Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-15
50 WERE BURNED
TO DEATH ON THE
LINER VOLTURNO
Officer, Here on Rescue Ship.
Tells of Explosions Which
Shook Vessel.
BOATS OVERTURNED WITH
WOMEN PASSENGERS
Panic Halted When News Was
Received of Carmania's
Race to Rescue.

1AODODGN+ 0Ct- 4J--6SlWeell -
and 80 passengers on the volturno
We're trapped IN compartment No. I
by the first explosion on the vessel
Thursday morning and either perish-
ed at once or were burned alive This
news was brought to port today with
the docking Of the Steamship Grosser
Kurfuerst bearing 1o5 survivors oz
the disaster
It came from the lips Of Waldroa
Disselman. third officer OF the Vol
turno, one Of the rescued. The Gross
ser Kurfuerst docked shortly befors
l O'Clock this afternoon. Committees
OF the Red Cross. Jewish organiza
tions and friends and relatives of
dead and living awaited her coming
Ten automobiles and an ambuianca
were on hand to take the unfortu-
mates to places Of temporary refuge
In Manhattan.
Oficer Tells of Fire.
In broken English Disselman- =
quiet hammered man of about thirty
five. told of his experience during the
eighteen hours he was aboard the
fire-swept vessel. The cause Of tha
fire he esta blished as an explosion
of a drum containing chemicals or
oil in the forward part of the vessel
Il was Just going to the bridge,
he said. when the first explosion oc-.
Cured. The Volturno trembled as if
she had been struck by a heavy she'll
Almost Immediately other drums be-
gan to explode There was rapid
fire of explosions that sounded like
cannonading.
Captain Inch was on the bridges
/ heard him shout out to man the
life boats. The passengers came
running IN panic to the decks. The
sailors sprang to the davits. A gals
was blowing and the seas werss
sweeping in great rollers around as.
Explosions Continue. :.
The passengers crowded the rails
so that the sailors had difficulty in
lowering the boats. Meantime the
small cases of chemicals we're explod-
ing by the dozen every minute. No
one thought the ship could last fixe
minutes.
FLAMES swept up from No.
compartment forward. and ieaped to
the foreeastle- Within few minutes
It was blazing. The gale famed ii
fire.
a boat was lowered and made
way. It seemed as il II would cap
size every minute. We lost II time
after time in the rough of the sea.
Another was smashed against tho
davits before 1t could be lowered.
The carpenters boat, filled with mens
women and children, put of. Each
boat required complement of sailors
to man ii and as each got away
left us with fewer men 10 lower ths
remaining boats.
Women Washed Away.
Il helped lower the third officer 3
boat When il struck the water
heavy sea hit 1t and swept several
of the women overheard. The CHEZ
officer was swept overheard. too, buc
he held on and climbed back I saw
him take out an oar to steer the boat
away from the ship as i was in
danger Of breaking to pieces against
the Volturno at any moment. Hss
used the oar to advantage and the
boat drifted away
ssTbe fourth officer's boat was
lowered next. About twenty-five pass
sengers were in it. We let it down
clear of the ship, and | saw II far
away about ten minutes afterward-
That was the last time that boat was
ever seen. so far as l know.
Boaf Overturned.
Il ran to the starboard and saw
another boat full of people. We did
not lower that, however, as the caps
tain said that the sea was too high
and that boat could not live in it
/ turned around and saw the car-
penter's boat floating 100 yards or SO
away. II was bottom up.
Then [ went to boat No. ), as the
captain said we might try to lower
that Meantime the explosions were
dying down. 1 found that boat No. ;
/
against the davits and that 1t had
been smashed. don't know why.
but lowered the empty boat. It got
away clear Of the ship. 1t was pity
II was broken.
The captain then gave the order
10 fight the fire. / went on the bridge.
He coupled the hose to the pumps
and stretched two lines of II through
the smoke and flames to No. l COM
partment. The first line was lowered
into No. l. the second one into No 2
At that time. however, there was no
smoke coming from No. .
Ends Panic OF Passengers.
I'VE had been working the wired
less for nearly an hour. Finally We
got word that the Carmania was
coming, full speed, to help us. I ran
to the passengers who We're huddled
aft. Some OF them were praying.
some laughing. ] shouted TO them
at the top Of my lungs that the Car
mania was coming Most of them
fell on their knees. The panic among
them ended.
II went back 10 the bridge. The
captain told me that the rigging TO
the mainmast had broken or burned
and that the mast was in danger OF
falling over the side of the ship. /
got couple of tackles from the cargo
and fixed that. holding the mainmasE
firm so that the aerials couldn't 60
down and destroy our wireless.
.Then the steering gear on tho
bridge blew UP with a loud explosion
We began TO drift"
THE Carmania sent us a message
to steer southwest by west to meet
her, but we couldn't do this as the
flames would have gone aft. We had
to steer before the wind to keep them
forward
1.-The captain fought the flames
hard and within an hour or two
thought he had them under control-
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