FRENCH BATTLESHIP BLOWN UP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13888, 27 April 1907, Page 13

FRENCH BATTLESHIP BLOWN UP.

CATASTROPHE IN TOULON

DOCICS.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.

A SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS,

! lie following account of the explosion on tho battleship lona at Toulon on March U appears in tho London Daily .Unih-

TOUJ.OX, March 12. . Ino battleship Icna, one of tho finest in the French navy, has been practically (listroved by fire, following on the explosion of her iimmiiuition magazine. Tho explosion, which occurred at. 1.50 this afternoon, caused indoscribnhio panic and commotion in t>hc whole city. Thorn was first a loud concussion, quickly followed by another of infinitely greater violence. Windows were shattered and houses shaken. s

Everyone believed that Ihe catastrophe of ISS9, when the powder magazine ut fiaguubran blow up, h;id Itfcn repeated. All in tlfr neighbourhood of tho Missiossv dock, whoro the lena was lying, and in other parts of tho city ;us far distant as the observatory and * tho .iaidin do la Vdlo, were terror-stricken by tho explosion, and turned and fled from the place where tho concussion appeared to e-jino from. 'l'chy ran as though death were at I hair heels.

At the samo moment, those who looked south-west from the city saw a huge column of dark smoke rise and spread grimly over the city. flloro explosions followed at short intervals. Curiosity struggled with fear, and a few of' tlo braver spirits ventured towards the docks, and quickly learnt that tho lena had blown up.

Tho causo of tho explosion is ''unknown, and seems likely to remain so. A great number of tho vessel's officers and ir,en have perished.

A trngio roll-call was held this evening, and, 369 of the lona's crow answered i.o their names. Sixty-eight. wounded lie in hospital, and scores of qthers are being tended at their homes. At midnight tonift'llt at least 105 are missing, and it is safe to say that nearly all have perished. The fire spread from the lena to five naval workshops near hv, and a submarine <loj>ot had a narrow escape. The battleships Snftron and Butt vet were saved by a miixicle. They were lying in the Missicssy basin close by, and the flames went perilously near tJiem. Many of the lona's wounded were, being tended on board these t.wo vessels.

Captain Adigard, who was in command of tho lona, was in his cabin when Iho explosion occurred. Ho wna just preparing to kjavo the vessel. Tho cabin was reduced Jo atoms, and the captain must have pcriShcd instantly.

Tho manner in 'which tho firo was checked was remarkable. Tho commander of the battleship Pairie. lying in the basin 60Q yards away, saw the danger of the firo spreading, and that the gates of the dry dock could not be opened and water admitted, lfe then fired a shell at the dock gate and made a broach, thus leltinfc water inlo tho dry dock. Had not this been done much more serious damage would have been caused by the flame 3. TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS. The battleship was going out to sea r.ext day, and was lying in the Misskssy dock, whore she was undergoing the regulation inspection of her machinery, while her keel wn,s being scrapcd and cleaned. Suddonly the powder magazine of the stem lottery blew up with a terrilie roar. Tho warship and everything around it were enveloped jn a mass of thick black smoke. The arsenal and dockyard buildings were shaken to Hieir foundations. Evorv piece of glass within a mile radius was shattered. Heavy picccs of metal and steel plates were hurled to a distance of 500 yards, killing many of the workmen who were returning to the arsenal after the mid-day dinner hour.

There was a wild rush of tho workmen and arsenal hands towards the Missicssy dock to see what had happened. Elvctric cable wires fused, grew red-hot, and fell in all directions, encumbering tho quay and dockyards, and electrocuting several person;.

Then, almost, before people had recovered from the shock of tho first explosion, there came another terrific roar and another shower of metal. The dock-yard officials rushed frantically a'cout. Fragments of human bodies wore scattered about. 200 yards from tho socne of tiie explosion. One official was knocked down nnd severely injured by n human leg, which was actually driven into his shoulder.'

