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Show AN AWFUL FATE. THE BRITISH CRUISER SERPENT IS LOST WITH HER CREW- Only Thr of a Total of tie ar. Bared from tho Doptba A May Sta wallow Her Up, London, Nov. 18. The British torpedo tor-pedo cruiser Serpent foundered off the ooast of Spain. The fate of the crew is unknown. The serpent was a twin screw vessel of 1770 tons and carried six guns. The Serpent was lost twenty miles north of Cape Flnistere. Out of a total of 250 souls on board only three were saved. The serpent went on the rocks during a storm Monday night. Owing to the violence of the storm it was Impossible Im-possible to send assistance from the shore. Tremendous seas swept the docks of the doomed vessel, carrying away tho army of unfortunate men on board. The Serpent's complement was 170 officers and men. The others were along to relieve men now on the African Afri-can station. Later dispatches say the three survivors survi-vors are of the opinion that none of the others got ashore. Four bodies have oomo up on the beach, three of them women. Lord George Hamilton, first lord of the Admiralty, on rising to sprak. at a conservative banquet this evening, announced an-nounced the loss of II. M. S. "Serpent." The announcement caused a sensation, but there was no action to postpone the banquet. Lork George Hamilton led in the toasts with an unusually jolly speech. The news of this affair reached the London clubs and excited much adverse ad-verse criticism. It is considered that Hamilton's conduct may cause a scandal scan-dal against himself and the Tories. The Duke of Edinburg was attending a Patti concert at Plymouth . when the news of the disaster reached town. He ....... 1 ... ... ..,4 ; ...1 .. I f, ,..., iwl urwl at Avwa TV HO lllllJIXJlt(sLS-'lty IIUOI I1IVM SIMM Vll' left the concert hall. After reading all the dispatches that had been received, concerning the disaster, he went directly direct-ly home without returning to the concert con-cert ball, lie expressed the utmont sorrow. sor-row. The newspaper offices at Plymouth Plym-outh were anxious to hear further news of the disaster. Among these were sobbing wives and daughters of many of the lost seamen. The Serpent was built after the ideas of Admiral Cooper Key, who insisted upon an immense horse-power, which accordiug to previous notions, was out of all proportion to her displacement. ' She could maintain a speed of seventeen seven-teen knots an hour. Lord Brassey, in his naval annual, adversely criticised the veis-1. He said the economy of weight had been carried to excess in her construction, that the plating was too thin and the armament overdone. In a sea her topheavy weight would be a detriment to speed and would unduly strain the hull. "The vessel was 225 feet long, while she had a draught of only 14 feet. Tha relatives of the crew of the Serpent Ser-pent at Plymouth and the dockyard people are full of gossip about the Inst cruiser. It is claimed that she was un-seaworthy un-seaworthy and broken down. The Serpent Ser-pent has a bad record. She broke down more than once in the maneuvers of 1F-85. Several admirals condemned the vessels of her class. The Lloyd agent at Corunna tola-graphs: tola-graphs: "It appears the Serpent was running for shelter in one of the bays north of Finestere. 'If she foundered nobody need be surprised but the admiralty. ad-miralty. If she grounded on a reef she could not stand ten minutes battering in a heavy sea." ADDITIONAL DETAILS. London, Nov. 18. Additional details regarding the loss of the British torpedo cruiser Serpent have been received here from Corunna. The disaster occurred at 11 o'clock Monday night. A heavy storm was prevailing ami the night was densely black. When the vessel struck the keel was torn off and a great hole stove in the bottom. She slipped off the rocks into di ep water and immediately immedi-ately foundered, tons of water running through the hole in the hull. A majority of the officers and crew were below when the vessel struck. She sank so quickly afterward that none of them had time to reach the deck The disaster was so sudden it was impossible for those on deck to get the boat into the water. Tho time between be-tween striking and sinking was so short that nearly all on board went down without making a sign. The admiralty will investigate. It is rfljcially stated that Ihe Serpent had become partially disabled in a hnrr rane. and it wa necessary for her to repair before proceeding on her voyage, llercommanding officer therefore there-fore decided to put into Corunna or Vigo and while attempting to make port the vessel wa lot. The official statement shows the lose of life to be 179. A reward is offered to the Spanish governraant for the recovery recov-ery of the bodies. |
