The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-14
VOLTURNO BLAZING TORCH
Continued From Page One:

meet which gathered about the Strick-
en- Volturno. Shortly after we arrived.
the Carmania tried both fore and aft
oil sprays, blu without effect on the
mountainous waves. Then the captain
sent. out wireless calls in all directions
for an oil ship and his efforts were re-
Waredd by an answer from the Mar
ragansett.
When the Narragansett arrived, the
Grosser Kurfuerst, with other liners,
got In as close as possible and lowered
l1feboats. These took aboard several
persons who had jumped from the Vol
turno and the work was greatly facili-
tated by the steam pinnace of the Gros-
ser Kurfuerst, which had stayed out
all night. At once the Narragansett
began to spray oil about the doomed
ship and the wave subsidized as by
magic. Soon the small boats were en-
abled to along side the liner and
take the clining people from the lad
ders. The rescue work was over in a
very short time. Eleven liners form
ed the boundary around the film of oil,
and the survivors aboard the various
steamers without trouble.
I'VE then cruised about for about
two hours searching for the ~lifeboats
which were said to have escaped the
destruction that the other boats had
suffered against the side. Of their own
ship, but found only the air tanks
which are carried, beneath the seats. I
do not believe that there is any pos
sibility of the two boats having escaped
swapping.
when we arrived on the scene the
fire was burning steadily. but not
f1ercely. 1t never at any time got aft
of the bridge. When we went to din
ner at Z o'clock in the evening there
were no flames; nothing but thick
smoke could be SEEN At s we were
L 49, I~-1X l-- IT, - 1s--
out of the flames, which soon culmin-
ated in an explosion. Then we saw
for the first time signs Of a panic on
the decks of the fated vessel. Several
Jumped overheard, among them our
own survivors, who made a plucky
swim, reached the side of the Car
mania, but was too weak to get up the
ladder. Seaman HIGHWAY was then
lowered with a lifeline through an
open cargo port, stripped to the waist.
He got beneath the swimmer, whose
life belt had become unfastened and
supported him. 1t was a magnificent
| exhibition of strength and courage.
Some idea can be gained of how diff
| cult this feat was rendered by the
ferceness of the waves when it is
realized that half an hour passed from
the time the swimmer, Trintepohl,
reached the side of the ship before he
was gotten aboard. ,..~- .
THE explosion seemed to come from
coal gas collected in the bunkers, and
was evidently not due to the boilers.
For some time the fire burned brightly
and then gradually died down. 1t is
impossible to tell how many of those
who jumped overheard were drowned,
but the good swimmers among them
must have been picked up, as small
boats were cruising about"
Arthur Spurgeon, who yesterday
| cnN4 Trinf6nnH1G + ora rh3r f cfnrrr. ~,
wireless and described the rescue
work around the burning vessel. sup
plemented his dispatches with addi-
tional details today. = e." -
THE story of what took place on
board the Volturno before the arrival
of the Carmania," he said. probably
will not be known until Captain Inch
makes his official report. Some say
the boats were launched in an orderly
\ manner, others declare that a panic
took place, resulting in the taking over
of the boats by the fear-crazed crew
after the fire got out of control. 1t
seems to be agreed that there were 100
souls in these boats. all of whom were
killed or drowned. The Carmania pas
sengers were told h a not more than
| one-third of those in the boats were
women and children.
when Captain Barr gave the order
to launch a =lifeboat, it was received
with a ringing cheer, but the attempt
| at rescue failed, and as further efforts
to get alongside the Vo1turno meant
certain death to the boat crew, First
Officer Gardiner regretfully gave the
order to turn back. After two hours
battling with the sea the boat again
came within hail of the Carmania and
was almost smashed against the side
of it's own ship. But finally it was
lifted aboard amid cheering. ~
"T,3fe in the afternoon. after fhe
feet Of rescuing ships had gathered
about the doomed ship, the captain of
the Volturno sent a message that the
situation was becoming desperate. At
tempts were made to send RATS from
the Carmania and these almost reach
ed the burning vessel, but just missed
it,. and thereby was lost the chance to
get a. line aboard.
Shortly afterward Captain Inch
reported that the upper plates would
soon give way. An explosion which
seemed to seal the doom of the ship
was made by the Volturno to- send q.
boat with a line to the Grosser Kur-
fuerst. but the boat was hurled against
/ the. German liner and wrecked. The
men were saved. ''''., sEz rs
AThe night aboard the Carmania
was one lever to be forgotten. No one
got more than ,snatches. of sleep. Some
| pIdySu yiOA III 'SSulS III pciLl.- SAAl g-WVL6
racked with Misunderstanding anxiety.
| Our utter he1pIessness was appalling.
| The finest feet Of liners ever gathered
in one spot in the Atlantic were 5prac-
ltically impotent, even with their
splendid equipment, to render aid IN
account of the great waves.
""Soon after midnight, the Grosser
Kurfuerst succeeded in lowering a.
boat, which had almost as, painful an
experience as the tCarmania's. After
getting within speaking distance of
the boat shouted to the passengers to
jump. But either they did not near or
were afraid to respond. The people
aboard the fire ship were in a state
Of semi collapse. They were overcome
by the sight of the destruction Of
many of their fellows in&the morning.
They knew that the fire was creeping
on them inch by inch. When the de-
tonators and rockets, stored in the
chart room. exploded they thought the
end had come. Terror-driven,t they
were almost mad. cit was hell Tri-
entepohl said.
Meanwhile disaster threatened
boat crew from the Minneapolis, be-
cause of q broken rudder. The. search
light Of the Carmania revealed their
plight, and a. boat was sent to their
rescue. When brought alongside the
Cunarder, their boat was smashed
against the side, but the officer and
lcrew were saved. They had been OUT
for five hours. f&
sThis time spent in ~rescuing the
Minneapolis boat, affected Captain
Bars plan Of operation. He had four
boats ready to launch, but was now
farthest from. the scene. Captain Barr
then signalled the other captains that