The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-10-16
CHARGE COWARDICE
ON VOLTURNO CREW
Rescued Passengers of the Fire-ridden
Ship Tell How Women Were Thrust
Aside by the Boats Men.

and sheltered yesterday the nfst sur
vivors Of the steamship Volturno to ar
rive in this country. There We're los OF
them. They were brought into port by
the Grosser Kurfust, the North German
LLOYD liner that sent the first rescue
boat through the heavy seas to the aid
OF the burning ship.
From the lips OF some of the Vol
turno's saved there came descriptions
containing the intimate details OF the
disaster for which the world had waited.
They accentuated the heroic conduct OF
the Volturno's captain, officers and some
OF the crew, and that OF the men who
manned the lfeboats which put forth
from other ships.
The explosion of drum containing
chemicals was the cause OF the tire,
according to the story told by Waldron
Disselman, third officer of the Volturno.
Disselman gave thrilling narrative OF
the long hours spent in his fire ridden
ship fighting the flames, repairing the
crippled wireless plant, lowering life
boats, quieting the panic stricken, steer
ing the vessel by hand to keep from
drifting, fighting the battle unaided be-
cause the waves were running too high
for small craft from other ships to ac-
complish the journey to the Volturno's
side. More than so passengers were
burned to death when they were cut off
by flames, Disselman reported.
Ranking we'll up with the bravery dis
PLAYED by Captain Inch of the Volturno
were the feats of daring of several of his
officers, among them Second Officer
Iloyd. While 10 ocean liners man
oeuvred about the Vslturno after dark
ness had settled on Thursday, Captain
Inch wirelessed: "We can't stand this
long. Our boats are gone. Send boats"
No rescue boats came in response to
Inch's wideless.
Then Second Officer Lloyd measured
up to the mark. Taking four men with
him he entered damaged lifeboat, the
Noturno's last, and showed that the
seas could be lived upon. Second Of
ficer Won Carlsberg of the Grosser Kur-
furst told the story of how Lloyd and
his crew set the example for the other
ships. "Soon a light, it was Lloyd's
pocket lamp, was seen dancing up and
down on top of the waves" said Won
Carisberg, "and in a short time the Vol
turno's boat reached us. Second Officer
LLOYD and his crew were in the boat and
no sooner had they boarded the Kur
furst than their boat sank. The trip
had been experimental to see if it was
possible for small boat to live in the
heavy sea.
Won Carlsberg commanded the first
life boat that put out toward the Vol
turno as a result of Lloyd's venture. Be-
sides the Grosser Kurfurst, other of the
liners that had come to the Nolturno's
assistance then lowered lifeboats and as
assisted in the dangerous work of rescue.
The Carmania, which had relayed the
Nolturno's wireless calls for help to
the other steamships, did not dispatch
any lifeboats, according to Second Officer
LLOYD of the Volturno.
when we got alongside the Voltur-
no" said Second Officer Won Carlsberg
of the Kurfurst, 81 heard screaming on
board and / decided to keep away, for |
figured that some of the panic stricken
people might jump into our boat and
upset it. / shouted to the officers of the
Folturno to tell the people to Jump into
the sea and they would be rescued. This |
advice was taken and we picked up man
after man. When we got back to our |
ship | found we had rescued 2l men.
The following morning | made two trips
and rescued more. While were were at |
the Volturnos side l could not see a |
single woman. All persons we saw ap-
peared to be men,"
Second Officer Lloyd risked his life in |
other ways than by his trip to the Kur- |
furst. When the foremast threatened to |
topple, it was Lloyd who climbed to the |
wireless plant and mended it so that |
communication could be maintained |
with the other ships. Descending. LLOYD |
fell 20 feet, wounding his forehead. This |
was before he took his crew of four and |
entered the Volturno's last boat
Third Engineer Alfred Pinsch refused |
TO desert the flame threatened engine |
room until he got orders from Captain |
Inch to do so. Then Pinseh donned his |
best uniform, pocketed his mariners |
certificate and five sovereigns and jumped |
overheard. He was rescued.
Passengers told of some of the hor-
rors they say they witnessed. Some saw
women burned to death; others, babies
trampled on. Several men quoted as de-
claring they saw ships officers keep back
with revolvers panic stricken seamen,
who swarmed up from the interior of the
vessel after the explosions and tried to
force their way into lifeboats ahead of /
women and children. II was denied on
behalf of the officers that revolvers had I
been used.
Mayor Kilne's committee, the Red :
Cross relief workers and representatives.