MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)Can the First Lord of the Treasury give any information with regard to the battering and destruction of the "Belleisle."
MR. GOSCHENI cannot until investigations have been completed give particulars of the results of the interesting and instructive experiments upon the "Belleisle," but I can answer the hon. Member's question as to whether the vessel took fire immediately after the bombardment commenced. The "Belleisle" did not take fire at all, to the extreme surprise of all concerned. Spectators were mislead into the supposition of fire by seeing clouds of steam arising through a steam pipe being cut, and lyddite shells, as they burst in the water, emitted clouds of smoke, again giving the impression of the ship being on fire; but she was not on fire; there was only a little shouldering fire in one of the cabins among some clothes. The woodwork was shattered in all directions, but did not take fire. While the ship was being battered the fire pumps were uninjured, and for a long time continued to work flooding the deck. I shall be able to give more details later, but I thought that the ship not having taken fire was an interesting fact I might communicate at once, because one of the objects of the experiment was to see if the woodwork would be set on fire, as has been reported to have been the case in some of the Spanish-American engagements.