THE TRAGEDY CF THE “A 8”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5665, 12 August 1905, Page 12

THE TRAGEDY CF THE “A 8”

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, Juno 23.

The inquest on the bodies of the victims of the mysterious and fatal plunge of the submarine ‘'A 8” has produced some blood-chillmg reading. What reaily iiappened after the little craft plunged suddenly to the bottom will never be known, but such expert evidence on “what might have been” as was given at the inquest renders it tolerably certain that the fifteen victims did not meet a comparatively swift and easy death by drowning. Captain Bacon’s evidence, indeed, sugguests that for nearly a hundred minutes after the boat had disappeared life was left in the hapless men entombed in the steel walls of the craft. But, mercifully, they would be unconscious for the greater part of that time owing to the chlorine gas given off from the electric batteries on board soon after they 1 were flooded. Probably they were all rendered absolutely unconscious within twenty minutes of the “A 8” disappearing below the surface, and, indeed, the examination of the vessel showed that so little had been done by the crew to attempt to save themselves that it is almost certain that a much less space of time expired before merciful oblivion overtook them. Even so the horrors of their last few minutes of life will not boar thinking upon.

The cause of tho catastrophe must ever remain a matter of conjecture, but from the technical evidence it wonld appear that a rivet in the forward petrol tank had worked out, thus admitting water at the rate of about a ton in ten minutes and gradually pulling the “A 8” down by the nose, reducing her proper buoyancy, and rendering her unamenable to her helm. The conning tower hatch which was open when sho disappeared was found closed when Die “A 8" was docked, but whether by human agency or as a result of tho water rushing in from all sides as the vessel's speed reduced from tile ten knots sho was making at tho time of tho plunge cannot be decided. The export evidence, however, suggests that before the closing of the hatch the “A 8” had taken iu some 30 tons of "sea water. Apparently but for the generation of ohionno gas the crew might possibly have got rid of this water and have saved themselves. But everything in connection with the disaster is more or less vague conjecture save the fact that fifteen gallant British tars have perished miserably, the victims in peace time of an engine of war.