Last Saturday night a collision took place in a fog
off Dungeness between the second-class cruiser Sappho,' attached to the Home Fleet, and the Wilson Line steamer Sappho,' of The liner struck the cruiser in a vulnerable part amid- ships, making a hole below the water-line eight feet deep and four feet wide. The liner sheered off after the blow and disappeared in the fog. It was reported that the cruiser's atek.ehold was rapidly filling, but the men mustered at collision quarters with splendid promptitude and orderliness. The stokers worked in their places till they were nearly waistdeop in the water, and had to be ordered away. The Commander hoped that he would be able to beach his vessel before the fires were extinguished. This, however, was impossible, and signals of distress were fired. Dungeness lifeboats found their way through the fog, and so did the Dover tugs ' Lady Curzon' and ' Lady Crvrrdall' and the Government tug Herculaneum.' The tugs appear to have towed the ' Sappho' with singular skill, while °fle of them kept pumping water out of her engine-room, although it was doubtful whether she could be got into harbour beforesinking. About seven o'clock on Sunday morning the feat was accomplished and the cruiser was beached at Dover. -Lima by coolness and pluck, of which our seamen have shown SO.rnany examples and for which they are justly honoured, the sip was saved and not a life was lost.
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