THE TERRIBLE EXPLOSIONS ON A RUSSIAN IRONCLAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6572, 9 December 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE TERRIBLE EXPLOSIONS ON A RUSSIAN IRONCLAD.

An Odessa iiewspaper publishes the following additional particulars eoucereing the catastrophe ou board the Popotlka Novgorod : — "A few days ago on board that mouitor— then moored to the quay of the Korabelnaya (Naval) Creek, at Seuastopol—a torpedo exploded in the torpedo magazine, causing such damage to the vessel as to render it doubtful whether it will be tit to again venture out to sea. The accident caused the deaths of Lieutenant Koozeen, who was engaged doing something in his cabin at the time ; second engineer Ivanofl", and twentytwo seamen. Lieutenant Koozeeu's body, without head, arms, and legs, has. since been recognised by his coat -uid watch. Near it was found one of his hands wish his ring upon one of its fingers. Ivauoff 3 body was found to be also minus head and legs ; while a third body had not even a scratch upon it. Lieut. Dergatcheilko ivps thrown from the deck into the water without receiving any material injury. 'J'lie sentinel upon the bridge was blown on to the shore and also saved. All the parts of the vessel above water were scattered in various direction?, KO that tli2 two ponderous guns remained exposed without the least covering or protection. The deck itself presented a horrible spectacle, bodies and parts of bodies, more or less mutilated, pieces of broken furniture and tittiugs, being all all mingled together. The vessel and it 3 outer fittings vrere all painted white, and what remained of these latter were covered or bespattered with blood. Divers and olhers worked bravely in searching for remains, and now a fooi was found, now a hand, and now a trunk. And in addition to all this, the cries of despair from tliu relatives and friends of the victims were such as made the stoutest heart quail. The Novgorod had just finished a cruise, and had put into Scbaatopol to be disarmed, in order to lie up there for the winter. On the eve of the catastrophe I'JO poods (forty pounds to the pood) of gunpowder and peroxiline —used in charging torpedoes—had been landed from it, and stored in the magazines on shore. Had it not been for that circumstance there is no doubt the entire vessel, every soul upon it, and the workshops and factories of the Russian Steamship and Tradiug Company, near which the Novgorod was moored, would have been completely destroyed. The report of the explosion was so loud that the workmen ran out of the factories with the idea that the buildings were going to crash in upon them. The windows of some barracks and of an hospital in the vicinity were shattered to atoms. The full complement of officers and men for the Novgorod is 123, and more than half of these were on shore in their barracks; and that may he accepted as a reason why there were not more victims. One report says that the author of the disaster was !i non-commissioned artillery officer, who, when the torpedoes were being landed from the Novgoford the evening before, ordeied some to be left in the ship's magazine, giving as an excuse that they were not charged, l.ut really in order to abstract the powdei from them for his own advantage, and that while attempting to do this, some clumsiness on his part caused the explosion. Another version say 3 that a military judgment hung over his head, and that he purposely tired the torpedo as an act of vengeance. It is not known, however, if there be any truth iu either story. In any case this mac must have been the first victim. Besides the loss of life, the damage done to the vessel and machinery is such that it is very uncertain whether it can serve any longer as a monitor, at any rate at sea-."