The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-10-18
TELLS A TALE Of HORROR.
CAPT. INCH OF URANIUM LINER
DESCRIBES BURNING OF
VOLTURNO.
Depicts Battle with Flames to Save
the Ship and Life, which Ends in
Defeat for Crcw-Thc Abandon
mcnt of the Ship.

New York, Oct. 14.-Capt. Francis
Inch, whose steamer, the Volturno,
was burned at sea with the loss Of 1876
lives, tonight told his story Of the dis
aster. 1t is a plain Seaman's tale, but
in it, line by line, the horrors of the
disaster and the terrible ordeal
through which passengers and crew
passed are brought out with marked
directness and simplicity. From it's
beginning, where the outbreak of the
fire which spelled the doom of the
No1turno is recorded, the narrative
goes to the point where the bla2'n.;
ship was abandoned, The remaining
passengers taken off, and the captain
and what was left of the crew board
ed the waiting Kroonland.
Capt Inch, however, does not say
what caused the fire. Although all pos
sible measures were taken to subduo
the fire the captains story shows that
it was impossible to save the watch
below. The men were trapped in the
70: ccastle and burned to death, their
fellow sailors helpless to aid them.
Then came explosions which wreck
ed part of the midship section of the
steamer The call for help by wire
less had gone out as soon as the flames
shot trough the forward matches and
the crew was doing it's fighting best
to stay the progress of the blaze until
assistance should come.
1t looked then as if there was no
possible chance to save the steamer
and although the seas were running
high and the Volturno was rolling
heavily the captain had boats pro-
visioned and swung out. Boats Nos. l.
3 and were smashed" is the simple
way Capt. Inch describes the first re-
suit of the attempt to launch the life
craft But Chief Officer Millers boat
got away and although she capsized
throwing everybody out, she eventual
ly righted herself and Miller and
several of the crew got aboard her.
Another boat, described as No. s,
commanded by Fourth officer Lang
SELL also got away filled with steer
age passengers Capt. Inch knew
nothing of the fate of these boats ana
SO far as is known no one else does.
Capt Inch describes the arrival
one by one, of the rescuing craft
summoned by the wireless operators,
who worked until II o'clock at nisht
when the fire had progressed so far
that the magazine or the bridge, con-
tanning signaling rockets and lights,
blew UP, carrying away the aerial ap-
paratus 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 tells how when
>he rescue steamers came up and
failed because Of the heavy
weather to get boats to the burning
liner some passengers jumped over
board and were picked up by the at
tending craft. BY midnight the fire
had worked it's way aft, but this dire
full news was kept from ne passen-
gers, the captain says, and there was
no panic
Fearful that the fire might burst
through the afterdeck before day
break and transform the entire steam
er into Il mass of flames, the captain
and crew worked hard through the
small hours making iafts for use in
an emergency, requiring quick aban-
donment of the steamer. But the
night passed without the happening
Capt. Inch feared, and wind and sea
having moderated the transfer of the
passengers to the steamers lowering
about the blazing VOlturno was begun
less than three hours without mis-
hap. by that time the fire was eat
:ng up through the after matches,
however, and Capt. Inch and crew
left the doomed steamer to her fate
Capt. Inch sent his story of the
disaster by wireless night from the
Kroonland, on which he is being
brC uGht to this port, to the officers OF
the Uranium line here. Capt Inch's
narrative reads:
AT $50 a. M, October 9, 1913,
latitude 49.12 north, longitude 34.51
west. fire was reported i'm hold No. /
by chief officer. At 6.55 a. m. flames
were burning through No. matches,
setting fire to the fOrecastle and all
deck fittings. | slowed the ship down
and kept her before the wind to en-