Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-16
POURING OF OIL ON THE SEA
WAS CAPTAIN BARR'S IDEA
1t Enabled Small Boats to Reach Burning Vessel
and Save Those on Board-7S of the SO in
Crew Perished-Thrilling Description
by Eyewitnesses of the Tragedy.

hN'iS EAAilN'h ~ VS. Va NC'' - 20 ~
to the waves.
Humphrey Jones, a passenger on the
Carmania. describing the scene at the
wreck said the international fleet worked
splendidly and with the regularity Of a
naval review. The GrOSser Kurfurst,
the Kroonland and the Car did wonder
fully. The spectacle of the burning ship
In the middle of a rig of vessels impotcnt
to help was. he said, too terrible for him
to describe. But for the subsistence of
the storm all on board the Volturno must,
he concluded, assuredlY have been lost.
OIL CAUSED SEA TO SUBSIDE.
T. r. Watson of Philadelphia. an
other of the passengers of the Car
mania. said that the chief credit for
saving those on the Nolturno was un-
doubtcdly due to the oil ship Nara
pansett. only a few good swim
mers," he declared, would have sur
vived from the Inflated ship hal not
the aga made free use of oil
to calm the terrible waves.
when the Carmania arrived Cap
tain Barr recognized at once that it
would be almost n hopeless task to
attempt to save the Volturno's human
'ul ~ 1 t"t 80 W 'tAf ''h
a daring amounting seemingly to fool
hardness, he instructed First officer
Gardiner to lower a small boat. This,
after terrible buffeting. regained the
Carmania with only three oars intact.
After this miraculous escape Captain
Barr did not again attempt to launch
a single boat. Hence, our ship saved
only one passenger, who swan to her.
ION account of the size of the ships
turbine engines which made fine
| m~anoeuvring impossible, captain Barr
stood off and directed operations act
ing in effect as commander of the
| great fleet which gathered about the
stricken Volturno. shortly after we
arrived the Carmania tried both fore
and aft oil sprays but without effect
. on the mountainous waves. Then the
| captain sent out wireless calls in all
directions for an oil ship and his eff
forts were rewarded by an answer
from the Narragansett.
The the Narragansett, the Grossel
iEurfurst and other liners got in as close
as possible and lowered lifeboats. These
took aboard several persons who had
Jumped from the Nolturno and the
work was greatly facilitated by the
steam pinnaCe of the GrOsSer Kurfurst
which had stayed out all night. Al
once the Narragansett began to spray
oil about the doomed ship and the
waves subsidized as if by magic. Soor
the small boats were enabled to rur
along side the liner and take the cling.
ing people from the ladders. The res.
cue work was over in a very short
time. Eleven liners formed the boun-
Diary around the film of oil and thu
survivors were hoisted board the var.
ious steamer ithou trouble.
NO TRACE OF MISSING BOATS.
I'VE then cruised about for two hour.
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 bu
found only the air tanks which ar.
carried beneath the seats. | do not be,
lieve that there is any possibility o.
the two boats having escaped swamp
ing.
when we arrived on the scene tn,
fire was burning steadily, but no
fiercely. 1t never at any time got af
of the bridge. When we went to din
ner at seven o'clock in the evening
49, 49, ~ IL bh
thick smoke could be seen. At eigh
we were Oh deck by the re
breaking out of the flames which sool
eliminated in an explosion. Then w,
saw for the first time signs of a PAM
on the decks of the fated vessel. Sew
eral jumped overheard among them GU
own survivor. who, making a pluck,
swim, reached the side of the Car
/ M nIl IIIf MaS tor, t.anIT 30 ,a, 49, -
ladder. Seaman HIGHWAY was the,
lowered with a life line through al
open cargo port, stripped to the waist
He got beneath the swimmer who's
life belt had become unfastened an,
supported him. 1t was a magnificen
exhibition OF strength and courage
Some idea can be gained of how diff
ficult this feat was rendered by fierce
ness of the waves when it is realize,
that half AN hour passed from tn
time the swimmer Trintepohl reache
the side Of tn ship before he was got
ten aboard.
THE explosion seemed to come fror
coal gas collected in the bunkers an
was evidently not due to the boilers. Flo
some time the fire burned brightly AZ
D then gradually died down. 1t Is ~irriossi
1 NV w t'lI HOW many or those VINO Jurlpt
= overheard were drowned, but the 900
swimmers among them must have bee
= picked up, as small boats were cruisin
about"
t STURGEON SUPPLEMENTS STORY
n Arthur Spurgeon, who yesterday ser
FTrintcpohls graphic story by wireless an
described the rescue work around I'll
i burning vessel, supplemented his de
spatches with additional details to-day.
THE story of what took place on boar
; the Nolturno before the arrival of tn
tarmania,' he said, probably will nj
i be known until Captain Inch makes h
I official report. Some say the boats wei
launched in orderly manne others d'
y clare that a panic took place. resulun
G in the taking over of the boats by I'll
fear-crazed crew after the fire got out
p control. 1t seemed to be agreed thu
there We're 100 souls In these boats, all
whom were killed or. drowned, The Ca
mania's passengers were told that M
c more than one-third of those In the boa
were women and cbjldrsn.