The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-11

fCOntfnueO from rage One.D
! Carmania's bow within hundred feet
! of the Volturno stern. 1t was found
impossible, however, to cast a line
on board the Volturno or to get any
I body on or off her. 1t was a terrify-
! ing sight for the passengers and crew
of the Carmania to see so close to
them the hundreds of passengers, in
! Guiding women and children, in hor-
| rorstricken fear on the decks of the
Volturno and yet be unable to help
i them. Most of the passengers got into
i the ships lifebOatS but a hundred of
them had gathered at the after end OF
I the burning vessel whose crew at the
! same time continued in vain to fight
the fire at her forward end
Captain Barr of the Carmania in the
meanwhile kept his wireless apparatus
at work communicating with all the
vessels within the radius of his in
StrumentS.
More Ships Arrive.
At O'Clock in the afternoon the
Grosser Kurfuerest and the Seydlitz
came in sight and these two were
Joined later in the afternoon by the
Kroonland. the Devonian. Rappahan-
mock. Minneapolis. La Touraine and
the Asian. The gale abated slightly
toward night and each of the succor-
ing ships as soon it was possible
for her to do so put out boats. The
waves, however, were SO high that al
progress in the direction of the Vol
turno it was impossible for them to
get alongside and they returned to
their ships, in most cases doing this
with the greatest difficulty, owing to
the overwhelming seas and the dark
ness.
The Carmania kept her lights going,
throwing their rays across the foam
ing seas, in the quest for possible
struggling swimmers or lifeboats from
the Volturno. At about o'clock in
the evening, when the darkness was
at it's blacklist, flames burst through
amidships of the Volturno from her
engine room and coal bunkers. AS the
fire lighted up the sky there followed
an explosion which sent into the air
burning wreckage like a flight of rock
cts.
Fire Reaches Boilers.
The spectacle of the great vessel be-
ing consumed by fire with over 500
souls on board and surrounded by a
fleet of huge lighted huIls crowded
with thousands of spectators. all anx-
ious but unable to hell, owing to the
mountainous seas, was terrifying. All
that could be done by the wouId-be |
helpers was to throw over their vessels |
dozens of lighted life buoys and stand |
by in the hope of picking up some of |
those who had been cast into the sea. |
At twenty minutes past nine at night |
the wireless operator on board the Vol |
turno had to turn over the connection |
of his instrument to the reserve bat |
teries, as the fire had reached the boil |
ers and the engine room and had put |
the pumps and dynamos out of action. |
A few minutes later cries for help |
were heard rising from the water~n near |
the Carmania and then a man who |
the VOlturno, wearing a life belt, was |
located by means of the searchlight, a |
short distance away, tossed about by |
the sea. He was rescued, but only
after one of the sailors of the Car
mania had been lowered into the wa
ter with life line, which he placed
around the waist of the exhausted
man.
Other cries were heard. but these
gradually died away and no further
bodies or swimmers were seen. About
midnight ray of hope came, for it
was seen that the flames were not
making much Roadway aft of the en-
CINE room or the after bulkhead of the
Volturno. At daybreak the Volturno
was still floating with her great hu-
man cargo huddled in masses in her
poop. The sea had moderated con-
and a f1otilla of boats gath
cred round the stern of the Volturno.
Of the steerage passengers bound for
210 were adults, Al children
and ten infants. Only one cabin pas
senger was booked for Halifax. OF
the steera ge passengers bound for New
York PIP were adults, 33 children and
three infants. The total number of
young children and babies aboard was
q.
Nothing Definite.
London, Oct. 1.-Nothing has been
exported definitely regarding the loss
IF life in the Volturno disaster. Liver
pool reports 236 passengers and mem
)ers of the crew missing. The Car
mania wireless reports that the occu-
PANTS of six lifeboats were drowned;
hat 521 persons were saved out of 657
persons apparently aboard, leaving 136
lnaccounted for.