South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-27
Pillar of Fire Shot Upward 300
Feet, Followed by Cloud of
Smoke and Then Vessel Dis
appeared Beneath Waves.
BUT FOURTEEN SAVED
OUT OF ENTIRE CREW
Admiralty Declares Blast Was
"Pure Accident" on Board
the Boat Itself, Denying Ship
Was TOrpedOed.

LONDON. Nov. 27.-The British
battleship BulWark, which was mys-
/, teuousIy blown up in the harDOr at
Sheerness yesterday, went down In 80
seconds. rms Information was con-
tanned today in the first eyewitness
account OF the marine disaster. The
narrative was given by an officer on
vessel which was lying near the Bull
wark at the time of the explosion.
The narrator of this story was one
of the first men TO SO 10 the rescue Of
the few survivors that We're seen IN the
water after the explosion.
Just before O'Clock ia the morn
ing i heard a thunderOus report de-
clared the officer and everything
shook on our ship as though we were
being rocked in the grip OF a violent
earthquake.
sees Pillar of Fire.
Il saw a pillar of fire leap upward
from the BulWark To a height OF from
200 TO 300 feet. The upward rushing
column at first seemed to be white fire,
but almost Immediately the flames
were Obscured by dense cloud OF
black smoke which rolled upward.
II realized at once that the thick,
oily fumes came from the ammunition
stored on the Bulwark and my hrst
thought was that the vessel had been
torpedoed by daring German subma-
rine. The cloud OF smoke hung over
the vessel but within so seconds it had
lifted sufficiently to show me that the
BulWark was no more. She had al
ready plunged beneath the surface.
The BulWark had been anchored
in line with three other big ships and
when the surface OF the water was
disclosed by the lifting pail all that
could be seen was a mess of drifting
wreckage. There had been a lighter
anchored against the side of the Bul-
wark upon which men were at work.
az a n kNra
poor fellows on board had been blown
TO atoms.
Begin Rescue Work.
''We put beats overheard as did all
the other ships IN the vicinity. / was
in the first boat that reached the
scene. iJ was a greWsOme sight. We
could see human arms and legs IN the
debris The smell of the exploded
lyddite and guncotton was sickening.
I'VE came across a number of dead
bodies some of them terribly dishg-
ured.
After a long search we found one
officer and 16 men who still mad the
breath of life left in them, but all
were grievously wounded. We could
sec that all but three of them were
mortally hurt. They were attended
by doctors as they were taken out OF
the water. for the victims were too far
gone TO risk u trip TO hospital Most
of them lived only q short time Three
of the men who seemed less seriously
injured than the others were taken 10
the naval hospital at Chatham. The
injuries were terrible. The broken
bodies were so CHASTITY that we could
hardly bear 10 look at them. The
uniforms OF the men were blown off
and their bodies were black from
burns and swollen.
seven Are Uninjurcd.
"Only seven members Of the Bull
an.
juries at all and they were not on
board the battleship at the time"
OF the Il survivors picked up soon
after the Bulwark had disappeared
only three were able TO speak today
and il was expected that the Chatham
inquiry would have TO be postponed.
The terrific force of the explosion
that smashed the vessel paralyzed the
mental senses Of the few survivors
and even the three who retained the
power OF speech were hardly able 20
80 before the naval board OF inquiry
Tor extended questioning.
Most OF the other II men we're IN
a serious condition and dispatches
from Sheerness say that several Of
hem probably viii die. Scores of the
bodies washed ashore today at Sheer
ness were beyond Identification be-
cause of the muUlations caused by the
explosions. Many bodies were blown
to atoms and only fragments came
ashore.
Call Explosion Pure Accident
Seven hundred and fifty COniuS were
shipped TO Shecrness on orders from
he admiralty today and as fast as the
bodies or fragments OF bodies were
picked up they were placed in cas-
kets.
The explosion that shattered the
rreat battleship Bulwark and sent her
% the bottom only few miles out of
london. was declared today by at
aches OF the British admiralty TO
nave been wholly accidental They
asserted there was no truth IN reports
hat she had been torpedoed 10y a GER
nan submarine, and branded reports
hat she had been blown up by a Ger
nan spy who had gotten aboard the
.essel us entirely false"
The concensus at the admiralty.
which withheld its final verdict pend
ny the inquiry called for this after
noon at Chatham. was that the dis
lster resulted from the bursting OF a
ydGite shell that was dropped while
ne warship was taking Ou ammuni-
ion The officials believe that i'm a
moment of carelessness the men
.arrying the l2-inCh shell permitted
90 drop iu the magazine.
The regular complement az the yes
81 was $50 men. AS 1Z5 men perished [
mong them The BulWark's chief off, /
or. Capt Guy 4. Sclater Commander /
H. Af a. Phillips and Lieut.. Com
ranHaFz pemruea and DuarfraT