The Holly chieftain., 1913-10-17
1856 LOST ON
BURNING SHIP
As HURRICANE. FIRE AND Ex
PLosioN WRECK GALLANT
LINER.
521 PERSONS RESCUED
HUNDREDS SEE PEOPLE PERISH.
ING AND ARE PowERLEss
Z TO owe AID.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
London, Oct. 13.-The latest ac-
counts of the disaster to the steam
ship volturno, burned and aban-
doned in mid-ocean on Friday morn
ing. confirm that the loss of life will
be limited to about 1856. The Carma-
mia, first of the rescuing ships to
reach the burning steamer. arrived off
Queenstown this morning but owing
to the gale proceeded to Fishguard.
A graphic story BY the solitary sur
vivor aboard the Carmania was re-
ceiyed by wireless and presents ter
rible picture Of the horror and confu-
sion aboard the burning liner
London. Oct 13.-Not since the tt
tanic disaster has Europe been SO
thrilled as by wireless message Sat
urday telling Of the burning of the
steamship volturno in mid-Atlantic,
with loss, 80 far as is at present
known, of 1876 lives and the rescue of
521.
The survivors are now aboard
fleet Of steamers summoned by the
Volturno's call for help, some of
which are bound eastward AID 9TH
ers westward.
The Volturno sailed from Rotter-
dam on October End for New York.
According to the official statement
she carried 23 first cabin passengers,
538 steerage, and crew numbering
| 96.
The rescue ships reached the scene
Of the disaster In plenty of time to
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 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 rescners 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 well equipped
with boats, sufficient. the agents say,
| for a thousand people, but the tower
ing seas or lack of boat drill, or panic,
among the passcngers 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,
Devonian, KroonIand, Grosser Kur-
fuerst and Seydlitz at various hours
throughout the day. But try as they
might the rescuing vessels could not
get neither line nor lifeboat to the
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 8 o'clock in the
evening when great explosion tore
away part of the upper works, and
flames. burst from the engine room.
It then became 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.
It 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.