River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-16
WIRELESS CALL SUMMONS TEN
SHIPS TO SCENE BUT THEY
ARE ALMOST POWER
LEES.
WORK OF RESCUING WAS
DELAYED SEVERAL HOURS
6earchIight Reveal IndescribabIe Hors
ror-Carmania Leads Fleet Of
Steamers in Work of
Saving Passen-
Qers.

Liverpool, Oct. 14.-One hundred
aid thirty-siZ women, children and
men lost their lives when the Uranium
line steamship Volturna, leased from
the Royal line, caught fire in mid-At-
iantic on Thursday and burned to the
waters edge on Friday.
Survivor Tells Story.
The only survivor that has yet told
his story says the English captain and
his English officers behaved CALAMITY
In the face of death, but declares the
German and Bulgarian crews acted
cowardly.
The carmania, with one lone surviv-
or of the Volturno aboard, found it too
rough to stop at Queenstown and is
proceeding direct to Fishguard. From
that survivor, however, comes a thrill
ing story of the burning of the steam
er, Of the terror, the struggle for the
boats, the death Of those who went
over the sides and his own desperate
fight for life.
Ten big linners, led by the Cunard-
or Carmania, Captain Barr, stood by
he striker ship and battled for many
passengers and crew, but were able
&c take off and pick up only sci per-
sons.
Rescue Long Delayed.
While hundreds of passengers
aboard the rescue feet crowded the
rails, spellbound with horror, the cap.
tains unanswered in desperate at
tempts to get alongside the Volturno,
but were unable to do so until day
break Friday.
Captain Barr then ran a lifeboat I'M
der the stern of the Volturno and took
off eleven passengers. Other captains
followed, and the survivors taken from
the Volturno as well as those picked
up in the only two Volturno lifeboats
that got away during the fire were
distributed among the rescuing liners.
From Thursday noon the Carmania
stood by, helpless, on account of the
terrific storm and mountainous waves,
until early Friday. The last of the
surviving passengers and crew wera
taken off at $50 a. m. Friday. The
Carmania was alone with the burning
liner until the Grosser, Furst and Sci
delitz came up about p. IN. Thurs,
day. The other seven rescue ships ar.
rived shortly afterward
Four Lifehoats Smashed.
While the Carmania's passengers
looked on, frantic and helpless, four
lifeboats lowered from the Volturno
were smashed against the side of the
heavily rolling ship and their passen
gers, including women and children
were drowned. A broken propeller OF
the Volturno had so fouled the tackle
of the lifeboats that only six could be
lowered and only two got away.
AS darkness fell, the Carmania kept
its powerful searchlights playing on
the waters around the burning boat
looking for possible passengers that
might have taken to the sea in their
desperation. Captain Barr also threw
out burning buoys all night to light the
CHASTITY scene. Their light played on
the poop of the Volturno and showed
plainly the hopeless women, children
and men huddled there throughout the
night
At midnight there was some hope
HAAOdSCQ WA1GA INC lIG dppGdI6Q u UG
dying down. Captain Barr made an.
other attempt to get boat to the
ship, and when this failed he ran the
Carmania head-on within loo feet OF
the Volturpo's stern. 1t was impos.
sible, though, to set line aboard the
wreck.
Volturno Sinks.
The fire broke out f1ercely in the af.
ter engine room before dawn and when
daylight came it was seen that the
Volturno was sinking by the head.
The gale had abated by then and
lifeboats from the rescue fleet were
run alongside the burning liner, taking
off the last of the survivors,
The Volturno was abandoned at 9:20
a. m. on Friday and sank few min
utes later
The 136 missing passengers were
burned to death, drowned in the
smashed boats or jumped overheard
Officials of the Uranium company
!. declared early that those on board
included "a cabin and $40 steerage
passengers, with crew of 90.