Admiral Jellicoe Part 3

Tryon's flag-lieutenant was Lord Gillford, and it was he who received the fatal order to signal to the two divisions to turn sixteen points inwards, the leading ships first, the others of course following in succession.

The smallest circle in which either the _Victoria_ or the _Camperdown_ could turn was six hundred yards--about three cables length--and therefore if Tryon's orders were obeyed a collision would be inevitable between the two ships.

Both Lord Gillford and the Admiral's Staff-Commander must have realized this: every seaman on board the Fleet, when eventually the signal fluttered in the wind, knew what would happen.

The position must have been a terrible one for those on the bridge of the _Camperdown_, as well as the _Victoria_; for, not theirs to question but to obey.

But Staff-Commander Hawkins-Smith dared remind Tryon that they could not possibly turn in less than eight cables length.

Admiral Tryon agreed, but what was the Staff-Commander's surprise a minute or two later to see the original signal "six cables length" go up. He spoke to Lord Gillford and advised him to again call Admiral Tryon's attention to the impossibility of the manoeuvre being successfully carried out.

This Gillford did: "You said it was to be more than six cables'

length, Sir."

"Did I? Well, leave it at six cables," Tryon replied, and turning round he entered into conversation with Captain Bourke.

One cannot help wondering what would have happened if Jellicoe had been present, instead of confined below with fever. Presumably, he could have done no more than Gillford and Hawkins-Smith; the _Victoria_ would have been lost just the same.

When the signal was read on the _Camperdown_ Admiral Markham was puzzled and therefore he refrained from replying, thereby indicating that he did not understand his instructions.

The fleet steamed ahead in two columns line.

Tryon grew impatient and signalled to the _Camperdown_--"What are you waiting for?"

Markham had now no option but to obey. Perhaps he hoped that Admiral Tryon had some scheme for manoeuvring his own ship.

The signal was obeyed. The leading ships of the two columns turned sixteen points inwards.

The men of the Fleet watched; amazed and horrified.

A minute pa.s.sed. There was still time to change the signal. Two minutes pa.s.sed, three. To those waiting and watching the minutes must have seemed an eternity.

Before the fourth minute had expired the _Camperdown_ rammed the _Victoria_ on her starboard bow. When the great ships parted there was a big gash visible in the _Victoria_ through which the sea poured.

At once the boat began to list. But there was no panic. Jellicoe's servant hurried below and warned the Commander that the _Victoria_ was sinking. Jellicoe got up and went on deck. The order had already been given to pipe all hands. There was no rush or hurry. In the engine rooms the stokers remained at their posts, the artificer and engineers. It was the same in the boiler rooms.

Above, on deck, the men lined up, calm and quiet. But the _Victoria_ was heeling over; sinking fast. Jellicoe, clad in pyjamas, had clambered on to the bridge, and accompanied by two junior officers, attempted to signal to the _Camperdown_.

It was too late. The _Victoria_ lurched, turned on her side and poured her living freight into the Mediterranean. Those on the upper deck jumped or were flung into the waters. There were many still below, and as the ironclad sank they could be seen clambering through the port holes and sliding down the ship's side. The majority were caught like rats in a trap.

Several of those who escaped from her were struck by the propellers, still racing madly. Others were sucked below when she finally sank and disappeared.

As she sank the _Victoria_ turned right over and went down bottom upwards. Hardly had she disappeared from sight when there came a terrific explosion and a mighty ma.s.s of water was thrown high into the air.

Many of the men who had risen to the surface and were swimming about, were swept away and drowned in this waterspout.

Jellicoe, who had been flung from the bridge when the boat commenced to turn turtle, escaped the explosion--probably caused by the bursting of the boilers.

He was a sick man with a temperature over 100. He swam as long as he could, but weakened by fever he was in danger of collapsing, when Midshipman West came to his rescue and supported him.

