Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-09-26
PRIDE: OF NAVY
BLOWN TO PIECES
FRENCH BATTLESHiP WREGhED
ND 400 FRENCH SAILORS
DIE N EXPLOSIONS.
CAUSED BY A FIRE
Which Originated In Paint Room
Other Ships Nearby Suffer Less
OF Members OF Crews.

Toulon, France, Sept Is Four
hundred French sailors-probably
more-met death today when five ter
rifle explosions blew the Liberte, the
$7,000,000 pride of the French navy,
to pieces and sank her in A feet of
water. The explosions followed a
fire that had its origin in the paint
room and spread to tho magazines,
the progress of the flames being de
noted by three explosions, following
each other with startling swiftness
The paint COON did not Immediate
" adjoin any of the magazines 1t
is assumed that the fire must have
been burning in the paint room for
several hours and that it slowly ate
its way to the magazines while the
entire crew of men and officers save
only the few on dog watch were fast
asleep. Vice Admiral Bellue, com
manding the second squadron, in his
report tonight to the Min ster of Ma
rine, makes no alIusion to the cause
of the disaster but as TO it's extent
says:
about 400 are dead, or missing,
which estimate includes those from
the other ships in the harbor The
entire freight in the harbor had the
narroWest sort of an escape from
Sharing the fate of the wrecked bat
tie ship The debris from the Lberte
was hurled With terrific force on
board the Democratic, the Verite and
the Republique, lying nearby. On
board the Democratic three are dead
and fifty wounded. A number are
dead and wounded on the other two
vessels also. A resident of Toulon
was spectator of the disaster from
cliff overhanging the harbor This
man reports that he saw the ship on
fire for some time before the first
explosion occurred. The flames, he
declared, were squirting from vari-
GUS parts of the vessel and fearing a
great explosion he turned to leave
the spot. He had scarcely started
away when terrific concussion
shook the ground under his feet 1t
was followed by second, third,
fourth and fifth defamation even more
mighty than the first.
where the Liberte had been
moored the water appeared like a
mighty gusher while high in the air
could be seen pieces of debris and
the forms of men flying in all direc-
tons. Then for some moments the
scene was obscured by dense clouds
of smoke. So great was the force of
the explosion that the shock was
felt for ten miles around and win
dows and doors were broken at that
distance.
The Liberte had crew. of TT men,
of whom 40 were on leave. The
commander of the Liberte, Captain
Juares, brother of the Socialist
leader, Leon Juales, was absent on
shore at the time of the explosion.
The fire in the paint room was dis
covered little while before O'Clock.
How long it had been burning no
one alive knows. The bugles i'm
mediately sounded an alarm. A por-
ton Of the crew rushed to quarters
and fought the spreading flames des-
perately. 1t was soon evident that
the fire had obtained firm hold and
signals of distress were flashed to
the other ships of the fleet. This
Brought aid, but the rescuers were
only in time to meet the explosion
which sent them to death before they
could aid their imperiled comrades.
Many of the Liberties crew were
below. fighting the flames, when the
first explosion occurred. Some Of
the survivors rushed on deck, only
to meet second explosion, which
shattered the huge fighting craft
from stem to stern. The calls to quar-
tiers were quickly gwen and the re-
mainder, true to discipline, rushed to
aid the fire fighters. Thee they
worked, knowing that the fire was
spreading and would soon reach the,