The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-12-02
BATTLE BULWARk
IS BLOWN UP

| cHlHe5 UOeS Uuuer the waves. In.
ternal Explosion.
London Nov. 27.-It was officially
announced here that the British bat
tleship Bulwark had been blown up
OIL Sheerness. Only twelve men out
Of the 700 or 500 on board the Bull
wark were saved.
According to the admiralty. the ex-
plosion which resulted In the destruc-
ton OF the Bulwark, is believed to
have originated in her own magazine
The announcement Of the disaster to
the Buywark was made by Winston
Spencer Churchill, first lord Of the ad-
miralty, shortly before O'Clock
Thursday afternoon.
The explosion which destroyed the
Bulwark occurred at 1855 q. IN. A Vice
admiral and a real admiral who were
at Sheerness reported that they were
convinced tht the disaster was caus-
ed by a magazine explosion. There
| was no uphcaval of the water. When
the smoke had cleared the ship had
entirely disappeared
An inquiry will be held today and
the admiralty believes that It may
:hrow some light on the occurrence.
Mr.. Churchill, speaking in the
house Of commons concerning the dis
aster, said
THE loss OF the ship does not
sensihly affect our military position,
out regret the loss Of life, which was
very heavy. Only twelve men were
saved. All the officers and the rest
of The crew, which, l suppose, amount
cd to 700 or 500 perished."
The force OF tho explosion aboard
the boat was SO great that houses in
Sheerness and even in Southend, sew
ell miles away, and on the other side
OF the Midway, were violently shaken.
The people fled into the streets in
alarm. When the great ship blew up
dense clouds of smoke and flame shot
into the air. The vessel Disappeared
beneath the waves in three minutes.
So terribly was the Bulwark rent that
1t was impossible to render her any
assistance. Immediately after the ex-
plosion the vessel was blotted out hy
smoke, and As the veil slowly lifted a
handful Of men We're seen strugg;' lg
in the water. Small craft rushed to
their aid and picked them up Som.
of the crew were badly mutilated. A
touch Of the dramatic was added to
the catastrophe by the fact that the
band of the Bulwark was playing when
the explosion came.
The disaster occurred while the Bull
wark was lying at anchor off the naval
port Of Sheerness, meath the mouth II
the Thames, but the officers of the
port scout the public impression that
the vessel was the victim Of German
submarine. This seems to be support
ed by the absence Of an upheavc! in
the water, as the first lord Of the ad-
miralty explained.
Although only fifteen years old and
no longer on the first fighting line,
the Bulwark still was a useful uuir.
The loss Of the ship. however, was
nothing compared with the heavy loss
In trained officers and men with whose
relatives Mr.. Churchill expressed In
the house Of commons his deep sympa-
thy and sorrow. The Bulwark, in her
carly career, was quite favored ship.
For a long time she was the flag
of Admiral Charles Bercsford in the
Mediterranean.
The British battleship Bulwark, IL
600 tons displacement, was laid do
in 1899 and completed in 1902 She
was ii feet long, rs feet wide and
drew 10 feet OF water Her armament
consisted Of four 12-inch, twelve 6-inch
guns, sixteen 12-pounders, six 3-pound-
ers and four submerged torpedo tubes.
She had complement Of $50 men.
Sheerness Is on the Thames, at the
mouth of the estuary Of the Midway.
1t Is 35 miles down the river from
London.
The loss Of the Bulwark, according
to Central News dispatch received
today from Chatham, was due to
an accidental explosion while ammu-
milton was being loaded on the war
ship.
SOFT EI IrEEV HluD 10