Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-10-16
Captain Inch Relates the VOlturno
Disaster.
DOESN'T NAME FIRES ORIGIN
Five Minutes After Fire Reported,
Flames Burst Through For
ward Hatehes-Wireless
Operator a Hero.

turno, was burned at sea Win the
loss of 1915 lives, told his story Of
the disaster. 1t is plain seaman's
tale, but in it line by line the hOr-
rors OF the disaster and the terri
BILE ordeal through which passen-
gers and crew passed are brought
out all the more clearly.
Captain Inch, however, does not
say what caused the fire, reporting
simply that the chief officer ad-
vised him at ten minutes before z
o'clock on the morning of October
8 of its existence below, and that
five minutes later the flames had
burst through the forward matches
and were rapidly spreading.
Although all possible measures
were at once taken to subdue the
fire, the captains story shows that
It was even then too late to save the
watch below. The men were trap
ped in the forecastle and burned to
death there, their fellow sailors
helpless to aid them.
Then came explosions which
wrecked part of the midship section
of the steamer. The situation was
plainly becoming desperate. The
call for help by wireless had gone
out as soon as the flames shot
through the forward matches and the
crew was doing its 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, al
though the seas were running high
and the volturno was rolling heav-
lily, the captain had boats provis-
toned and swung out.
Captain Inch describes the arrival
ones.by one, of the rescuing craft,
summoned by the wireless operators,
who worked until II o'clock at
night when the fire had progressed
so far that the magazine on the
bridge, containing signaling rockets
and lights, blew up, carrying away
the aerial apparatus and compelling
the wireless men to cease their ef-
forts.
Fishguard, Oct. 14.-The Carma-
mia, first of the rescuing vessels on
the scene of the disaster OF the Vol
turno, has arrived here.
Captain Barr met the newspaper
correspondents with a positive re-
fusal to say a word about the Vol
turno until the Carmania reached
Liverpool and he had delivered his
report to the Cunard company.
The fire on the Volturno appears
to have originated in her cargo hold.
When it became evident that the
flames had gained the mastery, Cap
tain Francis Inch devoted all his en-
ergy to the salvation of his passen-
gers.
Believing oil would calm the
mountainous seas enough to permit
rescue work, Captain Barr sent wire
less calls. for an oil ship.
The skipper of the Narragansett
brought his steamer to the scene
early on Friday morning and i'm
mediately sluiced hundreds of tons
of oil on the waves.
Mr.. Mansfield of New York, a pas
senger on the Carmania, said:
"The people on board the Vol
turno seemed to be paralyzed and
helpless. They made, no effort to
seize the lines or RATS. thrown to
them. l saw a man kiss his wife
and children and throw them over
board. He jumped after them. They
were seen for only moment and
disappeared together. 1t was an aw-
full sight to see the ship burning
with so many people on board"
T. r. Watson of Philadelphia, an
other of tho passengers of the Car
mania, said that the chief credit for
saving those on the volturno was
undoubtedly due to the oil ship Mar
ragansett. ''Only a few good swim
mers," he declared, would have
survived from the i'll fated ship had
not the Narragansett made free use
of oil to calm the terrible waters"
New York. oct. 14-C. ]. Pen
nington, one of the wireless opera
tors on the volturno, had told about
month ago of a terrifying dream
he had had of a fire aboard the-ship