The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-13
Torpedo Sets OFF Powder Maya
zine and The lena is Covered
With Human Fragments
COMMANDER KILLED AND
15O ARE SERIOUSLY HURT
Panie-Stricken Workmen Eise for Their
Lives at a Series Of Explosions.
Exact Number of Dead
Unknown.

Touion, March IA terrible disaster
occurred here this afternoon. The powder
magazine board the French battleship
lena blew up at las. and as a result
Captain Adigard. commander of the bat
tleship; Captain vertirra, chief of the
staff of the Mediterranean squadron and
from seventy to eighty blue jackets arc
dead, while Rear Admiral Maneeron and
hundreds of other men are suffering from
injuries, some of them horrible in their
extent.
Naval circles are aghast, and the public
is stunned by the appalling catastrophe,
| coming so soon after the loss of tho
French submarine Lutin, in which six
teen men met death.
| The entire after part of the lena was
blown to pieces. The bodies of the vic
| tins were hurled through the air by a
succession of explosions and panie-strciS-
| en- workmen at she arsenal fled from the
vicinity of the dry dock for their lives.
Scores of those board jumped over
! board on the stone quays and sustained
| serious injuries.
| The primary cause of the accident was
the explosion of torpedo. What caused
the explosion Is not known, but the pow
der magazines OF the lena were set on
! fire. and their contents. in exploding.
| practically destroyed what was eonsid-
cred one of the best vessels in the French
navy.
| The lena had just undergone final in
! spectioD Of her hull, ard niacnnery, the
! latter having been completely over
| hauled preparatory to joining the squad
| ron tomorrow The crew was in its full
) strength, being composed of the rear ad-
miral, "A other officers, and $50 meh The
magazine had been replenished red tly
and contained many tons of both sA y
less and black powder as well as
Der of charges for torpedoes. The
had finished their midday meal onl
short time before the explosion andV
disappeared to various parts of the we'd
Most of the men were engaged in wi
connected with the approaching departh.
of the ship, but quite a large party hads
| been detailed to attend a lecture that was
| being given forward.
Without Warning.
| The explosion came without warming
The first shock was extremely violent
and shook the vessel fore and aft 1t
was followed instantly by other shocks.
The crew was thrown into panic. They
rushed wildly about the deck. The men
forward who had been attending the lee
ture clambered over the bulwarlis and
| jumped over, some to the deck and 9TH
ers to the stone quarry, many sustaln-
| ing fatal injuries.
The hundreds of men below deck were
| in fearful position. They We're en-
| clrcled by smoke and while they groped
their way TO the exits they became the
prey OF suffocatiug fumes which caused
many Of them to fall unconscious.
In the meantime the detonatlons had
become more frequent and the entire
afterpart OF the snip was virtually blown
to pieces and caught fire. Shells and
charges of explosives In the magazines
continued to explode and masses of metal
were hurled into the air to fall every
where about the decks and the arsenal.
These flying missiles demolished the tor
pedo shed, the engine works and pump
house near by and constituted most Sc
rious menace to the lives of those who
made their way toward the battleship to
begin work of rescue. In spite of the
danger many heroic efforts were made TO
render assistance, but for the most part
in vain; the lena was now aflame from
bursting proiectiles and the fire prevent
ed approach.
1t Is declared that for thirty minutes
the authorities were unable to discover
to food the dry docks and submerge the
ship, but when they did finally open tho
locks the water rushed In and the ex-
plosions came to an end. Then amidst
masses of dense smoke the search for the
dead and wounded was commenced. mo
lower decks were Uttered with the frag-
ments of shattered and torn bodies. while
the surrounding walls were dotted with
human fragments
Number Of Dead Unknown.
1t will be impossible to ascertain the
| exact number of killed and wounded un-
I'll tomorrow, when roll call will be
held as many OF the men were COM
pletely blown to pieces, while others
were inclnerated.
Many of those who escaped with their
lives suffered most severe injuries and.
becoming temporarily insane. rnshed
frantically around until they fell ex-
hausted.
CAPTAIN Vertirer occupied a cabin near
| the after-turrst over the magazine. I'M
| ms lately after the explosion he tried to
| get out, but the door of his cabin was
| blocked with debris and the only means
| OF exit was impasaable. The flames then
| broke out and Captain V-rtirer died u
horrible death. After the IRE had been
! extinguished the rsesners found his In
| cinerated body, as well the terribly
| burned bodies of several other officers
| who had been caught IN tho Sfter-caoin.
! Two nidshpmen were killed outright
| and the others attached TO the lena have
not been accounted for. A Gordon of gem
darrnes Is employed In keeping the vast
| throngs In check and are trying to dis
| persa Them telling them therre was no
| chance OF learning tho names of the
Killed and injured before tomorrow,
! Lieut. Tlercelin. one of the wounded
survivors 81 OF the opinion that every
body who was below at tho time of the
| explosion undoubtedly We're aspnyxated
| by the fumes arising from the explosioa.
particularly from the combustion OF