And Mahe, who was in the control chamber, says: "The captain told us: 'Our poor Monge is lost, but you have yet time. Come this way, my lads.' He opened the door and added: 'Au revoir, and courage, my lads!' I dared not tell him to come up with us, for I saw he had made up his mind to die with his ship, as he had already told some of us he would."
VI—THE LAST TORPEDO
The captain of the Austrian gunboat Balaton told the survivors that he had delayed launching boats to pick them up, because a torpedo had been fired at his boat from the Monge as she went down. He believed that Commandant Morillot, having seen all his men safely overboard, had gone below alone and deliberately fired a last torpedo. That is possible, or it may be that a torpedo was accidentally discharged from the sinking boat. Joffry spoke of feeling an explosion after getting into the water.
In an order of the day published as soon as the facts became known, Admiral the Duke of the Abruzzi paid tribute to the "heroic sacrifice in which Lieut. Morillot decided to remain on board his sinking boat," and added: "To do honor to this deed of the purest marine valor, his Majesty the King has deigned to confer upon him, motu proprio, the gold medal for valor." This was the first time this rare distinction had been conferred since the war began. In transmitting this notice to the French Admiral, Vice-Admiral Cutinelli-Rendina added:
"His memory will ever remain for us an object of admiration and worship."
ESCAPE OF THE RUSSIAN LEADER OF THE "TERRIBLE DIVISION"
True Story of How General Korniloff Escaped Across Hungary
Told by Ivan Novikoff