Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-10-14

or board the North German Lloyt
Steamship Grosser Kurfuerst at ses
tby wireless telegraph to Cape Racel
Oct. 13.-With los survivors on board
from the steamship Volturno. which
burned to, the waters edge during
gale In mid-ocean and abandoned on
Friday last, the Grosser Kurfuerst IL
approaching New York.
The passengers and crew OF the
Grosser Kurfuerst witnessed some
thrilling scenes when their vessel
called by distress signals from the
Volturno, arrived in her vicinity.
We found the volturno burning
fiercely and her crew and especially
the passengers, helpless. 1t was
learned by wireless messages from the
flaming vessel that the fire had been
started by an explosion In the fore
ward hold at Z O'Clock on Thursday
morning ships time.
Flames Mount High.
On the arrival of the Grosser Kur.
fuerst, the flames from the hold OF the
volturno were leaping eighty feet into
the4air through the shatchways. It was
learned that nifty or more Of the Vol
turno's crew and steerage passengers
had been killed by the explosion and
the fire.
Biz boats were lowered Immediately
afterward from the volturno's davits
Thrce Of them, still empty were smash
ed to pieces against the vessels, side
one boat with forty passengers On
boArJ capsized while being launched
and all were lost The other two, with
from sixty to. eighty passengers on
board. got away but apparently were
lost in the mountainous seas.
Altogether twelve liners were
brought by the wireless distress sig.
nails withinshail Of the volturno, The
Cunard liner. Carmania was the first
Of these. She reached the scene at
about 12ioclock noon. Then followed
the .,Seydlitz. the Grosser Kurfuerst,
th9 Kroonland, tho New York. the De
uor,ian: the Latouraine. the Narragan'
Sett. the Minneapolis. the Asian, the
kappahannock and the Car.
Rescuers Helpless.
I'll The sea was running too high to
allow the taking on of the Volturno. $
passengers when the rescuing vessels
come an the scene. @
During the day time the flames from
the hold Of the Volturno We're kept
more or less under control but about
q o'clock on Thursday night the fire
reached the coal bunkers and 1t was
found necessary to close the bulkheads.
The pumps thereupon were unable to
work at full pressure and the fpmes
broke out through the entire forward
part OF the vessel.
Atstwenty minutes to one on Thurs
day night another explosion occurred
on the yolturno causing panic among
her despairing passengers and crew.
The Grcsser Kurfuerst launched three
boats and rescued 80 persons who had
been washed into the sea- One Of the
rescuing life boats was out for six
hours and nearly lost. All those re-
manning on board the Volturno crowd
ed together at the after end Of the YES
sci and were taken OF safely after. day
break on Friday.
Second Offlcer Ellrid of the Voltprno
was one OF the heroes Of the disaster.
He fell from height of twenty feet,
while repairing the wireless apparra-
tts on board his vessel. but continued
to fight fre, all day and at = o'clock
III the evening made q perilous trip
to the Grosser Kurfuerst in small
boat with three others from the Vol
turno. The little craft was sinking
when she was picked up by one of the
life boats from the Grosser Kurfuerst.
The total number of those saved is
believed to be 523.