The first explosion occurred at eleven minutes past six.

The chart-house and part of the bridge were blown to pieces.

Three dull, splintering crashes ensued in rapid succession, proving beyond question that the bombs were set to automatically explode at a given time.

One of them wrecked the engine-room; another blew a great hole in the stern of the ship, above the water line; the third destroyed the wireless house and carried away a portion of the deck with it.
There were eight in all of these devilish machines in the heart of the Doraine.

Some time prior to the first explosion, the feverish searchers had uncovered four of them, cunningly planted in the most vital parts of the ship.