THE FRENCH NAVAL CATASTROPHE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7978, 8 December 1911, Page 3

THE FRENCH NAVAL CATASTROPHE.

i l'roin oiu' Paris Correspondent .J I'.MMS. September

France lias been plunged into mourning by an appalling naval catastrophe. \Viule I;,-ins; at anchor in Toulon liurl.o u r vr stenlay morning. the lif-m-li battleship Lib. He caught lire and blew an carrying to destruction nearly three hundred of her ollicers and into All that remains of the line vessel j» a shapeless mass of torn and twisted steel mnei "in" like it blael:, forbidding' rock from" the surface of the sea. Not only was nearly every soul on board nor wiped out of existence. but death and destruction were spread by the explosion on board the other vessels of the fleet anchored in the vicinity. .Kxaetlv what took place on board the 111-fated "battleship is not yet clear. It was shortly alter half-past live, waon a jailor came rushing up from uelow shouting: “The ship is on fire.' He had hardly completed the phrase v'hcn a formidable explosion shook the whole lowii like an earthquake. The shock was so great that in nearly all the houses furniture was thrmvu about the rooms, and the windows Hew into fragments. Uver the harbour hung, a great cloud of smoko like the smoke from a volcano. Tho smoko was so dense as ft) obscure for seme time the sun, which only appeared like a ball of dull red lire through the *emi-darkne*s. Reveille had beee sounded on board the vessel, of the fleet, when signals were made that fire had broken out ou board tho Libcrte, and that the vessel required assistance. The blaze, it is stated, broke out imar the after magazine of tho battleship. \ few minutes later three distinct small explosions were heard. At tho first explosion about a hundred men who wn-o on deck jumped into the water, while their comiades endeavoured to ‘rush for safety. Two other explosions followed in rapid succession. Then, with a, terrific roar, the whole vessel suddenly blew up and tho wreckage soon sank beneath tho waves. RESCUERS’ BOATS SUNK. In tho meantime boats from tho other vessels of tho fleet had been making for tblazing shin to pick up those who had-jumped into the water and to endeavour to rescue thoso who still remained ou board. Many of these boats wire already crowded with those who had escaped, and they were either sunk bv living’ wreckage from the Libcrte or •were"capsized by the disturbance of the water. At the time tho fire broke out there were about six hundred men. out of tho Liberte's complement of 743,. on hoard the doomed About fifty injured were rescued from the water by tho battleship Demociatio, and other 3 wero taken on board, the other vessels. Later all those of the Liberte’s crow who had survived wore transferred to the battleship Suffreii, where the roll was called in an endeavour to determine the number missing. Two hundred and seventy-four men, including forty, injured, answered to their names. Though others may be found to harp been rescued, it is believed that the remainder of the crew, with tho exception of about a hundred leave men who were on shore at tho time of tho catastrophe, have perished. The number is about 230 to 2"»0, to which must be added 100 men from other battleships lying at anchor and killed by flying wreckage, or drowned in the endeavour to rescue 1 their comThe Liberte was completely cut in two by tho force of tho explosion, and sank within twenty minutes According to the “Journal, as soon as the alarm was given on board tho doomed vessel tho crow sot strenuously to work to fight the flames, but despite all thdir efforts they were unable to prevent them reaching tho magazines, and a first explosion took place. It was'then, that a panic set in and a number of tlio men jumped into the sea.' Tho Liberte fired four guns as n signal for help, and boats were im- . mediately lowered from all tho warships in tho harbour. When tho boats wore nearly alongside the Liberte a new explosion rang out from the ship, whose commander, knowing tho peril that threatened, signalled them to withdraw to a safe distance, but some of thorn did not obey his injunctions at once. When the final explosion occurred the battleship seemed to be lifted almost out ot tho water, then she sink back, a shapeloss mas-** of wi'eckagc.

OTHER WARSHIPS SWEPT BY FLYIXG WRECKAGE.

