Page 5 Advertisements Column 4

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1553, 24 September 1912, Page 5

PANIC IN A WARSHIP. ri'NismrexT of bltotackets for SWIMMING TO SAFETY. A panic occurred at Toulon oil August 14 on board the French battlwhip Verite, as the result of an alarm of lire. A sailor who first noticed smoke issuing from one of the powder magazines shouted to some firemen near him asking for a bucket of water. Without stopping to reply, the firemen, recalling tho terrible explosion on board (lie Liberto last year, leapt overboard, and were immediately followed by some L'.'iO other,members of the crew. In the meantime the column of smoke became 11:010 dense. Sopiiifr this and the sailors of the Veriic swimming wildly towards them, tho crows of the Diderot; and the Hepubliquo also became affected. Tho command. was given to man the fire posts and it was with groat difficulty that tho officers of tho cruisers could gel: their orders obeyed and restrain the men from leaping into tho water. On board tho Veriic, meanwhile, some sailors, without waiting for orders from llio captain, broke tho glass lookers containing the keys, and proceeded to flood a number of th'o powder magazines. When order was restored, it was discovered that tho smoke which hod caused tho alarm had resulted from the lighting of one of tho boilers. The smoke had circulated into the powder magazines from bad ventilation. The names of 188 members of (he deserting crew were noted for punishment. 111 view of the fact that the terrible explosion 011 board tho Liberie enn be considered as one of tho contributory causes of tho panic, the punishments arc expected to bo light. The Vorito is a battleship of H.OOO tons. Tho Liberie, a sister ship, blew up in Toulon Harbour last year, most of her crew and a number of men in the Ttepuldique closo by perishing in tho explosion. Tho Liberto was a total wreck.

llr. Birrell, Irish Secretary, was in holiday nioml in tho House of Commons recently. 110 was interrogated about a baton charge nt Edgcworthstown. County Longford, durinc a mooting of the Town Tenants anil Labour League. "Is (lie right lion, gentleman aware,*' said Mr. Parrel I. "that sixteen civilians were injured?" "Well," retorted Itr. Birrell. "so were fourteen police injured; so it would seem to be on even battle." (Laughter.) "But," insisted Mr. Farrell, "the police were armed and the civilians were not." "I don't know what yon call a broken bottle." replied Mr. Birrell, meaningly; and the Nationalists joined in the laughter. Mr.. Asquith announced on Aufuet 6 thai on tho reassembling of the Hous-e of Commons in October he would propose an address lo the King for the appointment nf one additional judge in (lie King's Bench. Under ihe Act in 1010 for Iho appointment of two uddilional judges to relieve the concretion of the Law Courts it wns provided that any vacancy occurring after December 31, 1911, should only be filled on an address to the King from both Houses of Parliament, unless the whol« number of ordinary judpe* of the Kiug'i Bench was less than fifteen. I