McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1913-10-17
MANY MANY LIVES
ARE LOST ON
BURNING SHIP
SIX LIFEB0ATS OVERTURNED AS
REScUERS WORK.
OTHERS COULD NOT HELP
Passengers on Nearby Vessels See
Women and Children Perish in
Flames While Powerless to
Render Them Succor.

Fishguard, England. Wireless mes
sages from the steamer Carmania report
that the steamer Volturno with several
hundred passengers aboard, from Rot
terdam for New York, was abandoned
afire at sea.
Ten steamers responded to the wire
less calls for help and fought for hours
during raging gale to save the passeu-
gers and crew of the burning steamer
which eventually was abandoned. DC.
cupants of six .lfeboats were thrown
into the sea when the boats were smashed
against the steamers side, and probably
drowned. One report by way of Liver.
pool was that 236 of the passengers and
crew of the Volturno were missing
Captain Barr, of the Carmania, re-
ceived the distress call of the Volturno
when rs miles distant. in latitude 4s.25
north, longitude 1896 west. The Car.
mania crowded on full steam and with
extra stokers made over twenty knots
an hour in the teeth of the gale.
The wireless from the Carmania said
that the Volturno caught, fire in mid
Atlantic, and that the flames ragged SO
furiously in the gale that the steamer
was abandoned on Thursday morning
A few details coming through by wireless
promise a graphic story of the fight made
by crews of ten transatlantic steamers
who responded to the Volturno's call
The Volturno sailed from Rotterdam
on October 2 for New York, by way Of
Halifax, where it was due to stop next
Monday.
1t is believed that the steamer carried
"a cabin passengers, $40 Storage pas
Sengers and crew of ninety three men.
The wireless reports say that 521 per.
sons were saved, making 200 persons I'm.
accounted for thus far
When the Carmania reached the vicin-
ity of the Volturno at noon she found
the forward end Of the distressed vessel
burning fiercely. The flaming ship wss
at the same time rolling heavily, while
her propellers were fouled with boats
tackle used in lowering her six lifeboats
1t. was learned by the captain of the
Carmania that two only out of six life
boats had succeeded in getting safely
away from the yolturno. The other four,
crowded from stem to stern with passen.
gers and members of the crew, had been
smashed against the side of the vessel
and all their occupants thrown into the
sea and drowned.
In spite of the terrific gale raging when
his vessel arrived hear the Volturno, tho
captain of the Carmania had one of his
lifeboats lowered to proceed to the Vol
turno to help in the rescue. The boat
was launched with much difficulty, for
even on the leeside of the Carmania the
seas were terribly rough and it was only
by extraordinary efforts that the small
craft was prevented from being smashed
or capsized as she left the side of the
ship.
The Csrmania's lifeboat, in charge of
First Officer Gardiner, made d gallant
but futile attempt to get alongside the
doomed Volturno. After two hours bat
tie with the waves, during which the
lifeboat lost all but three of her oars,
the rest being broken or torn from the
hands of the crew, First Officer Gardiner
returned to the Carmania.
Capt Barr, of the Carmania, then ma
neuvered his big vessel very close to the
yolturno, and finally got the Carmania's
bow within a hundred feet of the Vol
turno's stern
It was found impossible, however, to
cast line on board the Volturno or to
get anybody off her.
1t was terrifying sight for passen-
gers and crew of the Carmania to see SO
close to them the hundreds of passen-
gers, including women and children, in
horror-strcken fear on the decks of the
yolturno, and yet be unable to help them.
Most Of the passengers got into the
Volturno's lifeboats, but a. hundred OF
them gathered at the after-end Of the
burning vessel whose crew at the same
time continued in vain to fight the fire
at her forward end.
Capt. Barr, of the Carmania, in the
meanwhile kept his wireless apparatus
at work communicating with all the YES
sells within the radius of his instruments.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the
Grosser Kurfuerst and the Seydlitz came
insight and these two were joined later
in the afternoon by the Kroonland and
the Devonian and Rappahannock, the
Minneapolis, La Touraine and the Asian
The gale moderated slightly toward
night
The Carmania kept her searchlights
going throughout the night, throwing
their rays across the foaming seas in the
quest for possible struggling swimmers
or lifeboats from the Volturno.
About o'clock in the evening when
the darkness was nj its blacklist, flames
burst through amidships of the Volturno,
where her engine room and coal bunkers
are. AS the fire lighted up the sky this
was followed by an explosion which sent
into the air burning wreckage like
flight of rockets.
The spectacle o. the great vessel be-
ipp consumed by /. with over 500 souls
on board and surrounded by a fleet of
huge. lighted hulls crowded with thou
sands of spectator. all ANXIOUS but I'M
able to help owint TO the mountainous
seas beggared description.