The Colorado statesman., 1913-10-18


each the burning steamer, arrived off
queenstown this morning, but owing
o the gale proceeded to Fishguard.
A graphic story by the solitary sur
!ivor aboard the Carmania was re-
;eived by wireless and presents a ter
'ible picture of the horror and confu-
sion aboard the burning liner.
London, Oct. 13.-Not since the I'll
anic disaster has Europe been so
hrilled as by a wireless message Sat
lrday telling of the burning of the
steamship Volturno in mid-Atlantic,
With loss, so far as is at present
Known, of 1856 lives and the rescue OF
,21.
The survivors are now aboard
leet of steamers summoned by the
Volturno's call for help, some of
which are bound eastward ard 9TH
ers westward.
The Volturno sailed from Rotter-
lam on October End for New York.
According to the official statement
she carried 90 first cabin passengers,
53S steerage, and a crew numbering
'6.
The rescue ships reached the scene
Of the disaster in plenty of time t o
save all, but for hours stood by the
blazing vessel impotent because of
terrific storm to reach to agonized
men, women and children crowding
the after part of the ship and within
a stones throw.
All night Thursday the iifeboats
made a desperate effort to get along
side the Volturno, but the waves beat
them back again and again, and not
until the storm abated at daylight
Friday did the rescuers succeed in re-
moving the survivors from the
doomed ship.
Even now only the fringe of one of
the most thrilling tales of the sea is
available.
The Volturno was we'll equipped
with boats, sufficient, the agents say,
for thousand people, but the tower
ing seas or lack of boat drill, or panic,
among the passengers prevented the
successful employment of them.
The rescue ships were able to low
er lifeboats, but apparently most OF
the boats launched from the Volturno
were smashed or upset and the occu-
pants drowned.
Two of the boats, crowded with
passengers, are reported to have got
away from the ship, but search for
them has proved fruitless and they
have practically been given up as
lost
The steamer Carmania, bound from
New York for Liverpool, was seven
miles away when the call for help
sounded. Captain Barr, ordering full
steam, in spite of the gale, drove
through the seas at twenty knots an
hour and was first of the fleet TO
reach the burning vessel. She was
followed by La Touraine, Minneapolis
Rappahannock, Car, Narragansett,
Deyonian, Kroonland. Grosser Kur.
fuerst and Seydlitz at various hours
throughout the day. But try as they
might the rescuing vessels could not
Volturno, the forward part of which
was almost hidden by dense cloud
of smoke, when the Carmania ar.
rived.
The hopelessness of the situation
was manifested at O'Clock in the
evening when a great explosion tore
away part of the upper works, and
flames burst from the engine room.
1t then became a matter of how long
the Volturno would stay above the
waters.
Meanwhile several of the terrified
passengers, wrapped in life buoys,
dropped over into the sea. One of
them was taken aboard the Cahmania
1t may be that others found a haven
with other vessels of the fleet, but
some undoubtedly were swept away.
When day broke the Volturno was
still afloat. The gale had moderated
and the seas had calmed down. From
almost every one, of the encircling
steamers lifeboats were sent out, and
into these the women and children
were lowered first. Sveral trips were
necessary before the survivors were
removed to a place of safety.
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