DANGERS OF IRONCLADS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 809, 14 June 1879, Page 2

DANGERS OF IRONCLADS.

The narrow escape of the French ironclad Implacable, which Was in company with the Arrogante when the latter vessel foundered off Toulon on the 19th of March (says the Pall Matt Gazette), affords a curious and instructive illustration of the way in which the very means provided to insure the safety of a vessel may cause her destruction. Like all iron ships, the two French floating batteries were divided by transverse bulkheads into water-tight compartments ; and during the storm in. which the Arrogante went down the Implacable,' which was almost within hail of her consort, shipped (we learn from an account of the disaster printed in the "Army and Navy Gazette") so much water through her* hawse-holes before these could be Btopped that the watertight compartment forward was filled with water. In this condition, with an immense weight of water in her bows, the Implacable was pitching in a most dangerous manner, and was in imminent danger of. going down head foremost, when her captain ordered the bulkhead which confined the water to be broken through. This "brought the water afb, immediately relieved the bow, enabled, the" pumps to go to work," and the vessel was saved. Whether if the same step "had been taken on board the Arrogante the latter would also have beeu able to ride out the storm it is impossible to say ; but the account describes the vessel as "dipping her nose before she went down, so that the' pumps could notbe used with effect," and it is added that when an attempt was made "to run her ashore it was found impossibly to steam ahead or' astern, " ; presumably because of the altered trim of the vessel caused by her foremost compartment being filled, with water.