Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-15
Grosser Kurfurst, With
More VoIturno Details,
Arrives at Gotham.
90PASSENGERS IN TRAP
Caught in Compartment One by
First Explosion and Burn
Alive, Officer States.

New 1ork, OCT. 10-BetWeen so and
80 passengers on the Volturno were
trapped in compartment number one
by the first explosion on the vessel
and perished at once or were burned
alive, was the news brought by the
Grosser Kurfust, which arrived here
today with los survivors. It came
from the lips of Third Officer Bissel-
man of the Volturno, one of the
rescued.
The Grosser Kurfurst docked at l
O'Clock. Committees of the Red Cross
Jewish organizations and friends and
relatives of the dead and living await
ed the ships coming. Ten automo-
biles and ambulances were on hand TO
take the unfortuna es TO temporary
refuge in Manhattan.
CHEMICALS EXPLODE.
In broken English Bisselman told of
his experience on the fire-swept YES
sci. The cause of the fire he estab-
lished as the explosion of a drum con-
tanning chemicals and oils. 81 was
JuoN 6OAh6 W ALG VI luSS NUtu Tie
first explosion occurred" he said.
The Volturno trembled as if struck
by she'll. Almost Immediately the
other drums began to explode There
was rapid fire of explosions like can
nonading. Captain Inch was on the
bridge and ] heard him shout to man
the life boats. Passengers came run
ming to fho daols -CoiIO =, 49,
the davits. A gale and bowling seas
were sweeping great rollers around US
Passengers crowded the rails and the
sailors had difficulty in lowering the
boats. In the meantime dozens of
small drums exploded and every min
ute flames swept number one compart-
ment and leaped to the forecastle In
few minutes it was blazing The
gale famed the fire" Bisselman here
described how number of boats were
lowered and the difficulties encoun.
tered. One boat was smashed. A
fourth of the officers of the boat and
25 passengers in it disappeared 10
minutes after il was lowered, accord
ing to Bisselman.
f-hA EN-.
THE captain gave orders to fight
the fire." continued Bisselman. I'VE
had been working wireless for nearly
an hour. Finally we got word the
Carmania was coming at full speed
/ ran to the passengers who we're hud-
died aft, some praying, some laugh
ing. ! shouted to them that the Car
f,,a nj Ka-ac nf foIf
on their knees and the panic ended.
After the steering gear en- the bridge
blew up we began to drift. The car
penters fixed the hand steering gear
The captain fought the flames hard,
and in an hour or two thought he had
them under control / went to take
observations of our position. The
smoke made tdificult, but | succeed
ed after an hours work AS | came
down the wireless operator shouted
the Carmania had been sighted. The
flames beneath the deck seemed under
control"
FORECASTLE BURNS FAST.
Tire in the forecastle was burning
fast. I met the captain in the smoke.
He complained about his eyes. They
were badly burned and he was half
blinded. ! ordered the stewards to
bring food to the passengers. The
Grosser Kurfurst got in wireless COM
munication with US. 1t asked If we
needed help. Captain Inch, thinking
the flames beaten. wired back that we
did not need more help. The Car
mania was nearby Inch asked its cap
tain to scout for the boats that had
been put of. II went 10 miles and
returned -vithout finding them. None
Of us thought about the eighty or nine
ty passengers in the number one COM
partment We hadn't time. we were
SO busy fighting the fire. don't know
how many Of them were in their places
when the first explosion occurred as
some may have been in other parts
OF the vessel.
CUT OFF By FLAMES.
However. it was near breakfast
time, and feared most of them were
there They were cat on by the
flames. Some time in the morning the
salon and first class quarters caught
fire. We put that out One after an
other the IL ships stood around us
during the fight and came in sight and
offered help. We had to fight our own
battle. In the afternoon fierce fire
broke out in compartment two and
finally the hatchways fell in. Captain
Inch was desperate. 7 don't think she
will last long he said. his eyes almost
out AT at night the flames were
shoo'S1g out OF the ralon and lighting
the water. Passengers crowded the
rails aft and II looked as If the end