Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-09-26
HUNDREDS DIE IN
BOAT EXPLOSION
FRENCH BATTLESiIP BLOWS UP
WITH INFERNAL DISASTER,
FROM $50 TO 400 DEAD
OutbT'ak of Fire Reaches Powder
MISUNDERSTANDING Boats Dam
ugcd--Scenc is Horrible

totally destroyed by an explosion Of
her magazines today Between 800
and 400 officers and men are dead or
missing. The battleship Ropublque,
was badly damaged, and the battle
ships, Democratic and Nerite, also
suffered severely from the masses of
twisted iron and armor plate which
were hurled upon their decks,
This is the greatest disaster that has
ever fallen upon the French navy, ana
it is almost without precedent in the
annals of the worlds fghting ships.
The grief which prostrates the fleet
and nation is made more intense by
the memory of the recent review
here, a notable display of Frances
naval greatness, in which the doomed
ship was one of the finest figures
The explosion which wiped out one
Of Frances newest and most powerful
bauloships, occurred at 5:53 o'clock in
the morning, IT was the result of an
outbreak of fire The flames spread
rapidly in spite of all efforts to master
them, and reached the magazines be
fore there was time To flood them. The
magazines exploded with tremendous
violence sowing death and destruction
III every direction.
While the naval authorities osti-
mate the fatalities at 900 it is expect
ed this figure will be exceeded. 1t
will be necessary to 80 through the
ship muster rolls, task of some days,
before full list of the victims can be
prepared. a number OF men already
have been eXtriCatCd alive from the
fantastcally torn and twisted mass of
wreckage which once was the Liberte,
and the hope is strong that there are
others within the broken hulk who can
be rescued. EXaotly from what cause
or when the fire broke out, has not
been established, but it is believed it
had smouldered for hours
OF the vesse's fun compliment Of
742 Captain Jaures, brother of the
socialist leader. and the second Of
ficcr in command, were both ashore
on leave, as well as 140 officers and
men. The command of the ship de-
VoVed upon the senior lieutenant, who
persisted.
The fire was first discovered at
400 O'Clock and the bugles immed-
iately sounded an alarm The crew
rushed to quarters and fought des-
perately the spreading flames, but
1t soon was evident that the fire had
obtained firm hold. Signals of dis
tress were flashed to the other ships
and these disT atched steam pinnaces
and launches at full speed to assist
in the work of eXtingushing the
flames and rescuing the men. Their
services were of little avail.
The position of the fire made it i'm
possible to flood the magazines, never
thelcss efforts to do so We're made
and finally the commanding officers
realizing the ship was doomed, ordere"
the bugler to sound the "Sauve Quie-
peut" let him save himself who cam
and shouted to the men TO jump for
their lives.
At 5:35 the first explosion occurred
1t was followed by three others, at one
minute intervals. Then came the fl
nal terrific detonation which shattered
the windows of the entire city and was
heard for a radius of many miles.
The Lberte was rent asunder; her
bow was thrown high in the air and
then slowly settled down, and in nine
teen minutes nothing was visible but
the top works.
Those still on deck were hurled sky
ward amid shower of iron and steel
The boats of the rescuers were sunk,
and serious damage was done to the
Republique, which lay at anchor close
by. Two of her decks were stove in,
and one of the Liberties armOr plates
was hurled at her port side and de-
molished the cabin of an absent en-
sign.
For a few moments after the final
explosion, an intense black cloud Of
smoke hoYered over the harbOr. When
1t shifted, horrible spectacle met the
eyes of the people of Toulon, who.
awakened by the first explosions, had
hurried to the shore. The twisted
upper works of the battleship were
,rotruding from a mass of formless
seaman from the rescuing boats
that had been sunk by the flying
- debris. or sucked down in the mael-
strom.
The work OF resculng was quick
ly begun, an ambulance staff was
installed in the arsenal. and a marine-
darbel, maritime prefect, went out to
the wreck and superintended the work
of extricating those imprisoned under
the shattered steel. The first body
recovered was that of an officer,
which was hurled from under an avn
ing with a boat hook.
This evening forty bodies had been
taken out. and ninety-four injured
have been transferred to hospitals.
Electrical shears to cut through
plates Of the Liberte. and powerful
floating crane to lift the masses Of
steel were used in conjunction with a
crew of drivers who are at work ex-
plorng the interior of the wreck. This
afternoon the Liberte appeared as II
her bow had doubled over onto the
stern. Men buried In that part Of
the wreckage above the water could
be heard 9roaniuQ and acreaming for