SAILOR’S FATAL CIGARETTE.

Shannon News, 31 August 1923, Page 2

SAILOR’S FATAL CIGARETTE.

FOURTEEN LIVES AND A TROOPSHIP. The story of the loss of a troopship and 14 lives through a carelessly dropped cigarette is being unfolded before 'a naval court-martial at Toulon, which is inquiring into the destruction of the transport Vinh Long in the Sea of Marmora last December. Frigate -Captain Framond, commander of the Vinh Long, is called upon, to answer for the loss of his ship, while two -sailors, Adolphe Bert and Antoine Lovighi, are charged with homicide by imprudence. According to the case for the prosecution, Bert and Lovighi were smoking in a cabin in which were seven' rolls of films ready for packing into cases when they heard someone approaching, and thinking it was an officer going the rounds, they hurriedly dropped their cigarettes, as smoking was forbidden in that part of the ship. Bert, in his haste, had dropped his cigarette on to one of the films, which immediately flared up, while Lovighi. in trying to extinguish it knocked it off the table, so that it earn© in contact with other films. The fire spread rapidly all over the cabin, and the efforts of the two sailors to stamp it out, mnly served to scatter sparks and fragments of the blazing celluloid. Within a few minutes it had taken such a hold, despite the efforts of the ship’s firemen, that the latter were gradually driven back from the ©tern -and centre of the vessel, and the order was given to take to the boats. B,art’s cigarette had cost France a fine troopship and fourteen lives, including those of (a women and three children. The death-roll would have been much heavier had it not been for the timely help given by an American torpedo destroyer and the British destroyer Sepoy which hurried to the scene of the disaster, in response to a, wireless appeal. Bert, bad -acknowledged bis responsibility for causing the outbreak, and expressed his deep regret, ait, the. consequence of his 'disregard of the ship’s rules. _ The officer in charge- of the prosecution, having to- Bert’s good .character and his" bravery 7 during the fire, has appealed in his behalf for clemency.