Evening star., 1915-05-28
death TOLL ON SHIP
ESTIMATED AT 418
British Mine-Laying Steamer.
Princess Irene, Is Blown
to Atoms.
DEBRIS IS SCATTERED
OVER RADIUS OF MILES
But One Possible Survivor Of Acct
dent in Sheerness Harbor.
Flames Rise Mile High.

LONDON May 2S.-The estimates OF
the fatalities on board the British steamer
Princess Irene. which was blown up by
an explosion on board in Sherress harbor
yesterday. made by the morning papers
vary from 900 to over 400. The Daily
Mail says that in addition to the seventy
eight shipwHghts. there also was on board
100 workmen from Chatham, as well as
240 members Of the crew. which would
give total Of 41S persons on the steamer
The steamer Princess Irene. a mine-lay-
ing vessel. was lying in the Medway off
Port Victoria. undergoing repairs.
At 10 o'clock yesterday moyning "A
terrific explosion which shook the whole
town of Sheerness was heard from the
ship. This was followed by high burst
Of flame and a column of dense smoke.
Completely Disappears.
When the smoke had cleared away the
steamer had completely disappeared. Only
some floating wreckage marked the spot
where she had been lying Flying debris
was scattered for great distances. Many
men on ships in the vicinity Of the
Princess Irene were injured by this. and
fragments of the wreckage We're picked
up as far away as Maidstone, fifteen
miles distant from the scene of the eA-
plosion.
The noise of the explosion of the
Princess Irene is described as having
been far louder than that which ac-
companied the blowing up of the bat
tleship Bulwark in Sheerness last No
vember.
No trace has been found Of a harbor
steam launch which was moored along
side the Princess Irene or it's crew of
five men since the explosion which de-
stroyed the big steamer, and 1T is as
sumed five more names must be added
to the list of dead.
One Possible Survivor.
One possible survivor of the explo-
sion is in a hospital suffering from
shock. He was picked up in the water
some time after the explosion, but it
has not been learned whether he was
a member of the Princess Irene's crew
or was blown out of some small boat
nearby. Only one body has been re-
covered. Two barges which were
alongside, the Irene were demolished.
A naval officer who witnessed the ex-
plosion said
The ship was moored seventy yards
from the point on shore where / was
standing. Suddenly | noticed little
wisp of smoke aboard and called out.
Is there fire there
Like Volcanic Eruption.
Before the men aboard could answer
there came an explosion like volcanic
eruption. Then a great cloud of dust.
coal, smoke and flame rose a mile high.
Amidst the smoke the eye could discern
huge pieces Of the ship bursting into
small pieces as they rose.
The ship didn't go down. she went
up. distributing her remains in dust
and jagged fragments over a radius Of
many miles The smoke cloud of the
explosion lasted. / think, only a mo-
ment or two. I rubbed my eyes and
saw clear air where the Irene, barges
and launches had been moment be-
fore.
The explosion seemed to stun every
one for a few minutes. Then came the
order Away all boat crews to pick up
survivors. But when 1 got into a boat
and sailed past the spot where the ex-
plosion had occurred there was nothing
but q single fragment of mast to mark
the place. Farther away, however, the
water was dotted with pieces of wreck
age"