Then came a Ibird roar, and a third shower of metal. At the imminent peril of their lives a. number of men reached the side of the dock. and saw through the mass of smoke that the after-portion of the battleship had been blown up and that the vessel was in flames. Blackened n.nd mutilated moil wore rushing, away from the ship. One man with both arms blown off was eecn rushing; to safety, while others were lying groaning pitcously from wounds which kept them prostrate. TJie sight was utterly terrifying, and still, at. 15-minute intervals, now explosions occurred. In a short time all the ambulance waggons in the dockyard, together with hundreds of stretchers, were brought to the K".np of the catastrophe. The dockyard (ire brigade quickly set to work, and brought (heir hoses to plav on the smoking vessel, and the ambulance men took back hundreds of badly-wounded sailors. At the time of tho explosion all the officers and men were on board. , SURVIVORS' STORIES. Tho following account. of t.'no explosion is given by (ho boat-swain, a man named GiudieeUi, who was on board the ill-fated warship at tho time of tho, explosion:— "I was with a large number of sailors in the mklshipmcn's quarters," ho says, "listening to an historical lecture on 'Henry IV and his Time,' given by Midshipman Cavlino, Suddenly, as thr> lrcturcr was speaking of llto deeds of prowess of the French navy inl that, monarch's reign, tljcvo came a deafening roar, which shook the ship from stem to stern, and threw us all on to t.lio floor in confusion. "Wo picked oirrselvcs up and made a rush for safety. Most, of us swarmed overboard down the forecastle gangways on to the quay. Glancing round I saw many wounded men lying on t.hc quay. They liad boon blown clean out of tho ship."

Another petty officer says: "I was about to tike the afternoon roll-call of a section of the crow on dcclc. when there eamo a deadening report and a blinding flash of light. I [ell. myself lifted off my feet, and a few seconds later I found myself lying half-stunned and wounded on the quay alongside the ship."

Tho first explosion occurred exactly at 1.35. Immediately tho stern powder magazine blew up. Officers and men swarmed in panic down tho s&newavs, and got away m bnst they could. All who were between decks ov in tho machine-rooms were unable to escape, and were killed almost without, exception.

Fire fnl lowed Iho burst-ins of the torpedo, and all iho other powder magazines in the ship exploded one after the other.

In one jpin-tnrrct on the port side astern 10 men wove (rathnred together. and were instantly killed by the force of tlifl' explosion.

One gunner, standing by Iho faffrail. '.va-s blown hisb into l.lio air and dropped into Iho turret.

If is reported that the explosion completely demolished three buildings in tlio dockyard—the torpedo 6l)ed, a machine buildiirr. and iho pumping depot.

An the wounded men came running off the burning vessel !.he,y did not know v.'hich way to turn,'and many fell to tho ground in bewildered terror. They were immediately picked up by officers ami men standing 011 iho fiuay, who carried lliom (0 the dockyard infirmary. Soon a lonjr trail of blood marked the road between tljdock and the infirmary.

A child of 13 months ami its moihor worn killed at a. distance of some 600 yards from the scene of ihe explosion.

Admiral Mancwon is badly vonmloil, while Captain Vertior, Lieutenant Van Oavor. and Kn~>icrn Uonx are killod.

Both Captain Acliprard, commanding (ho iona, and his second lieutenant, arc missing, and if. is feared lluit. iliov also have been killed.

Many men jumiAul into the dry dock and were killed by iho fall. The explosions continued until past 3 o'clock, when t.he greater part of tho stern of the ship fell away ivilli a great noise. It was (hen found possible to let l]ie water into the dock, and by half-past 4 all da"rer_ of further explosions was over. Admiral Manccvon's maiiro d'liotel. who was injured in the forehead by breaking jrla-ss. while still covered with blood, gave the following accounr of ilio *1 i^nst-or: —

" I was in the uiniu': saloon pursuing tllv usilll occupation at- tdrout. lv.\K-p:isi 1, when suddenly there was a formidable explosion in 'the magazines under the, admiral's dining 1 .saloon. The glare flew sn splinters and lire broke out everywhere. I was wounded in the forehead, blinded .by the blood which poured from my

wounds, and suffocated by tho smokrf? but I did not IOfG courage. 1 rushed to tho admiral s cabin, whoro coffoo had just, boon served, and warned him of the danger. After that I do not know what happened. I holicvo I wont forward. I cannot vomombar clearly, but. I can state that the admiral was injured.

'•The scene on board was indescribable. The crew had jumped oxcrbonrd or been thrown out by tho force of the explosion, and it is quite possible that Ihost! who did nor. have ihoir necks broken by Ihe full were asphyxiated by tho smoke. It is reported that for 30 minutes a search waa made in vain for ihe keys with which the locks of tho basin are opened, and that thn magazines could not be Hooded.

" A laundress who wits bringing linen on board tho Icna is reported to have been on board at tho moment of the catastrophe. and it is not known what became of her."

Commander Vortier, chief of staff o! the second division (|! of the Mediterranean squadron, was sft'gitisod in bis cabin close to tho after-tur^itwhen the first explosion occurred. He/ tempted to escape, but the doorway of tho, cabin was blocked with debris. Wlipn mi entranoß into the cabin was forced Commander Yerticr's cha.rrcd body was found.'.cn r the floor.

