The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1911-09-28

ships of the squadron or ashore.
Toulon, Sept. 25.-An appalling
naval disaster, attended with
enormous loss of life occurred at
daylight today when the battle.
ship Liberte blew up in this har-
Dor.
The death loss is variously esti-
mated from $50 up to 500 or
more. The killed include officers
and men Of the Liberte, and also
a large number of those from a
nearby warship.
sIaia first alarm of fire was
sounded shortly after 5 o'clock
a. m. This was followed by four
Successive explosions Of Increas-
ing intensity as the fire neared the
powder magazines, when at 5:35
a d~eafening explosion literally
tore the great warship to pieces
and sent her to the bottom, a
mass of twisted wreckage.
Huge Fissures in Ship.
81 liz SApIOolOIi wills SO
great that huge assures We're opened
in the steel armor and frame work
of the Warship. A piece of armor
plate was hurled against the cruiser
Republicans with great force, damag-
ing her plates. Scores of bodies were
hurled high into the air with huge
fragments of frame work, armor,
bursting shells and the suffocating
smoke from the exploded magazines.
On the first explosion the men
rushed from their quarters and 100 or
more sought safety in plunging over
board. But the great body of men,
officers and the crew remained on
the ship and went to death as the
eliminating explosion tore the ship
into fragments. One report says the
ship broke In two in the middle, as
shA sank. Another report says that
before she took her final plunge sew
eral of her gum discharged a requiem
salute.
Size of the Vessel.
The battleGlip Liberte was the type
ship of the ~so-called Liberte class in
the French navy-a boat of $4,000
tons displacement and an overall
length of 452 feet. She carried a crew
OF T93 men and bore four l2-inch
guns and 10 guns of the French 7.6-
inch type. She also had % small guns
and four torpedo tubes. She was
completed in 1907 at a cost OF about
$1,000, 600.
The Liberte class battleships in
cildes the Democratic, the Justice the
Verete and the f.iberte, all l|S-lsnot
vessels of the most modern type. They
correspond Approximately to the five
American battleships of the New Ier-
sey class, including the Virginia,
Georgia, Nebraska, Rhode Island and
New Jersey.
The L1berte was anchored in the
roaGstead, where she has been since
the review Of the feet by President
Fallieres on September 4.
Particular Significance attached to
the review, the most imposing in the
history of the French navy, as it was
made on the very day that France
communicated to Germany the terms
on which the republic offered a settle
ment of the Moroccan dispute with
Germany.
Following the review, the fleet re-
suned the autumn maneuvers and gun
practice. On September 20. the ar
mored cruiser Glorie was engaged in
target work when a port gun ex-
ploded as a proiectile was being in
serted in the breech. One gunner was
killed n 10 others We're injured.
Five OF the latter subsequently died.
Came Without Warning.
Today's disaster came with little
arning The fire was discovered about
8 o'clock, and a signal soundedthrough-
out the vessel s~unmoning the crew to
fire quarters. Immediately the order.
was given to food the holds, but the
f~nrushing waters failed to check the
rapidly spreading flames.
Smoke poured from the warship and
attracted the attention of the ships of
the squadron, which hurriedly dis
patched pinnaces with men and fire
apparatus to the aid of their sister
ship. Presently minor explosions be-
gan within the Lfberte, and many sea
men flung themselves overheard.
Cries of a yourselves: fire near
magazines!" could be heard ringing
across the water in the stiffness of the
clear morning.
leaped overheard and swan frantically
for safety, but scarcely more thar 100
had plunged into the water before a
series of decorations could be heard in
9 terrific explosion that seemed to tear
out the side OF the great steel vessel,
which swayed over to one side and
sank swiftly.
Bodies and Debris.
In a moment dead bodies and debris
were floating about the disturbed wa
ters that ~splashed round the upper
works. In a wide circle around the
spot where the craft had f1oated so
proudly a few minutes before, the sea-
men who escaped death were strug-
Cling desperately and small boats were
picking up ms many as they could
reach. AS the battleship went down
several of her guns discharged q re-
QUEEN salute.
The Liberte had a complement OF 700
men. OF these 40 were away on
shore leave, SO that $50 were aboard
when the fire broke Out. 4 rough esti-
mate places the number of those who
Jumped overheard somewhere between
100 and 200.
The rumble and explosion was heard
throughout the city and immense
crowds Of the people gathered at the
wharf.
List of the Disasters
Other notable French naval disas-
tiers Of recent years were:
October 1s. 19o6-Submarine Lutin
lost off Bizertai. 10 dead.
February Q, 1e07-Explosion on tor
pedo o a ITO. $3.50, nine dead.
February 10. 19O7-Cruiser Bart, off
the Northwestern coast of Africa, no
deaths.
August 10, 190s-Gun exploded aboard
school ship Couronne at Toulon six