Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-12-01
FATHER OTTO
SEESBURN|NG
OF VOLTuRNO.
Catholic Clergyman Tells Of
Dramatic Moment When Hun
dredS Were Praying

heard more t1an nun0Te0 VOICES
shout: God Have Mercy aboard the
steamer Volturno as she lay burning
in mid-ocean with her passengers
crowding mp from the ships interior
to the ships rail-" says Father Otto.
of Pahoa, who has iust returned from
trip 70 Europe and was an eye wit
ness Of the burning of the,immigrant
vessel and the rescue OF portion OF
its passengers. f..
The dramatic moment, says the Fa-
Their, happened between and 10
o'clock on the fatal night, after there
was an explosion aboard the ship and
everyone thought II would sink simme. |
diately, while half dozen ships
stood nearby, powerless to render
aid. Telling Of this incident, which |
with the priest stands out most dis
tinctly In memory of q score Of har- |
rowing incidents during the rescue |
or the persons aboard the ship, he rev.
erently adds: For some Of them, at |
least, their prayer was answered"
II was shortly after the explosion
liner Kroonland, on which ! and Fail
Their Maxim were passengers, succeed |
ed In saving first, lives of any of
those aboard the Volturno. After the
explosion, although the sealwas fear
fully rough, two of the ships Heuten-l
ants lmates) came to the captain and
asked permission to take lifeboatsl
and attempt to get to the steamer"
eThe permission was reluctantly
granted by the captain, who thought
that small boat could not remain
afloat In the sea. But one Of the
boats was able TO get near the Vol
ftifno and BY making signs they inll
duced some to jump from the burning
ship into the water. But there were
only eight saved in this manner, and
they were all men, the priest says.
He explains that the suction Of the
water about the ship was so strongI
that many who jumped were carried
beneath the surface and to their
death. Father Otto tells of one of those
rescued in this manner who said that
he seemed to be pulled down to great
depth but that he persisted in holdingl
his breath and kept the water out of
his lungs and finally came up near a
lIfeboat
ships Crew Praised
These rescues were made during the
night and little has been published
about them as the greater number
we're saved the following morning.
when the sea had become more calm
The Kr0onland rescued so people, men.
women and children. many Of whom
had lost or were separated from their
relatives
II is the brave work of the various
ships crews. and the munificence Of
the passengers In providing aid for
the destitute passengers. of which
Father Otto prefers to talk, rather1
than the gruesome details of shel
burning and drowning Of those lost,
eJust think! he exclaims. with the
ship burning beneath him, the cook of
the Volturno continued to bake bread
and make coffee for those poor pas
eeneers, when no one knew but the
next moment would be the last.
rThe sailors of the ships were all
very brave. II made me proud of
mankind to see their bravery and them
the passengers first cabin as
well as those In the second cabin of
the Kroonland- showed how good
were their hearts by taking up bigl
collection for the rescued and prDyid-
Inc them with clothing
Lesson n Catastrophe.
While the priest does not say SO. IN
So many words. you can tell that he
thinks that even in such catastrophe
there was lesson for all who Wit
Messed III IL for no other reason than
that the barriers between the many
different races were let down for the
tine. and the social distinctions be-
tween those In the different cabins for
tear
ton FOR the needy
The Kroonland got the S. O. s, sig
nal Of the Volturno early on thei
morning Of the accident, when it was
100 miles from the burning steamer
and while both were from 400 toll
1900 miles from Europe and after a
three or four-day voyage. i
I'VE travelled all day In search of
the volturno, says Father Otto. "and
dld not reach it until Just at dusk, as ]
IL had dfifted about fifteen miles from |
the location given the Kroonland in |
the morning c
According to the Catholic clergy :
man, more prompt rescue was S
tl1warted early in the evening be- 4
cause the near approach of the a
Kroonland to the burning ship was n
unexpected. As we approached the q
Volturno, she swung around forward c
and our ship passed within twenty
or thirty feet of her, but there was +
no one in sight in that portion of the t
vessel, at that time, and We failed G
to get rope aboard" The priest is L
certain that the two ships were that
near together and was not annoyed I,
at having the statement questioned. O
There were two other ships near the a
Volturno' when the Kroonland arriv- 6
ed, but they had given up attempting
to get rope to the ship that night. II
Recognized Many Tongues. n
After this the sea became so rough
that an approach became impossible
until the following morning. 1t was
an hour or two after the arrival of w
the KrOonland that tho axnloo;op m /,