Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-10-16


Blaze In Mld-Atlantic.
London.-At least 1876 lives were
lost when fire destroyed the steam
ship Volturno in a raging storm in
the mid-Atlantic. Ten other liners.
brought to the rescue by wireless tele.
graph, saved SCI lives. These ten
liners stood by. powerless to prevent
the tragedy, because of the mountain
GUS seas.
Wireless reports, received in Eng
land told the story of the disaster.
The Volturno left Rotterdam Oct. 3
for New York and officials of the
Uranium line say there were $50 per
sons on board, including % cabin and
5SS steerage passengers and crew
Of &C.
The survivors are now aboard a
feet of steamers summoned by the
yolturno's call for help, some of which
are bound eastward and others west
ward.
Storm Stays Rescue.
The rescue ships reached the scene
Of the disaster in plenty of time to
save all, but for hours stood by the
blazing vessel, impotent, because of
the storm, to reach the agonized men,
women and children crowding the
after part of the ship and within
stones throw.
It was a terrifying sight for the
passengers and crew OF the Carmania
to see so close to them the hundreds
Of passengers, including women and
children, in horror-stricken fear on
the decks of the Volturno and yet be
unable to help them.
The spectacle of the great vessel
being consumed by fire with over 500
souls on board and surrounded by a
feet Of huge lighted hulls crowded
with thousands of spectators, all
anxious but unable to help owing to
The mountainous seas, was terrifying.
stom Beats Back Llfeboats.
All night the lifeboats made a des.
perate effort to get alongside the Vol
turnO, but the waves beat them back
again and again, and not until the
storm abated at daylight Friday did
the rescuers succeed in removing the
survivors from the doomed ship.
Even now only the fringe of one Of
the most thrilling tales of the sea
Is available. Exactly how the rescue
was effected is not known. The Vol
turno was well equipped with boats,
sufficient the agents say, for 1000
souls, but the boisterous sea or lack
OF boat drill, or panic among the pas
sengers, prevented the successful en-
ployment OF them. The rescue ships
wkere able to lower lifeboats. but APP
from the Volturno we're smashed or
upset and the occupants drowned.
Two of the boats, crowded with pas
sengers, are reported to have got
away from the ship. but search for
them has proved fruitless.
Those persons virtually have been
given up as lost. The occupants of
those boats are included in the death
roll
Ships Rush to Rescue.
The steamer Carmania, bound from
New York TO Liverpool, was 7S miles
away when the call for help sounded.
capt Barr, ordering full steam, in
spite of the gale, drove through the
seas at 20 knots an hour and was first
OF the fleet TO reach the burning yes
sell She was followed by La Tour
alne, Minneapolis, Rarrahannock,
tzar, Narragansett, Devonian, Kroon-
land, Grosser Kurfuerst and Seydlitz,
at various hours throughout the day,
But try as they might, the rescuing
vessels could get neither line nor life
uoat to the Volturno, the forward part
OF which was almost hidden by a
dense cloud of smoke when the Car
mania arrived.
Explosion Wrecks Upper Works.
The burning steamer lay in the
trough Of the sea, pounding hopeless
~ with her propellers fouled by the
Oaot tackel. The terrified passengers
We're huddled together as far as it
was possible to get from the flames,
while throughout the day the officers
ana crew fought desperately with
Whatever appliances were at hand to
mold the fire in check.
but night came on and the seas
aoaied only slightly. The circle Of
'N'-~>NN-~~~~-~-~>>~-~~~
Prolific.
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INpIled the noted drRmafist "and |