New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-20
PANN0NIA BRINGS
BALMES RESCUED
Passengers Say Suckers
Proved Heroes When
Fire Ragged.
THOUGH OVERCOME,
MEN WENT BACK
Cunarder Carries 1913 Who Owe
Their Lives to Team Work
of Captains.


While the Cunard liner Pannonia was
coming up :he bay Yesterday morning
with the rescued passengers of the burned
Spanish liner Balmes safe on board, the
story Of the heroism displayed IN this
latest drama Of the sea. in which the
wireless again played prominent part
was told.
The officers Of the Pannonia told how
the crew Of the Balmes and its venerahie
captain, Juan Ruiz, toiled amid sufocat-
ing smoke and with volcano under their
feet for four days and nights. without
sleep or rest. and succeeded IN saving the
ship
The passengers of the Pannonia' VINO
witnessed the part played by the officers
and crew of the Cunarder. praised the
heroism Of the Englishmen. and the lpS
grateful passengers of the Balmes insist
cd that the officers and crews Of both
ships had earned a place among the
heroes of the sea
And of all the praise. the greatest was
bestowed on the stokers and fremen of
the Balmes. who in the last two days or
the Spanish liners run worked in ten
minute shifts, so dense was the smoke
and so intense the heat. Many of these
at the end Of these short periods were
drerced unconscious to the deck, and on
being revived returned to the stoke holes.
Wireless Man Stays at Post.
1t would be difficult 10 tell Of the nu-
merous individual acts of heroism. Many
Of the passengers of the Bames had tales
Of the unnamed heroes of the Spanish
ship. but aside from the captain OF the
Balmes the only other name OF the Span
fish liners force brought TO port was That
OF its sole wireless operator. Inocenclo w.
Michavi!a. who stood by his instruments
from clock on the evening Of the 18TH
rr.til the morning of the 18th, when the
Palmes was beached at Mount Hill. Ber-
muda.
1t was due to the excellent team work
Of Captain Robert Capper Of the Pan
honia and Captain Ruiz of the Balmes
that no lives were lost From the mo-
r1ent that the s. O. S." of the Balmos
was picked up by Stanley G. Rattee, the
wireless operator on the Pannonia, until
the burning steamer was beached this
team work continued. When it was over
Captain Ruiz sent this message to Cap
tain Capper:
Il wish l could meet you in person 10
thank you for what you have done for
me You are a brave, gallant gentleman,
and III never forget you"
on behalf OF the passengers and crew
and officers of the Pannonia, as well as
himself Captain Capper responded in
kind TO the old Spaniard
There was one on board the Pannonia
who did not miss y hat magazine writers
call the color OF the story. He was John
H. Williams. the Cunarder's purser. who
gave the first detailed story of the res
cue. II was he who summoned the only
English speaking member of the Badness
passengers, Nicholas Arbornes. of Hs-
vana who discovered the fire on the
Balmes. to tell what ne had seen and
heard.
1T was Q O'Clock of the night Of the
18th that the fire was discovered" said
Arbornies With three other passengers.
/ saw some smoke coming from under
my bunk just above No. l compartment.
We couldn't find the FIRE In the mattress.
where we thought it was. and few min
utes later the first mate found it came
from the cotton in compartment No. l."
After lifting up the hatch and seeing
the extent of the flames all matches were
battened down and holes drilled in the
deck-fve of them-and water pumped
through them, II was not until two DAYS
later that they were able 10 get streams
playing on the flames.
Soon the decks got so hot that we had
10 lay planks on them In order 10 walk
about We all knew the danger-that
there were 200 casks of rum over the cot
ton in No. ] bulkhead. and that IL the
fire had reached these there would have
been an explosion that would have torn
the ship to pieces and sent us all to our
deaths And until we were rescued none
OF US slept
ION Thursday morning-that was the
l3th-the decks cooled down a bit and we
opened the matches and got out eighteen
casks Of rum, which we stored on ting for
ward deck In doing this three of the
crew and one of the men passengers were
overcome by the smoke.
Passengers Pray on Deck.
AT 6 o'clock that morning we all heard
the glad news that the Pannonia was
heading our way. and many men and
women knelt on the planks on deck and
prayed. There was no disorder All the
men helped the crew. and the women and
children obeyed orders implicitly. And
those of us who could shook hands with
Captain Ruiz as we were leaving. And a
noble picture he looked. firm and deter
mined looking and brave, his white hair
and beard black with smoke and his eyes
bloodshot from lack Of sleep. But IL was
the same with all the crew-all were brave
and sooty and all their eyes red and
bloodshot."
Were there any birds or animals on
board" asked one reporter.
Yes" said Arbornies, "the captains
dog and the parrot to Sonora Maria Her
nandez."
Yes" put in Purser Williams. "the dog
greeted us with friendly bark when our
first boat put up alongside of the
Balmes."
Gould the parrot talk? What could L
say?" asked one newsgatherer, excitedly.
1T only spoke Spanish. 1t just said
Parrot in Spanish"
Didn't the parrot discover the fire?
Didn't il cry out Fire." asked feat
ure' writer.
There was no fire-only smoke, said
the truthful ArbOrnies.