People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1893 — THE AWFUL FACTS. [ARTICLE]

THE AWFUL FACTS.

Story of the Loss of the Victoria Told at Last—The Particulars Intensify the Horror—Cause of the Disaster—Struggling Men in the Water, Scalded and Dismembered by Whirling Propeller Blades, Welcome Release by Drowning. NEW YORK, June 27. —An extra edition of the Evening World issued Monday evening contains a special cable from Tripoli, Syria, giving the first full details of the sinking of the flagship Victoria. They are as follows: About 3 o’clock last Thursday afternoon the English fleet came in sight of El Mina, the port and town of Tripoli. It was coming from the northeast and making directly from the harbor. The five big ironclads—Victoria, Camperdown, Edinburgh, Nile and Sans Pareil —were drawn up in full front. The Victoria was in the center, the Camperdown was on her left and the Edinburgh on her right When they were within 5 miles of shore Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon signaled to turn and form in double line. This meant that the Victoria and Camperdown were to go ahead a little and describe a turn —the Victoria turning to the left and the Camperdown turning to the right— then they would advance side by side in the direction from which they had come, the others would swing into double-column order and advance two and two behind the leaders. When the order was given the distance between the ships was less than two cable lengths. The execution of the order was easy enough for ships farther away from the center, but extremely difficult for the Victoria and the Camperdown. In turning their bows would pass within a few fathoms of each other, even if the movement was executed with the greatest of precision. This movement is rarely made, and is chiefly for the purpose of training the ship commanders to move expeditiously away from shoaling waters. Whether because Admiral Markham of the Camperdown could not believe this movement was to be tried when the ships were so close together, or because he thought Admiral Tryon had miscalculated the distance, he didn’t set about executing Admiral Tryon’s order, but signaled that he didn’t understand it. The Victoria and the other vessels had not hesitated. The Victoria began to turn at once, as she still held to the signal. The Camperdown no longer hesitated, but also began to turn. The brief delay, however, had been fatal.

The Victoria had nearly turned, and the Camperdown, swinging around, bore down upon her. Both • admirals were quick to act. Admiral Tryon swung the Victoria so as to receive at the smallest angle the blow which both officers saw was inevitable, and Admiral Markham did the same for the Campertown, besides reversing her screws. The 12-foot ram of the Camperdown struck the hull of the Victoria just in front of the armored bulkhead and plunged into the thin plates of her starboard side. The armor ends at the bulkhead and the forward part of the Victoria above the water line was mere cardboard to the great iron wedge so mightily propelled. There was a smashing of wood and iron plates, and the ram and 8 feet of the bow of the Camperdown crashed 20 feet into the bowels of the Victoria. The Camperdown W'as halted by the heavy armor of the Victoria, and as her screws were reversed she at once began to back away. As all the other vessels were moving to get into double line behind the two leaders they were bearing down upon the entangled ships, and a catastrophe involving all the ironclads was imminent. Only the coolness and prompt action of the other commanders prevented a general disaster. The Victoria’s bow was now pointed full toward the shore. It seems that Admiral Tryon did not realize the extent of the damage to the Victoria. As no accident of exactly this kind has happened before he could not know what the effect of the hole in tbe compartment was to be. He no doubt thought that as one compartment was damaged the others would keep his ship afloat, so when the Camperdown and the other ships signaled offers of boats he replied he didn’t need them. The Victoria began to forge straight for the shore under full steam. It is one of the rules of the British navy that if a ship is in danger of sinking and shore is not far away she must be got into shallow water, so that if she goes down she may be raised again. So Admiral Tryon was making for the shore and was widening the distance between the Victoria and other ships. The untangling and getting under full headway had taken some little time. About ten minutes after the blow the Victoria, having got something like 2 miles nearer shore from the scene of the collision, all at once leaned away over to starboard and with a great roll and plunge buried her bow beneath the calm surface of the sea; it was almost instantaneous. There was only a chance for a few wild cries and the Victoria was almost half submerged, bow foremost, with her swiftly revolving screws whirling clear of the water and high in the air. Those on deck were plunged immediately into the water. The men forward and below had no time to rush to the dock, but found themselves groping for doors of rooms filled with water and compressed air. There was little more time for those in officers’ quarters. They heard the shouts and warping cries and rushed to the almost perpendicular deck. The huge hull was drawing on the water as it went down and several hundred men hurled suddenly into the water fully dressed had to battle against increasing suction. A moment more and a new peril more horribie descended upon them. The great engine, deep in the heart of the hull and inclosed in water-tight compartments, ;vas still throbbing at full speed, and the great steel flanges of the twin screws were whirling round up in the air. As the vessel sunk the screws came nearer and nearer to the water and descended into the midst of struggling human beings. The vessel sunk slowly, and when the screws were

low enough to begin to whirl In the water again the suction had increased until there was a deepening vortex like a maelstrom. At the bottom of the maelstrom the screws were revolving like circular knives. The poor creatures battled in vain against the suction. They were drawn down and thrown against the swift blades. Then came a scene which made the officers on the decks of the other warships of the fleet turn away sick with horror. Screams and shrieks arose, and in the white foam appeared reddened arms and legs and wrenched and torn bodies. Headless trunks were tossed out of tlje vortex to linger a moment on the surface and sink out of sight. All within reach of that vortex lost their presence of mind. Men who knew how to swim ceased swimming and fought with the waters. Men clutched each other in frenzy and struck each other off. The deep cone of whirling water with the swift knives chopping human bodies was a horror to daunt the bravest. One man who was saved says that he saw in this great vortex at least fifty of his fellows fighting with each other and with inevitable death. In a moment or so the knives disappeared and the vortex began to close up. The ship was beneath the surface just as the whirl was shallowed almost to the surface. Then there was a muffled sound of thunder, the waters tossed up and the ocean burst from them. Again the shrieks and screams burst from the swimmers. The boilers had exploded, the sea had rushed into the furnaces and the swimmers were beating waves of scalding water. Thus in less than ten minutes death in three forms attacked the officers and crew of the Victoria—death by drowning, death by the knife-like screws and death by scalding water. Admiral Tryon stuck on the bridge and refused to leave it Just before the Victoria made her underplunge he saw what was about to happen and issued an order for each man to save himself, but the order never got beyond the bridge, for ruin descended straightway, and the brave officer was lost. There were many acts of heroism,selfforgetfulness and daring. The peril of those in the water was increased by the fact that the sea hereabouts is infested with sharks. It is the duty of the marines when a collision occurs to immediately go below and close all watertight compartments. When the Camperdown Struck the Victoria the Victoria’s marines went below for their duty, and as a result out of 120 marines on the Victoria 99 were lost. With the first under plunge of the Victoria all the boats were called away from all the other ships and came straining over the calm sea to save the stragglers. These boats were soon picking up those fortunate ones who had got out of reach of the terrible vortex. So long as the vortex was there the boats dared not venture near, but they did lift from the scalding water several wretched sailors who were horribly burned. It is thought that more than half those drowned got out of the ship, but were caught in the vortex or scalded to death by the boiling water.