SUBMARINE CUT IN TWO.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12826, 27 July 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

SUBMARINE CUT IN TWO.

\\A m:m}:i> j*y a\ battleship , TWKXTV-FOUK DROWNED. PARIS, June 9. The French submarine Verideiniaire was run down and simk Avith all 'hands, eavJy yesterday morning by the battleship St. Louis, the .flagship of RearAdmiral de Marolles, 'm cdrnttra-nd of the | Tli'ird {Squadron; t _ ';• ' • ; ' 1 i; • :; ;The'> collision occurred live* mites 'Ho i'ttio north west of Cape La Hague during a -heavy fog. Tliere were 22 men 'on the 11 Vendemiaire, and 'two officers- — Li'iHttenant Prioul and Ensign Audje. IMie catastrophe is Hh'e 'fourth of the kiiid .wliich has „oticih?i?ed 'hi the /French .rijvvy} YJuring the last ge'ven years. '*■ '■ About 6 o'clock the Third Squadron .was advancing towards Cherbourg from : Ure^W. - •''.- According, to therpr#grainm'e -'of the manoeuvres, ■-■••the -torpedo" boafc--des-troyers of the Cherbourg flotilla- and the submarine flotilla were to attack it. The destroyers and snbma-rinesshadvleft Cherbourg m" a- deus^'rfog. -N ?/•' •■ '-' TOO, LATE. ■■'. -}A. Suddenly the i'ook-out onHb&trd the Stii Louis saw a> siibmarirte' coming to th-s' surface. It was th&VVencfemiaire. She was' just m the line 'of* the on-com-ing battleship, and it was too late for the,, accident to be.pfe.vented. The Vendenhjaire was' struc'&'amidships and sank immediately. '•■"'.■ It is oflieially stated this evening by^ Admiral Kiesel, ' the Maritime Prefect Mf Cherbourg; that -all' attempts at re!floaling "the \vrecked> submarine would be not only dangerous but useless. It would be impossible for divers to try to reach the wreck owing to the great depth titwhioli she is ]y-ing*and>t'l»^Streftgth of thii currents.- , O '-."*; '' l ' ? - ' '~\!> Tine Vendemiaire went down m the Raz Blanchaa-d, wliere the currents flow •ab n a'ate 'pi nv<? oi" -even': «$-•• knots an hoil.',' ' '• ' •'• •'■• '•''' '••■' J-' • i ;..> J - i --i. 1 Eye-witnesses on board the St. Louis believe that the probable cause of the catastrophe was the eagerness of Lieutenaviy Proul to (strike >jthfe St. Louis with a torpedo. He imdoubteidly saw the St. LoMis itdvanfcingji 'attempted to strike her, and, having no" periscope up at the ttrne, 'rosa ,'imm^Us,tel^';jin her line, and was cut m two. '

Immediately after the collision the St. Louis launched boats, and the exact spofrj at which the Vendemiaire had sunk was' 'taac!ced-':\v.ith-VbWVs. l 'W^' found of. her but a few .splinters ot \vboa from tho bridge. After the accident bubbles! rot-o to th© surface for about ten -minutes, and a little later the sea was stained 'i^Uv'gjfeUl spots of oil. This shows that the tanks of tlie wrecked submarine must j have been torn open. . * „ •■■ The- St. Louis .Eema-tn.edi«<K)r.,an,;,tlieur > iandva, ' (htili a* l ; U4ie/'pla;ej&itJl .the^lUsibn, anids'tlten '-wdnttf-td'l j^lieyMtt^g *he rest of the squadron,, leaving a destroyer and the cruiser Marseillaise behind. ■ VV. f Kl:B? ASd^FEET OF \VATER,

As soon as Cherbourg received the ter.libio - news . boats ( witii^ r4floatHig .gear left i for" the Raz I^lanchard, ' but verf little hope was; entertained by the authorities even then, for even if the Vendemiaire Avas not torn open m the collision she had sunk m 180 feet/ of water, and the currents had probably shifted the vessel's position before the boats got out to her. ._,,., ■ .. „. '* The Vendemtaire Avas a sister ship of the Pluviose, which was sunk two years ago m theNDhannel by the cross-Channel boat the Piisd^. Calais. News of the' catastrophe reached Paris in' a curiously l ' dramatic fashion. • A ■©ab'iineb^Council was being held, yester-,-day -indrning an&'business had?'just begun AAjheii' a teUegram Avas' brought to M. Delcasse, .'the- Minister of Marine. He opened it, read it, stood up, and said: "Gentlemen, I have bad news. A submarine has been m collision' with the St. T,ouis five miles to the north of Cape La. Hague, and. has not reappeared. The depth is 180 feet. The Marseillaise and .the- destroyer Gabion are on the spot. Tho name of the submarine is the YenHemiaire."

■ There was great emotion and great excitement among the members of the Cabinet. President Fallieres called across the table to M, Delcasse: "Send for a railway guide at once. You niust go down.' "T know the trains to Cherbourg,'' said M. Delcasse, "I will leave by the 3.38 train this afternoon."

M. Delcassc did so. He arriA^ed m Cherbourg this morning, and presided over the most dramatic and pathetic ceremonial imaginable. At seven o'clock /this morning he was teken on a motorpinnace to the cruiser Cloire, 1 AA'here; Rear-Admiral Kiesel and the other authorities were Availing. for him. MINISTER'S VISIT.

By At. iDelcasse's -desire the usual honors Avero not- rendered. He embarked 1 y in silence, then the colors Avere hoisted, the band on board ,played the "Marseillaise," aaicl' the Gloire steamed sloavlv between the .lines of darlv grey battleships. Avhich saluted as she passed. There Avas an hour's journey out tosaa m glorious Aveather. '• The Gloire ,reach- : ed the place where the Vendemiaire had ;SuhU," arid found' ;th©MV|iai ; seillai£o and Qabioni',iiv • Vaiting- >As s.oon, as the: g^glaitj'ship 'reachdd;;the spoij-^f the catas•trtt^he,- M. D^jeassef Went up alone to ctho bi;.fl3ge,,./ ;•",'•'. 'V : - ■ \■. ; Tlief,-.crej\' and stood to if'attsnjbton," rendering supremo homage 'fctjft^tlidiiv twenty.- four <f«ad comrades. The "JMarseillaisi!" Avas twice, and the. ,guns .thundered. Up o"n =the bridge stoqd' M. pelca«»e ; /ialisoHt,aryi little white-hair ed With the tears streaming doAvn his-.faoe.-j TliaH; Avas tJie'iWeAvell of tl>e Minister of - -MariiKi "'■'' to the twenty four Frenchmen whom the sea had claimed.

The 'Gloire steamed hack to Cherbourg,_and 'Mi Delcasse became- Iho man of business immediately, inspecting the submarine. station and A'arimis parts of the arsenal before he' left Cherbourg at twenty minutes past tAvelve.