Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-09-26

soled by the knowledge that the men OF
the Liberte have persisted in the per
| Torrance of their duty toward their
country"
Many vessels Lose Men.
Nearly every vessel Of the squadron
lost some men Of the parties sent to the
burning battleship. The Verite was
moored nearest, being about 225 yards
from the Llberte Eight Of the Verite's
men we're injured by flying fragments
blown from the Liberte or by pieces Of
bursting shells.
The decks of the Verte were crowded
with men who were watching the fright
full spectacle and who were targets for
the falling debris.
The Lberte was broken in two by the
violence of the final explosion. 1t sank
In forty feet of water. Accordingly large
portions Of the upper structure remained
above the surface. These were swept by
the flames and the burning Of black
powder caused a dense smoke that OBJ
secured the wreck.
With the last CONFUSION Of the mighty
sea fighter men and wreckage were
tossed high in the air and a shower Of
human limbs, bits of flesh, articles of
colthing, pieces of armor plate and
splinters of wood fell on the decks Of
the Verite and on the wide circle of the
men-of-war and small boats standing by.
The officers and men Of the verite be-
held an awful picture Of disaster and
death.
ship Like the Nebraska.
The battleship Liberte was the type of
ship of the so-called Liberte class in the
French navy-a boat of IA, 800 tons dis
placement and an overall length of 452
feet. 1t carried a crew Of 1913 men and
bore four twelve-inch guns and ten guns
Of the French 76-inch type. 1t also had
twenty-three small guns and four tor
pedo tubes. 1t was completed in 1907 al a
cost of about 100000.
The Liberte class battleships include
the Democratic, the Justice. the verite
and the Ldberte all sightsen-knct vessels
OF the most modern type. They CORE
spond approximately to the five American
battleships Of the New Jersey class. in
GLIDING the Virginia. Georgia, Nebraska
Rhode Island and New Jersey.
The recent history of the French navy
contains a series of disastrous accidents
most Of them caused by explosions. and
several occurring at Toulon, the scene of
todays catastrophe.
On March II, 1907, the battleship lena
was almost destroyed by the explosion of
It's magazine and 1O7 officers and men
los their lives. Until today the lena dis
aster stood as the greatest recent calam-
ty suffered by the French navy in times
of peace. Like the Liberte, the lena
was blown up in the harbor of Toulon,
but the loss of life was less, mainly be-
cause tha lana remained
An investigation of the lena explosion
resulted in an official report that it was
due to spontaneous combustion of powder
in a magazine where the temperature
was too high on account of the proximity
OF the dynamo compartment.
The report severely censured the organi-
zation of the navy ana said:
The real cause of the disaster was the
absence Of accord as well as the divisions
and antagonisms existing in the different
branches of the service. The distressing
weakening Of the central power explains
the progressive weakening of our naval
forces. Where will it lead us?'
A Parliamentary committee appointed
in 1907 made a report scathingly condemn
ing the naval administration of the pre-
ceding ten years and recommending a
SOISdIlldCoH Win special attention to
the elimination Of red tape and the dis
tribution of responsibility.
Other notable French naval disasters
of recent years were:
October 16. l9O6-Submarine Lutin lost
off Bizertai, thirteen dead.
February 8, ls07-Explosion of torpedo
boat No. SSs. nine dead.
February 10. l9O7-Cruiser Jean Bart,
off the northwestern coast Of Africa, no
deaths.
August 10, 1sOs-Gun exploded aboard
school ship Courone, at Toulon, six dead.
September %, l9OS-Gun exploded aboard
cruiser Latouche Traville at Toulon, thir-
teen dead.
May q, 1s1O-Submarine remained SUBJ
merged after diving in the harbor of
Calais, twenty-seven dead.
September l. 1911-Gun exploded aboard
cruiser Gloirs at Toulon, one man killed
and thirteen injured, five fatally.
/ M