The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1913-10-16
WIRELESS CALL SUMMONS TEN
SHIPS TO SCENE BUT THEY
ARE ALMOST POWER
LESS.
WORK OF RESCUING WAS
DELAYED SEVERAL HOURS
Searchlight Reveal indescribable Hors
ror-Carmania Leads Fleet Of
Steamers in Work of
Saving Passen-
gers.

pOOl, W.. lf.OlC IuLuISu
and thirty-six women. children and
men lost their lives when the Uranium
line steamship Volturna, leased from
the Royal line, caught fire in mid-At-
lantic on Thursday and burned to the
waters edge on Friday. .
Survivor Tells Story.
The only survivor that has yet told
his story says the English captain and
his English officers behaved CALAMITY
in the face of death, but declares the
German and Bulgarian crews acted
cowardly.
The carmania, with n lone surviv-
or of the Volturno aboard, found it too
rough to stop at Queenstown and is
proceeding direct to Fishguard. From
that survivor, however, comes a thrill
ing story of the burning of the steam
er, of the terror, the struggle for the
boats, the death of those who went
over the sides and his own desperate
fight for life.
Ten big timers, led by the Cunard-
er Carmania, Captain Barr, stood by
the striker ship and battled for many
hours in a fierce gale t rescue the
passengers and crew, but we're able
to take off and pick up only 521 per-
sons.
Rescue Long Delayed.
While hundreds of passengers
aboard the rescue fleet crowded the
rails, speIlbound with horror, the cap
tains Unanswered in desperate at
tempts to get alongside the Volturno,
but were unable to do so until day.
break Friday.
Captain Barr then ran a lifeboat IN
der the stern of the Volturno and took
OFF eleven passengers. Other captains
followed, and the survivors taken from
the Volturno as we'll as those picked
up in the only two Volturno lifeboats
that got away during the fire were
distributed among the reScuing liners.
From Thursday moor the CarmaniS
stood by, helpless, on account of the
terrific storm and mountainous waves.
until early Friday. The last of the
surviving passengers and crew were
taken off at $3.50 a. m. Friday. The
Carmania was alone with the burning
liner until the Grosser, Furst and Sci
delitz came up about 4 p. m. Thurs
day. The other seven rescue ships ar.
rived shortly afterward.
Four Lifeboats Smashed.
While the Carmania's passengers
looked on, frantic and helpless, four
llfeboats lowered from the Volturno
were smashed against the side of the
heavily rolling ship and their passen-
gers, including women and children,
were drowned. A broken propeller of
the Volturno had SO fouled the tackle
OF the lifeboats that only six could be
lowered and only two got away.
AS darkness fell, the Carmania kept
its powerful searchlights playing on
the waters around the burning boat,
looking for possible passengers that
might have taken to the sea in their
desperation. Captain Barr also threw
out burning buoys all night to light the
CHASTITY scene. Their light played on
the poop of the Volturno and showed
plainly the hopeless women, children
n men huddled there throughout the
night.
At midnight there was some hope
aroused when the fire appeared to be
dying down. Captain Barr made an
other attempt to get a boat to the
ship, n when this failed he ran the
Carmania head-on within 100 feet of
the Volturno's stern. 1t was impos-
sible, though, to get a line aboard the
wreck.
Volturro Sinks.
The fire broke out ~fiercely in the af-
ter engine room before dawn and when
daylight came 1t was seen that the
Volturno was sinking by the head.
The gale had abated by then and
lifeboats from the rescue fleet were
run alongside the burning liner, taking
off the last of the survivors.
The Volturno was abandoned at 9:20
a. m. on Friday and sank a few min
utes later.
The 1876 missing passengers were
burned to death, drowned in the
smashed boats or jumped overheard.
Officials of the Uranium company
declared early that those on board
included "a cabin and $40 steerage
passengers. with a crew of 90.