An oye-witnessl iiiys that » fragment of a. shell weighing) ,201b burst within five yards of him aV'I'O was proceeding to tho spot, and when lie was 500 yards away from tho lena.

The sailors and workmen who. at peril of their lives, weufc new the lena lo give assistance, saw human limbs being hurled into tho air every moment. The spectacle was most appalling, and struck terror into the most hardy. One could only watch from a distance. Beyond a certain- point no one is allowed to go.

SCEXE OF 'RUIN.

TOULON, .March 13.

Battered and torn- as though sho had fought a fierce battle, tho magnificent fir.itclass battleship lena, tho prido of the French navy, presented a melancholy spectacle this morning when- tho sun burst over tho heights of 'i'oulon.

h'ron] her forward turret to her stem gallery the noblo ship is one blistered riveu maes of twisted steol, rotted cordage, and niiscollnjioqus ruin.

At 8 o'clock this morning (he creeping fires had reached the biise of the lofty, signal mast forward, and with a mighty crash it fell by tho hoard almost as M. Thomson, the Minister of Ma.rine, newly come from Paris, drove alongside. Clouds of smoke were still pouring in choking volumes from the chattered hulk.

Twenty-four hours after the disaster/ in spite of the ocean of water pumped between her docks by military .engineers and dock firemen, the lire had burned tlie ship right forward to tho fore turret, leaving only one-tenth of her entire length unharmed. Tho bluejackels' washing hanging from tho fore rigging mada a. pathetic contrast to tho awful scone oE devastation.

Tho greatest explosion of all occurrcd exactly under the after-turret, immediately abaft (he after-bridge and nearly under the officers' quarters. The direct damage to Iho hull consists of otic enormous hole blown in tho starboard quarter, just at tho commencement of (he starboard rolling chock, and extending nearly 30ft along under the steel belt, and thence downwards nearly 10ft. Tho force of' (lie explosion tore the stout steel plating, girders, nnd angle-irons awnv like tho top of a tin-can, mid tin? lorn and crumpled plates lie bangins: hack from (lie hole toward the stern as if hinged to tho hull. The rivels have

boon torn clean away, and-iho area., of tho hull along the starboard quarter is tjnito. perceptibly bulged outward for:inany ; yards. At iho top of the projectile hoist, leadiut; from the ammunition chamber-to tho turret puns, i'i'i' havco dono is immense. The port, side of the after-bridgo has'been ripped from its solid eteel stanchions, tho military inast. deeply dented, tho fore-and-aft bridge, from Ihe 'midships barbel to to the after-bridge, twisted and displaced. Tho surrounding upper, main, lower, and bil<*e decks have been simply obliterated. The after-magazine, in which tho greatest explosion occurred, is gone, and there remains only a wild tanjfjo of knotted, tortuous stool plates and stanchions. iTlist forward of i.ho magazinovand the yawning hole in the starboard- quarter is one of tho transverse collision 'bulkheads, hut it, as well as Iho longitudinal bulkhead near by, is ;o bulged as'to-bo useless for its purpose.

As one of the naval officers remarked to *ne to-day: ''Had -tho. accidont happened' at sea tlw vessol must have foundered instantly. especially as sbo was deprived ofthe help of so many of iier crow from asphyxiation and shock."

Tho fierceness of the-flames, which burst out, and raged furiously in tho interior' of the lena imniediatelv after the- explosion, astonished the naval officors tliemsolves. That a liatf.lcship of modorn construction should blaze, like a irrenso-hox from an explosion has aroused the tiravesf. questions concerning naval construction. An officer assured me that the reconstructed lena will contain the minimum of inflammablo material. V

The fire completely burned tho lena, inf.ido and out, to tlio very-6ummit of her fere si?nal-niast. It. consumed all hor boats on dock, completely ate away her deckplankinir, destroyed every particle of furniture in tho officers' and men's quarters, ruined nioro than 10 .cuus of various calibres, utterly obliterated all tho delicato communication apparatus and machinery, and seriously injured'even tho heavy guns.

THE LOST VESSEL.

The letia, the flagship* of Roar-admiral Mnncoron, was one of tho finest battleshins in the French nary. She was launched at Brest in September, 1898. ITcr displacement was 12,052 tons, her speed If! knots, her complement 7GO men, and her 'main ermament four ]2in and eight 6.4 guns. Slio was fitted with four torpedo tithes!'two of them submerged. She was splendidlv armoured with a 14in 'lielt. Her loneth was 400 ft. her beam 69ft, and she din' 27ft 6in. She was commanded by Captain Adisard. Tho cost of her const ruction, armament, etc., was over £1,300.0 C&