Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-16
Narrative Runs without Appar-
ent Omission of Any Salient
Fact but One.
OR|G|M OF FIRE NOT STATED
Flames Burst through Hatches
SO Suddenly That Watch '
Below Was Burned
to Death.

New York, oct. t4-Capt. Francis
Inch. whose steamer, the Volturno. was
burned at sea with the loss Of 1886 lives,
told his story of the disaster Tonight.
It is a plain seaman's tale, but i'm it,
line by line. the horrors of the disaster
and terrible ordeal through which pas
sengers and crew passed are brought
out all the more clearly, perhaps, he
cause Of the marked directness and
simplicity with which the story is told.
From it's beginning. where the out
break of the fire which spelled the
doom of the Nolturno is recorded. the
narrative runs without the apparent
omission Of any salient fact but one
to the point where the blazing ship
was abandoned, the last remaining
passenger taken off and the captain
and what was left Of the crew boarded
the waiting Kroonland.
Captain Inch. however, does not say
what caused the fire, reporting simply
that the chief officer advised him at 10
minutes before seven o'clock on the
morning of October . of it's existence
below aud that five minutes later the
flames had burst through the forward
matches and were rapidly spreading,
Although all possible measures were
at pIltt dktu 10 Sub'lut lnf lllt, lIt
captains story shows that it was even
then too late TO save the watch below.
The men were trapped in the fore
castle and burned to death there, their
fellow sailors helpless to aid them.
Then came explosions. which wrecked
part Of the midship section of the steam
er. The situation was plainly becoming
desperate. The call for help by wireless
Iol .... ., 90 ..-. -. Al. p.,,.. 1T.
through the forward matches. and the
crew was doing its fighting best to stay
the progress of the blaze until assistance
should come.
ATTEMPTS TO LAUNCH BOATS.
1t looked then as if there was no pos
siblo chance to save the steamer. and al
though the seas were running high and
the volturno was rolling heavily, the cap
tain had boats prov'sioned and swung
out. Boats Nos. 10 and Is were smash
ed is the simple way Captain Inch de-
scribes the first result of the attempt to
launch the life craft. But chief Officer
Miller's boat got away and although she
capsized, throwing everybody out. She
eventually righted herself and Miller and
several of the crew got into her
Another boat described a. No. G COM
handed by Fourth officer Langsell. also
got away filled with stecrage passengers,
Captain Inch knew nothing of the fate
Of these boats and so far as it is known
no one else does. Although "a widespread
search has been made for them by steam
ors that We're on the scene shortly after
ward and by others notified by wireless
no trace Of them has been discovered and
they probably are lost with all on board.
Captain Inch describes the arrival one
hv ono of the rescuing craft. summoned
ny the wireless operators, who worked
until eleven o'clock at night when the fire
had progressed so far tina. the magazine
on the bridge containing signalling rock
cts and lights blew up. carrying ava
the aerial apparatus and compelling the
wireless men to cease their efforts.
The Volturno's master covers in a few
words the progress of the fire through
the night and how. when the rescue
steamers came up and had failed be-
cause Of the heavy weather to get boats
to the burning liner. some passengers
Jumped overheard and We're picked VI
by the attending craft BY midnight, the
Gre had worked its way aft, but this
direful news was kept from the pas
sengcrs, the captain says. and there
was 10 panic.
WORKED HARD MAKING RATS.
Fearful that the fire might burst
through the after decks before daybrcal
and transform the entire steamer into
a mass of flame, the captain and crew
worked hard through the small hours
making RATS for use in an emergency re
curing the quick abandonment of th'
steamer. But the night passed withou
the happening Captain Inch feared, an'
wine and sea having moderated, the
transfer of the passengers to the steam
ers lowering about the blazing Nolturn'
was begun at early dawn and accom-
plished i'm less than three hours Withou
mishap. BY that time the fire WAS eat
ing up through the after matches, how
ever, and captain and crew left tn,
doomed steamer to her fate. Captain
Inch's narrative reads:
AT $50 a, m. October 0, 1913, latitud,
1912 north, longitude 3+5l west, fire
was reported In hold No. ], by chief Off
Ger. At 6;55 a. m. flames were burning
through the No. ! matches, setting fire L
the forecastle and all deck fittings.
slowed the ship down and kept her be
fore the wind to enable us to put tn
steam extinguishcrs in operation, ais
three fire hose from deck connections
The flames were gaining rapidly, reach
ing the height of the forecast light an
imprisoning the watch below, who wer
burned to death in the forecastle.
"A series of explosions now occurred
wrecking the saloon and hospital mid
ships, the compass and steering gea
being also damaged by the explosion.