The Washington times., 1913-10-12
WATCHERS RELATE
HORROR SCENES
For Hours Thousand Line the Rails of Rescue Ships Power
less to Aid Doomed Men, Women
and Children.
Continued from Page One.)

CONTINUED from Page One)
Eating back through the Volturno from the forward deck,
where the crew bravey fighting the fire, to the after
deck where nearly 700 terorscken men, women, and
children huddled.
The Cunard liner Camnania was the first to receive
the wireless call for help and the first ship to reach
the spot. She lay barely hundred feet away almost
under the stern of the Vourno, yet so desperate the
gale and so mountainous the waves that was impossible
to get line to the doomed vessel to the passengers
The Volturno, which left Rotterdam October 2 for
Halifax and New York. carrying D cabin and 538 seerage
passengers and of &C. battling with furious
gale early Thursday morning in nidAtanc when an ex-
ploson occurred in the forward hold 1t still dark and
many the hunks and steerage had not been aroused
for breakfast Several of the and seerage passengers
were killed asleep.
Apanc in the steerage Immediately ensued and when
fire quickly followed the explosion the mad fright
great that the officers and forced to abandon the
fire and fight the crazed emgrans All the passengers
driven to the afterdeck and made to don ebels and under
strong guard they huddled far asern possible
From there they watched the crew battling with the ames
which rapidly gained headway.
Wireless help calls sent out in the early dawn
picked up by the Carnania seventy-eight miles away
Captain Barr instantly turned the Caana and putting
extra stokeS in front of the boilers drove at twenty knots
through the raging gale toward the Volturno at the same
time sending calls for help from his more powerful
wireless.
RESCUE FLEET GATHERS.
The Camana arrived at noon after the Volturno's
ftless attempts to the passengers in its boats
and through the long afternoon the fleet gathered
sponse to the wireless calls The Grosser Kuuerst and
the Seydltz at o'clock then the Kroonland the De-
vonian the Rappahannock the Minneapolis, La Tourane,
and tha Czar nd The ra;1S
unnindful of the storm and unteeding hunger As dark
fell the lights of the ships out and the great
ses circled in luminous spendo about the fearful DRAMA
powerless to interfere. Of the CSC board 521 were
saved.
Two of the Volturno's boats filled with passengers
were overturned by early Thursday when the first
attempts made to leave the burning ship. Four
others dashed against the sides of the vessel and
smashed to kindlng All the passengers in these
boats perShed while tackle fouled the propeller and there
after the ship dred helpless at the mercy of the gale.
The Carnana arrived on the at noon on Thurs
day. and Immediately put off boats in attempt get to
the Vourno but the only result that their sides were
smashed in by huge waves, the broken torn from
the sailors hands by the vicious and the boats forced
to return to the Canania with only three oars one of
which broken.
AS the other vessels responded to the wireless signal
of distress each in turn sought to send boats to the VOL
tno and each forced to abandon the attempt So ten
shps-the Cannania, the La Tourane, the Minneapolis
the Rappahannock the Gar, the Naraganse the Devon
a the Kroonland the Grosser Kuruers and the Seydtz
surrounded the Vourno and through the day and night
watched her burn.
vULTUNos BOILERS BLOW UP.
At night the glare of the searchlghts was added to the
urid light of the flames the helpless evathans sought
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