The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-10-24
vOLTURNO'S CAPTAIN TALKS
Declares Own Crew and All Others
Did Their Best.

Declares Own Crew and All Others
| Did Their Best.
New York-Francis Inch, the boy
ish-looking Briton who commanded the
burned steamer Volturno, came to port
Thursday night, bringing with him 81
survivors, passengers and crew OF his
ill-starred vessel. His story OF the
disaster. in which 1876 lives were lost,
had preceded him by wireless, but In
cabin of the Kroonland, which brought
him here, Inch told his tale in simply
phrased and modestly spoken detail
that described more wildly than the
wireless could picture, the panorama
of the Volturno's loss and the rescue
of more than 500 of those he had on
board.
Cowardice there was none on the
Volturno, either among officers or
crew. Inch said. There was no rush
of seamen which made it necessary for
him to warn them back with his revolt
yer. His revolver was in drawer in
his cabin and it burned with the ship.
And no one on board drew a revolt
yer. These statements he intended
should refute the stories told by steer
age passengers who arrived on the
Grosser Kurfurst.
The Voltunro's master, besides de-
Tending his own officers and men, said
he had no criticism to make of the
tactics of any of the boats that stood
by. "The Carmania did its best, the
same as the Others" he said. "There
is nothing but praise for every one. l
did not expect a boat could live in
those seas when the Carmania and the
other ships came up"
The Carmania did drop boat, Inch
declared, but it could not get near, for
the Volturno drifted faster than the
crew could row. Later the Carmania
sent off life raft, but they drifted
across the Volturno's bow and disap-
peared. More than that the Carmania
could not do, said Captain Inch.
Eighteen cabin and two Storage
passengers entered the first lifeboat
that ventured to leave the Volturno.
Only enough sailors stepped in to man
it, said Inch. They did not rush to it
and it was not crowded. Entangling
itself in it's after tackle, it capsized.
All in it were drowned except Chief
Officer Miller and a steward, who
climbed into it after it had righted,
and were rescued.
Into the next boat went 80 passen-
gers and 10 sailors. This boat got
away all right, but has not been heard
from. The third boat took off 40, 10
of them sailors. As she settled into
the water 10 more jumped aboard
from the Volturno's deck. A wave
swept it under the Volturno's stern.
"She just sat on it and crushed it out
of sight," said Inch. 'The Dos n
dived and was the only one to escape. I"
Inch denied reports of rotting tackle
and fire hose and of unsafe lifeboats,
saying all of these articles were in
good condition. He counted only
three explosions, the last one wreck
ing the wheel and compass SO that a
handgear had to be rugged up.
Inch denied stories of steerage pas
sengers that people were swept over
board and babies trampled on while
being rescued by the Grosser Kur-
furst's first boat that came in re-
Spouse to Lloyds errand. Officers
urged men and women to jump over
board, for the lifeboat could not get
near enough for them to be lowered
into it. None dared to jump. "Show
them how to jump" Inch told his
crew. Two at time, they leaped
over the rail. When passengers saw
them reach the lifeboat they followed
them into the sea. With boathooks
and oars some were rescued. Others
went to their deaths. No women were
removed in this way.
Before I climbed down / went
over the ship to see if anyone re-
mained," Inch said. ''The fire had
eaten its way beyond amidships under
the decks. / found no one alive,
though there were bodies in the fore
castle, men who had been cut off and
burned to death. l went to the rail
with my dog, wrapping it in blank
ct. leaned over and said, Here,
eaten my DaDy. dropped the QOg
into the arms of Kroonland officer in
the lifeboat. He opened the blanket
tenderly. why, it's dog, he said.
Il thought it was your kid.
Inch's three ''kids" and their mother
are in London. One of his first acts
upon arriving here was to send them a
cablegram. Their father went sc
hours without eating or drinking, re-
fusing to leave the work of fire fight
ing.
81 smoked, smoked about all the
time, cigars, pipes, cigarettes, any
thing could get, y said Inch. A blast
of heat blinded his eyes with pain and
the skin peeled from his face when he
received his first medical attention.
Seaman novnond Rnuuonc