BRINK OF DISASTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 816, 13 May 1910, Page 5

BRINK OF DISASTER.

NEARLY A COLLISION.

HUGE BATTLESHIPS SCRAPE EACH : . OTHER, CARRYING 1300 LIVES. By Te!oEi'aph-Prcß& AEscciatlon CoDyrlKht ' ' London, Slay 11. A sensation has been caused by tho narrow escape, from collision between two battleships of tlin Atlantic 'Fleet— tho Implacable (15,000 tons) and the Prince of Wales {15,000 tons); flagship of Vice-Admiral J'rinco Louis of Ualtonlxrg (two ships which together cnbt .£2,100,000, and carry over 1500 lives). While tho warships were steaming at night 'during- a fug, the Implacuble nil hut rammed the Prince of Wales. Tho smartness of the engine-room staflf and the seamanship displayed alone prevented anything worse than the scraping of the vessels as they passed each other.

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

VICTORIA-CAMPERDOWN TRAGEDY. The two ships mentioned in the cablegram each carry a complement of 781 men, so that over 1500 lives were at stake. Such a collision might have dwarfed the historic Victoria-Catriperdown disaster, Tho Prince of Wales cost ,£1,114,079, the Implacable «e!)87,llC, making the money value at stake .£2,103,195, or probably moro than Now Zealand's Dreadnoughtcruiser will cost.

- So far, the most tragic and terrible ot all collisions in the history of tho British Navy was.that which resulted in the sinking of the VicioHn (Admiral Tryon), flagship of tho Mediterranean Fleet, on Juno 'li, 1893. An order had been given to carry but the "gridiron" evolution, in which two lines of ships turn inwards towards each, other; The manqcuvro was ordered, in tho morning of the fatal dny, and the Victoria's captain, Bourke, had protested in vain against its danger. At 3.28 p.m. the signal was made fa turn, and the battleships Victoria and Camperdown, at the head of the two lilies, began to move in towards each other. Three minutes ui'ter the signal it was clear to air that a'collision was imminent, but another minute passed before the bugles sounded-the VQ, which :a the order for collision stations and for closing, watertight doors. ' With a crash that rang through the air—n dreadful, crunching sound—the Camperdown's ram tore through the Victoria's bow and drove the flagship bodily bnck some seventy feet or inoro in the water. • ■

Eltorts were made to savo the Victoria, but in vain. The engineers and stokers remained at their posts below, aiid the engines steadily moved ahead to. reach shonl water. The rest of the creiv were culled on deck nnd drawn up in linfi there on thp port side. As the tilt grew, tho urdor to jump was given', and then, but not before, tlw lines broke, 'nitd thn men threw themselves in the water. Almost at the same instant-tlio Victoria divhd, stein , foremost, and disappeared in .a cloud of sterna, taking down with her'hoi , acmiral, who remained at his post to the last. It is said that, according to credible witnesses, his wraith was. seen that same day in-London by one near and dear to him, nnd this before ths catastrophe was.known to a soul.

On board tho Victoria perished 338 officers and men. Of those who escaped alive, Rear-Admiral Sir John R. Jollicbe has since become a Lord of the Admiralty and Controller of the Navy. The Cauiperdown'suffered great damage in the collision, and had tho weather been stormy, would probably have gone down too. The great feature of this disaster was, however, tho order ami discipline displayed by all—tho calmness of officers and men in the face of death—tho heroism ,of the engineers and stokers, who stirred from their posts, and died to a man in her engine-rooms.