THE VICTORIA DISASTER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2540, 10 August 1893, Page 4

THE VICTORIA DISASTER.

At the enquiry an officer of the Victoria made the following statement: — j " I was on deck the time the Camperdown collided with us. The watch had just been changed, and the men who were relieved had been below not more than lifteen minutes, and therefore very likely most of them were in their bunks, and went down with the vessel. Had the accident occurred a few minutes earlier, when the watch was about to be relieved, the loss of life would have been very materially reduced. I believe every man on the deck of the Victoria realised that we were doomed the moment we were struck, and for a fraction of a minute before the actual shock came were conscious that it was coming, and that there was no way of avoiding it. After the blow was delivered every man stood at his post waiting for the word from the Admiral, and I believe we all heard the words he uttered, so great was the silence. When the Vice-Admiral ordered every man to save himself there was no unseemly rush. Every man appeared to realise that every other was entitled to a chance, and I.saw some acts of heroism that- are a lasting credit to British sailors. I saw one man helping two others who were sick and weak up the companionway ou to the deck, and moving with the deliberation that their coudition rendered necessarv, at the momentary danger of his own life. I saw another man with a companion, who, he knew, could not swim, tie a scarf round an arm and give the other end to his companion, so that he might keep his head above water, and then they both leaped into the sea. 1 am thankful to say they were saved I saw a man run to the rails, suddenly stop, draw a picture from his pocket, press the card to his lips, and then plunge overboard. It all happened in much less time than I have taken to tell it; so rapid was the succession of events that, even at this moment, I am not able to disentangle them, aud all I can feel to be clearly definite in my mind is the fact that there was an entire absence of confusion, an heroic spirit of self-sacrifice and one of the noblest examples of fidelity and honour on the part of the Vice-Admiral of which the English Navy can boast in all its records."

Another correspondent gives a statement from an officer of the Victoria. He says a number of officers were m the ward room and felt the tremendous shock of the collision, and heard atearisg rushing sound, which caused them to hurry on deck. The bugle then sounded to collision station. In obeeience to the order all the crew that could reach deck had assembled on the upper deck on the port side, and the place was inconveniently crowded with men, but notwithstanding this, although the blue jackets lojked anxious, they continued perfectly quiet, eager to carry out orders. There were only two prisoners, and both these were brought on to the upper deck, one of them, however, half dead, both of his legs having been mangled in a shocking manner by the bow of the Camperdswn as she crushed into the sick bay. No sooner was the order, " Save yourselves, men," given than she blue jackets broke ranks and swarmed up the weather nettings, some shouting "She's going down," and there was a scramble to get hold of something. The most awful scene was witnessed on the upper side of the ship, on which the greater number of men had gathered. Those in front were pressed to a spot immediately above the port propeller. To jump there appeared certain death, but there was no option and scores threw themselves into the sea, only to be mangled and killed by the whirling screws. The men behind shouted " Stop the screws, for God's sake," but without avail, as no orders could be communicated to the engine-room, even had those below been in a position to carry them out. Signor Babamello, inventor of theßalla Nautica submarine yesse}, with which several successful experiments were performed lately at Civita Vecchia in the presence of a Commission appointed by the Government, declares that he can float the Victoria at a cost of less than £40,000. The* and placing the grapnel chains rou ni tfa Victoria would take a month, and would be performed by the crew of the submarine smp, which had already descended to and been manoeuvred successfully at depths beyond that in which the Victoria lies. The bringing of the ship to the surface would take two days,