New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-27
LIBERTIES VICTIMS 235
One Hundred and Sixty Others In
jured, Some of Whom May Die.
SINISTER RUMORS CURRENT
Secret Inquiry Into Serious Al
legations Believed to Have
Been Ordered.

Been ordered.
Toulon. Sept 26>-The latest official esti-
mate places the number Of victims Of the
Ijberte disaster as 2S5 dead and 16O wound
cd. 20 dangerously. This estimate, It is be-
lieved. is very near 20 being correct, as II
is the result Of an exhaustive examination
Of the muster rolls and roll call Of those
who survived the explosion.
Many Of the bodies taken from the Lib
crte were unrecognizable. Not few OF
the victims had been literally scattered TO
the winds Every effort has been made TO
identify portions Of the bodies found en-
tangled in the wreckage, but in many cases
the mutllation was too great TO admit Of
this.
The work Of searching the broken steel
hulk continued throughout the day, but
even with perfect appliances the explorers
were unable to penetrate some parts OF the
ship, so inextricably was the wrecksge
twisted and tangled.
1t IS certain. however. that no more living
men are entombed. Those whose cries
were heard last night have either been ex-
tricated or they have died from their in
turies
The last man brought out alive was In
turret with fifteen dead bodies Workmen
we're engaged for hours I'm cutting away
the steel walls 10 get 10 him. Food was
passed to him through a small opening
When he emerged he did not seem to be
very much the worse for his experience.
The searchers suspended their work this
evening until tomorrow, the authorities be
Ing convinced that all the living had been
removed. There are now siXty-five bodies
IT. = g-f,Naf
terod. This Is the first time that the ef-
fects Of modern powders have come under
observation. The injuries inflicted were
very severe. The muscles Of the dead and
wounded were I'm many cases reduced to
pulp and the bones to Splinters. The re-
covery Of some Of the wounded men is very
doubtful amputation not having proved eff
fective.
Hulk Gradually Sinking.
Engineers from the naval construction de-
rsrtment have made survey Of the
wreck which is gradually sinking in the
mud II has been decided that as soon as
all the guns and all the material that can
stu be used have been taken off the hulk
viii he blown up, as otherwise IT would Inn
rede navigation I'm the harbor.
heated controversy IS raging as to the
cause Of the disaster The theory Of the
defagrati ton Of the "B" powder is the one
generally accepted by. the public, but the
naval officials declare this 10 have been inn
possible. the greatest precautions having
heen taken since that type Of powder first
came under suspicion after the blowing up
OF the lena Nevertheless, Vice Admiral
Belize tonight issued an order to all the
ships in his command that in view Of the
disquieting uncertainty to the cause of
the explosion on the Lherte they land
without delay all powder served out to
them before 1902, as well as all drill ammu-
milton.
Sinister runors are also current to tho
effect that the disaster possibly was the
result Of sabotage" Attention has been
drawn to the fact that the catastrophe has
followed close upon the violent manifesto
or revolutionary workmen In the Brest ar
senal Ii is even stated that the authorities
have so far taken cognizance Of the rumors
as 10 order secret inquiry into the matter
Fires on Other Warships.
4 bIueiacket who is in a position to know
declared that fires broke out not only
aboard the Patrie. but on another ship of
the squadron. not long after that on the
Iibcrte was discovered. All. however, were
cxtinguished The local newspapers report
several small outbreaks aboard the war
ships at intervals OF two or three days.
Lieutenant Aubert son Of ViccAdmiral
NJ Aubert, commander of the feet. described
|I the admirable discipline on board :he lib
crte. The lieutenant. serving on another
warship, was sent with party TO help ex-
tinCuish the fire on the IAbertt. lie found
Senior Lieutenant GARNER ~. command of
the imperined battcship in the absence Of
Captain Jaurts and the second officer in
command, both Of whom were ashore. A
petty officer approached Lieutenant GARNER
and said.
The fire. sir. is near the magazine.
Isn't there danger Of an explosion
Attend 20 your orders" the officer re-
piled The petty officer saluted, and with
out further question returned to his post.
Lieutenant GARNER persisted in the de-
struction of his ship.
The immense force of the explosion IS
shown by the fact that the turret Of one
of the Pinch guns was wrenched from its
base and thrown upward. Afterward, as
might bee seen from an examination at low
tide to-day il plunged downward like
great projectle forward Of amidships
cleaving the warship in two The steel
bllQSe, WeiSnlnE many lOI>, was LIONn
from fits supports and crashed through one
side Of the Warship cutting the steel flank
as II that nauk was made OF wood. Such
results Of the explosion as these could be
perceived by the lay observer looking at
this tangled mass of wreckage with its
twisted shin plates its broken steel decks,
its shattered barbettes, It's confused
wreckage Of masts and chains and thou
sands Of tons Of structural steel.
Washington Sept 35.-NavaI officers
who have contended that the battleship
Maine was destroyed by an internal ex-
plosiOn, and that there was no external
cause for the accident said to-day that
there was overwhelming proof OF the
soundness ,of their theory I'm the terrible
disaster in Toulon Harbor yesterday The
.Libert6s bow was thrown upward and
finally backward on the midshp section Of
the hull. This was caused by the ire
mendous downward force of the explosion
amdships, which, acting on the solid water
as q fucrum, tilted the bow over back
ward after II had been severed from the
remainder Of the hull. The reports seemed
10 some Of the experts to indicate that the
condition of the wreck Of the Libert6 IS
almost precisely like that Of the wreck OF
the Maine. IN Havana Harbor.
e
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