The Washington herald., 1913-10-12
Works Up Speed.

"orks up speed
Human life was the reward of victory;
death in its most horrible form the pen
atty Of defeat In spite of the winds
which beat against her and the rolling
seas into which she plunged, the stanch
Carmania worked up to a speed of over
twenty knots an hour. Part of the time
the racing propellers, spinning with the
speed of pin wheels, were completely out
of water as the waves rose and fell.
Standing upon the bridge 1 awaited
the first sign of the burning ship.
About four hours after we picked up
the call for help We could see from
the bridge the blurred ship, wrapped
in flames, smoke. and fog, rolling in
the heavy seas. In the meantime, dur
ing the hours that we had been rush
ing to the rescue. the wireless operator
had kept up an incessant call. notify
ing all liners within range OF the
plight and position of the Volturno.
Mas Of Flames.
The V9lturno was a seething mass
OF flames from her bow to the waist.
She was pitching and rolling drunken
ly. Huddled in the stern OF the vessel
in suspended lifeboats. which they had
been unable to launch. were a num-
was to watch dumbly the rush of the
flames. They were helpless before a
terrible death, which seemed inevitable.
The wind dashed the heat and smoke
about them. and they were alternately
smOthered by spray and suffOcated by
smoke. Most OF the passengers in the
boats were women.
We could see men lashed to the
after-raiE facing death with a kind
oF fVan There
ber Of children in the boats. Alter
nately the victims wept. prayed, or
shouted in their helpless and apparent
doom. It was a situation to blot out
human reason.
Other Liners Arrive.
shortly after we arrived several other
liners which had previously acknowledged
cur S. o. s. calls came up. The seas
were very high and a treaCherOus wind
made il dangerous to venture too near TO
the burning ship. That was the situation
when darkness settled. The Carmania
and the other liners turned their flash
lights upon the seas around the Vol
turno. hoping thus to keep watch for
Who leaped or were thrown
by the violent rolling OF the ship into
the water.
Inc IdsscilStlS upon AAlt SeiA iAdllAd
and her sister ships in the rescue fleet
crowded upon the decks and, despite
the wind and rain and dangers from
II ighty combers which occasionally swept
the vessels, stood at the rail overcome
with emotion at the sad scene before
them. At intervals across the water
came the lamentations of the passengers
on the flaming ship.
Life buoys with lights attached were
thrown into the water in hope that they
might offer a means of support to any
passengers who had gone overheard.
Sparks Light Scene
The scene was a desoIate and gloomy
one. in keeping with the tragic picture
which stood before our eyes. wind
tore through the rigging of the burn
ing vessel scattering live sparks upon
the water in sprays. The sky was black
as pitch with no moon nor stars show
ing The Atlantic was tumbling in fur
rows as she only can be torn by an
autumnal north Atlantic gale.
shortly after o'clock a burst of
flames broke out amidships- BY midnight |
most of the inflammable material had |
been consumed and the flames were, ap-
parently, subsding.
in a sense the storm was a sort of |
blessing, for it kept drenching the ship |
with spray, thus making the exposed |
woodwork a difficult fuel. At daybreak |
the flames had died out to a great ex- |
tent Immediately after dawn the work !
1f rescue began.
THE wind had fallen somewhat and |
The seas were not so high, which was a |
factor in our favor. over the sides of the /
liners ringed about the burned ship went |
ifeboat after lifeboat, manned by sturdy |
fellows who were prepared to risk their
ives for the helpless ones on the Vol
urno.
Tell Thrilling stories. !
The task of compiling a list of those |
rescued and missing was difficult. The |
Tesselc in the rescue fleet were bound for
lifferent ports, and in the excited, often |
state of the survivors, 1t
vas difficult to get definite information
o be transmitted BY wireless Ny
opinion. formed upon the scene, was that
he loss of life had been very heavy.
Several of the Volturno's first cabin
are reported to have been
bound American tourists.
Those picked up by the Carmania told
moving story of the scenes on the
hip before the Carmania arrived and
when it seemed that the Volturno would
10 to the bottom, charred wreck, with
III on board.
when the fire was discovered the
srew tried to fight it, but they were
nampered by the storm and the fact
hat the flames had made much head
way before being discovered. The pas
sengers were notified of the danger, but
Capt. Inch feared to send them over
board in the small boats because of the
nigh seas. He instructed his wireless
operator to send out the International
all for assistance and keep on sendingl
[ without intermission, hoping that, asl
he Vulturno was in the steamer lane,
lelp would be near
Fire Gains Rapidly
'"The fire gained rapidly. and when IL