed is En-
sign Rouse.
No news has been received of the
captain or the first lieutenant of the
battleship, and it is believed that they
are among the victims The after
part of the vessel is completely de-
stroyed
There were about $50 officers and
men on board the lena at the time Of
the disaster, but many of them jump
ed into the water.
The injured men and officers were
Immediately transported to the hos
pitfalls.
Explosion Follows Explosion.
The officials declare that the maya
zines of the lena were completely fill
ed with explosives and that the recur-
rent decorations indicated that they
were all on fire. Squads of workmen
and sailors approached the scene of
the disaster at the peril of their lives,
and as they neared the Iena's dock
they could dimly observe through the
dense smoke human remains flying
constantly in the air, following furth-
er explosions on the doomed vessel,
which presented terrifying spec
tacle and caused the arsenal employees
to wiring their hands with horror.
Suddenly blackened forms, with
haggard eyes rushed madly through
the lines of spectators, not knowing
where they were fleeing
Wounded Number 500.
The number of $ injured is now
known to be about 3O0 including
many officers, who were seriously
burned 1t is impossible to estimate
the number of deaths. Many of the
crew of the lena saved their lives by
climbing down ladders and reaching
the quays, whence they fled to places
of safety or to the telegraph offices in
Toulon in order to notify their rela-
tives of their safety.
The population of Toulon was terri
bly, excited. Many of the crew be-
longed to this place. Entrance to the
arsenal is forbidden to all but men in
uniform
A signal man of the lena, named
Giudicelli, who escaped, says that a
large number of the crew of the bat
tleship were gathered in the forepart
of the ship, listening to lecture by an
officer when the first explosion occur
red. Most of these were able to es-
cape.
Vessel Undergoing Inspection.
The lena was undergoing an inspec-
ton of her machinery in the first
basin of the Missiessy dock when the
explosion occurred. The conclusion
caused by the explosion of a COM
pressed air torpedo set fire to the
after powder magazine, blowing the
whole afterpart of the vessel up.
The lena Cor Jena) was a turret-
ship of 1861 tons displacement and
16,500 horsepower She was built at
Brest and was completed in 1901 The
vessel had an armored belt from 6
to 1871 inches of steel, mounted four
12-inch guns, eight 4-inch guns, eight
3.9-inch, 16 LIS inch and about 20
smaller rapid-fire guns. Her speed
was estimated at over 18 knots and
her crew consisted of 631 officers and
men. The lena was the flagship of
Rear Admiral Manceron, commanding
one of the divisions of the French
Mediterranean squadron. Capt F. B.
G. Vertier was the chief of staff and
her commander was Capt. Adigard.
Official Goes to TouIon.
Paris, March 13.-When Minister
of Marine Thomson heard of the dis
aster he Immediately started for Tou-
ion in order to personally inquire into
khe cause of the disaster to the Iene
and supervise the care of the wound
ed. 1t was stated that the warship
mad been flooded to prevent further
explosions. The advices of the ma
rine ministry also say that many YES
sells near the lena have been dam.
aged. The project of maritime from
whom the message came, added he did
not know the number of officers or
men killed, the fusing of the telegraph
wires preventing him from getting re,
ports from the scene of the disas.
ter.
Fine Hotel Burned.
Sault Ste Marie, Mich, March 13.-
The Iroquois hotel was destroyed by
IRE Tuesday causing loss of $780,
900. 1t was one of the finest hotels in
northern Michigan and did a large
tourist business. The flames spread
with unusual rapidly and this fact.
together with low water pressure.
made it impossible for the firemen to