In addition to sinking a number of the ships’ boats which were proceeding to the rescue of the unfortunate men on board the blazing Liberte, the explosion caused groat loss of life and damage on board other vessels of the fleet anchored close by. , , . Huge blocks of metal, great pieces of armour-plate, and ■wreckage of all kinds were hurled in every direction like a ■ ;r of projectiles. Twenty men are sa,.. lo have beer, killed and about fifty injured on board the battleship Democratic, while numerous victims arc also reported on tho Vtrito and the Uepublique. The Rcpublique had a huge rent' torn in her port side close to one of the turrets, and locked ns though she had been iu collision. Tho damage to her such that she will bo immediately •kod for repairs. Tho rent is no less than" soft long. - It was produced by an armour plate blown from the Liberte. and with the plate was carried tho mangled body of one of the sailors of tho destroyed battleship. At seven o’clock, when the boats of tho other vessels were searching for any survivors on board tho Liberte, smoko was again noticed issuing from the wreckage, and another explosion was feared. The boats were therefore ordered to retire to a safe distance, but several boats’ crews misunderstood the order, and for a moment a panic ensued. On board the Kepubhc.ue the sailors rushed for. shelter, and several of them jumped into the sea. Everyone was then ordered to retire behind the bridge until it was certain that nil danger was past, after which the commander if the Kepublique ordered llie vessel to be moored to another buoy a little further away. ■ A similar measure of precaution was taken by the Justice. Captain JCcrandren, commander ot the Hepubliquc, when asked his opinion of ihe disaster, said: “I know very little. \s soon ns the alarm was given about half-past five, when ■ tho fire was assuming serious proportions and threatening tho magazines, i ordered the pinnaces to bo lowered to rescue the Liberte s crew. Mho had been ordered to the snip, dust then a tremendous explosion occurred. My ship shooK from stern to stem. Viorcing cries ■were heard an acrid oko arose, hiding everything from .ow/' Captain Korandren pointed out a huge rent on the port sicto of the Koublicfue, where a fragment ofanarmour;tc had struck it and torn its way t into an officer's cabin. There was rent on the starboard side, and the vessel had .sprung a leak, numerous plates having started. A turret cupola fell on the deck, killing four men. . An idea of the force of tho explosion and tho devastation it created can be obtained from the fact that an officer o«. the gunnery schoolship Foudro, which was anchored 4000 yards away from the Liberte, was instantly.killed by a piece of living wreckage, M'hile two sailors tell wounded by his side. # M, Bollior, who was in charge ot a harbour pinnace which put out to the rescue, says that at half-past nvo the boat was approaching the Liberte wit*i rumps, rcadv to help in extinguishing rho flames. Terrible cries were heard li-cim tho interior. Tho fire was gaming ''round rapidly. Tlcalising what was about to happen. M. Bollier gave the order to stop, as the boat was very close to tho doomed ship. Suddenly a terrible report was heard, and tho pinnace was tossed about in a fearful whirlpool. At Ihe risk of his life Bollior rushed to the engine and .stopped tho boat himself, as his command had not been heard. Shells, were falling all round, and the dense smoko blinded everybody. AVhen the Liberte. breaking in two. sank in tho boiling sea, Bollier and his men set to

work to save as many cf the survivors I,s thov could. Fifteen were thim rescued and ‘taken on board tho Republiquc. Another harbour Ixmt, on the same errand of merev. «ymk in the turbulent waters and all "its crew were drowned. in Toulon the emotion was intense. Tho windows of almost every house were broken bv the force of the explosion. Jkoplo rushed in crowds to the quays, where they lea nit the terrible news. Many burst into tears, lamenting their relatives or' friends on board the illfated vessel. It is stated that the explosion was heard nearly fifty kilometers "MKSSIECRS, LA FRANCE EST EX DELHI,.” “Messieurs. la France cst ca denil” (Gentlemen, France is in mourning!Such wero the words witli whiclrM. Caillaux. the J’rcimer, concluded a short address before tho General Council. No words could better 1 describe tho feeling throughout the country when the news of the blowing up of the Liberte became known. Special editions' of newspapers were snatched from the vendors, and little crowds read the dispatches m silence only broken by exclamations of horror and expressions of pity for tho bereaved families. Brest vas perhaps the town of France which most keenly felt tho catastrophe. A large percentage of the victims or tho accident; came from that town and its environs, the Liberte being coinmissioned from Brest. Anxious families crowded round the entrance to the Maritime Prefecture, clamouring to hear it Jean or Pierre or Yves wero among the dead.

CAUSE or THE CATASTROPHE. The initial cause of the disaster is a mystorv. The hypothesis of a short circuit 'in the clcct’rical equipment seems untenable, the latest additions to the French navy being so constructed as to be effectively protected, in theory, against such a danger. A spontaneous ignition and oxnlosiou of the xiowdor on board the vessel also seems .improbable for technical reasons, although an authority like Sir Hiram Maxim supports this idea. The idea that the catastrophe may be due to malevolence is so horrifying that oii€ shrinks froi'i taking it into consideration. But tho “Journal do Debats reports the rumour that frro broke out on board the Liberte in four place* at once, and reminds its readers of the anarchistic placard which, just before trio 'launching of the Jean-Bart, hinted at a forthcoming event of a dire nature. Did that hint allude to the destruction of the Liberte? The idea is so appalling that until proof to tho contrary he produced the world will refuse to believe any human being capable of such a monstrous crime. For the moment, cvervono will prefer to accept the hypothesis of a mysterious accident, and the sympathy of the entire civilised world 'will go out to the French m their grief.