Very probably, but for young West, Jellicoe would have gone under. The nation owes him a debt to-day. Eventually they were both picked up by one of the boats sent from the Fleet.

The _Camperdown_ herself was in a bad way; her bows were crumpled up, and for a little while it looked as though she would sink too, and follow her sister-ship to the bottom of the Mediterranean. But thanks to the celerity with which the water-tight doors were closed and the collision-mats got out, she was saved; the crew were kept working right through the night to keep her afloat.

There were numerous instances of courage and devotion besides that quoted of Jellicoe, who, before going on deck, went below to warn and hurry up any men he might find there. One of the boatswains continued semaphoring until he was washed off his feet. Admiral Tryon refused to try and save himself though implored to do so by his c.o.xswain. The last words he is reported to have said were addressed to a midshipman:

"Don't stop here, youngster; get to a boat."

He might have got to that boat himself, but he went down with his ship.

At the court martial Captain Bourke was exonerated from all blame, and the finding of the Court was that the collision had been caused by Admiral Tryon's order.

CHAPTER V

THE BOXER RISING IN CHINA

After the loss of the _Victoria_ Jellicoe served as Commander on H.M.S. _Ramillies_, flagship in the Mediterranean.

Early in January, 1897, he joined the Ordnance Committee, and received his promotion, attaining the rank of Captain.

But valuable as his services were now, as they had been when a.s.sistant to Fisher, he was again not allowed to remain at the Admiralty for long. Admiral Sir C. H. Seymour chose him as Flag Captain on the _Centurion_. It is hardly necessary to point out that the _Centurion_ of 1898 is no longer on the active list, if indeed she exists at all.

H.M.S. _Centurion_, now "watching and waiting" somewhere in the North Sea, was built in 1912, and belongs to the King George V. Cla.s.s; she has a displacement of 25,000 tons, and a speed of 21-1/2 knots.

The old _Centurion_ was a very different cla.s.s of boat. She was on the China Station, and when the Boxer Rising occurred in 1900--just as we hoped we were finishing our work in South Africa under Kitchener--Jellicoe found himself in the firing line again.

The Boxers were the moving spirit in a vast organization which had for its object the extermination of Christian Missionaries and the aggressive commercial white men who followed in their train.

"China for the Chinese" might be translated as their popular war cry.

The Dowager Empress of China was, if not at the head of the movement, certainly at the back of it, in spite of her protestations to the contrary.

The Chinese are the most conservative people in the world. They love and respect the traditions of their race as they love and respect their Ancestors. The "foreign" missionaries, railway concessionaries, mining agents and other outriders of modern civilization threatened to destroy and outrage their cherished ideas and inst.i.tutions. They did not particularly object to the British; the Englishman--when he did not try to convert them--was the least hated of the foreign devils.

Americans, French, Russians, Germans, were all hated and feared.

The Boxers decreed that they would have to go. The rebellion started quietly enough, but once having started it spread with alarming rapidity until Europe saw itself face to face with the Yellow Peril.

China threatened to over-run the Western Continent.

Proclamations were issued by the Boxers in all the towns and villages of the great Empire and appeared on the walls of Pekin itself.

"The voice of the great G.o.d of the Unseen World--

"Disturbances are to be dreaded from the foreign devils; everywhere they are starting missions, erecting telegraphs, and building railways; they do not believe in the sacred doctrine, and they speak evil of the G.o.ds. Their sins are numberless as the hairs of the head.

Therefore am I wroth, and my thunders have pealed forth.... The will of Heaven is that the telegraph wires be first cut, then the railways torn up, and then shall the foreign devils be decapitated. In that day shall the hour of their calamities come...."

And forthwith the Boxers arranged that disturbances should commence at once. They commenced with pillages and robberies. The Empress launched edicts against the rising, while secretly she encouraged it. Soon a direct attack was made on all Christians; missionaries were tortured and murdered. Churches set on fire and houses torn down.