Milford chronicle., 1911-09-29
WARSHIP
BLOWN TO PIECES
235 Were Killed When Fire
Reaches Magazine.
.HARBOR STREWH WITH BODIES

Sea.
thin ships company was drawn
Up on the deck OF the battleship Suf-
fren, in the harbor at Toulon, France,
to answer the roll call of the crew
of the ill-fated Liberte, which was de-
stroyed by explosion and fire twenty
four hours earlier.
The survivors OF the disaster, with /
the exception of those in the hospital /
are temporarily quartered on the Suf- /
/ fren When the name OF an absent one !
was called some one of his comrades
( responded dead "hospitaled' or
missing.
An official staement giving the cas-
ualties in the loss OF the Liberte,
places the dead at 235 and the injured
at So, with one man missing.
The preliminary explosions gave the
men warning and many of them threw
themselves into the sea and were
picked up by small boats and taken
to the other ships of the squadron or
ashore.
Several small boats which had gone
from the other warships to the aid of
]
plosion OCCURRED Twenty men were
killed and fifty injured on board the
Democratic and there were fatalities
on Tie Ferite and Bepublique N
The RepUbliQue was damaged by a
flying piece or the Liberties armor
and was Obliged to dock hastily.
The dead from the Liberte include
many officers as well as men. Sne had c
a complement Of 714 men, but 140 OF j
these, as well as Commander Jaures, S
were ashore at the time OF the explo- r
sion. h
The first alarm of fire was followed v
by four successive explosions of in D
creasing intensity as the fire neared S
the powder magazines, when a deafen- a
ing explosion literally tore the great n
warship TO pieces and sent her to the k
bottom mass Of twisted wreckage.
The force Of the explosion was so u
great that huge assures We're opened ii
u the steel armOr and framework of oil
he warship. A piece of armorplate tc
vas hurled against the cruiser Re
'ublique with great force, damaging W
Ter plates and causing her to dock v;
ltA lACAAg- III gi
Scores of botstes were hurled high in
nto the air, with huge fragments of a.
framework, armor, bursting shells and br
he sufocating smoke from the ex- in
loded magazines. ~,
On the first explosion the men rush
d from their quarters and from 100 co
200 sought safety in plunging over m;
oard. But the great body of men. il
hcers and crew, remained on the en-
nip, held by the discipline that had ais
illed them to quarters. and were of
1rled high in air or into the water as
le eliminating explosion tore the tbe
lin into fragments. his
When the fire was discovered it did ool
1t appear to be serious but it gained Mn
quick advantage over the squad of moi
iiors sent to eXunguish it, Suddenly. ear
thout warning, the flames reached 2
e magazines, which had not been ma
'oded on account OF the apparently tw,
fling nature of the blaze bs,
The force of the explosions were ter
ic. They shook the vessel fore and
{, each one seemingly stronger than
at preceding. opening up great ifs
res in the armor and framework Of Az,
2 vessel
The vessel immediat4N became a Y
ss of fire and smoke, nd soon al. resi-
.st demolished by the errifc deton- mill
ons, sank to the bottom of Toulon alta
-bor. Iars
Scores Of the seamen died in their CON
tbs Many Of those injured Ieaped D
to the water and drowned before a q
boats from the other ships in the HON
dstead could reach them. lare
'he carnage in the explosions was fer
'se than could ever have occurred he
an actual naval engagement The was
t crash came when the crew was bv +
the most part dispersed in various ebol
tiOns Of the vessel They were with. sens
warning Of their danger. TT
len below, who had not been awak- of II
d. were killed in their sleep 9th are
awakened by the explosion, start erv
% jump overheard and were caught
the second detOnation EIv
rom every side scores of sailors
led overheard and swan frantically
safety, but scarcely more than 100 Sner
plunged into the water before the
- VI utlDudLluuS CulHiudLeQ IN
terrific explosion that seemed to eoun
out the side Of the great steel Stlel,
el, which swayed over to one side reVoi
swiftly sank. orea
thin a few minutes bodies and an
'kage were floating about in the IN th'
lrbed waters that splashed around Pre-
upper works. In a wide circle 70 ar
nd the spot where the craft had IN LII
ed so proudly a few minutes be-
the seamen who escaped death
struggling desperately and small Dis
5 we're picking them up as fast as over
could be reached to Be
arly every vessel of the squadron Of Al
some men from the parties sent revolN
e aid of the Liberte. The Verite, a bird
r ship, was nnoored nearest, be- 'sed
lbout 225 yards from the burning
eship. Eight of the Verites men
wounded by flying fragments A b
a from the Liberte or by pieces place