The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-25
VESSEL WENT TO
HARB0R BOTTOM
Many Leaped Overheard and
Were Drowned Before :,
Help Arrived u,

Toulon, France. Sept. 25-The .
= latest estimate this afternoon
placed the number of missing from
y the explosion on the Liberte at
y $50. To these must be added 100 =
men from the other ships who =
were killed. Several small boats =
y which had gone from other war .
ships to the aid of the Liberte, .
= sank when the final explosion oc- .
. Cured. Twenty men were killed
' and fifty injured on the Demo- .
cratic and there were fatalities on .
= the Verit and the Republique. The .
latter was damaged and was =
= obliged to dock hastily.
. - = ss..ss
Toulon, France, Sept. 25-An ap.
palling naval disaster attended with
awful loss of life, occurred at day.
light this morning when the battle
ship Liberte blew up in this harbor.
The death loss is variously estimat-
ed from $50 to 500 or more. The
killed include officers and men Of the
Liberte and also large number Of
those from nearby warships.
The first alarm of fire was sounded
shortly after o'clock this morning.
This was followed by four successive
explosions Of increasing intensity as
the fire neared the powder magazines,
when at 5:35 o'clock a deafening ex-
plosion literally tore the great war
ship to pieces and sent her to the bot
tom mass of twisted wreckage. The
force Of the explosion was so great
that huge fissures were opened in the
steel armor and framework Of the
warship. A piece of armor plate was
hurled against the cruiser RepubliQue
with great force, damaging her plates.
Scores of bodies were hurled high in
to the air, with huge fragments of the
framework, armor, bursting shells
and the suffocating smoke from the
exploded magazine.
On the first explosion the men
rushed from their quarters and q
hundred or more sought safety in
plunging overheard. But the great
body of men, officers and crew re-
mained on the ship and were hurled
high in the air or into the water as
the eliminating explosions tore the
ship into fragments.
One report says the ship broke in
two in the middle as she sank. An
other dramatic detail occurred be-
fore she took her final plunge, when
several of her guns discharged the re-
QUEEN salute.
The fire was discovered at o'clock.
At first it did not appear to be sert-
Gus but somehow or other it gained
a quick advantage over the squad Of
sailors sent to extinguish 1t, and sud-
denly without warning 1t reached the
magazine which had not been flooded
on account of the apparently trifling
nature Of the blaze.
The force of the explosions was
terrific. They shook the vassel fore
and aft, each one seemingly stronger
than the one proceeding, opening up
great assures in the armor and
framework Of the vessel.
The vessel Immediately became q
mass Of fire and smoke and soon, al
most demolished by the terrific de-
donations, sank to the bottom Of Tou-
Ion harbor.
At an early hour the unoflcial -
innate of the number Of dead ran -
ul6u dS OUVs Ek6IAludLc6 ny u6S01 ul00
varied widely, but all agreed there
was no doubt that the loss Of life
was more than 300.
Scores of seamen died in their
hunks A few saved themselves by
jumping overheard. Many of those
injured leaped into the water and
were drowned before boats from the
other ships in the roadstead could
reach them.
Two hundred of the crew escaped
death owing to the fact that they
were ashore on leave. The carnage
in the explosions was worse than
could ever have occurred in an ac-
tual naval engagement. The first
crash came when the crew was for
the most part disposed in the various
sections of the vessel. They were
without warning of their danger.
Scores of bodies were hurled high in
to the air, accompanied by great
fragments of the framework, armour,
bursting shells and binding suffocat-
ing smoke of powder.
The men below. who had not yet
been awakened, were killed as they
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