Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-10-15
OFFICER TELLS THE STORY
GIVES GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF
THE UNHAPPY EVENTS OF
THURSDAY
GROSSER KURFURST in PORT
GERMAN VESSEL BRINGS sURVlV-
oRs OF NAVAL DISASTER TO
NEW YORK


New York, Oct. 15-Between 80 and
80 passengers on the Volturno were
trapped in compartment No, 1 by the
first explosion on the vessel Thurs.
day morning and either perished at
once or were burned alive. This
news was brought to port today with
the docking Of the Grosser Kurfurst,
bearing 1O5 survivors of the disaster.
It came from the lips of Waldron
Disselman, third officer of the Vol
turno, one of the rescuers.
The Grosser Kurfurst docked in
Hoboken this afternoon. Committees
Of the Red Cross and Jewish organi-
cations and friends and relatives Of
the dead and living awaited her COM
ing. Ten automobiles and an ambuI-
anoe we're on hand to bring the un-
fortunates to places of temporary re-
fuge in Manhattan.
ln broken English, Disselman, a
quiet hammered man of about 85
years. told Of, his experience during
the is hours he was abroad the fire
swept vessel. The cause Of the fire
he establiithed as an explosion Of a
drum containing chemicals or oil in
the forward part Of the vessel
4 was just going to the bridge" he
said, when the first explosion occur
red The Volturno trembled as if she
has been struck by a heavy shell. Al
most Immediately other drums began
to explode. There was rapid fire
of explosions that sounded like can
nonading.
Captain Inch was on the bridge.
I heard him shout out to man the life
boats. The passengers came running
in panic to the decks. The sailors
sprang to the davits "a gale was
bowling and the seas were sweeping
in great rollers around us. The pas
sengers crowded the rails SO that the
sailors had difficulty in lowering the
boats. Meantime the small drums and
cases Of chemicals were exploding by
the dozen every minute. Flames
swept up from No 1 compartment for
ward and leaped to the farecastle.
Within few minutes it was blazing.
The gale famed the blaze.
"a boat was lowered and made
away, It seemed as if it would cap
size every minute. We lost it time
after time in the trough Of the sea.
Another was smashed against the da-
Wits before it could be lowered. The
carpenters boat, filled with men.
women and children, put off. Each
boat required complement of sailors
to man it, and as each got away It
left us with fewer men to lower the
remaining boats.
'T helped lower the third officers
boat. When it struck the water a
nearby sea hit it and swept several
Of the women overheard. The chief
officer was swept overheard, too, but
he held on and climbed back saw
him take out an oar to steer the boat
away from the ship. It was in danger
Of breaking to pieces against the yes
sci at any moment. He used the oar
to advantage and the boat drifted
away.
"The fourth officers boat was low
cred next. About 25 persons were in
it. We let it down clear Of the ship
and saw it far away about ten min
utes afterwards. That was the last
time that boat was ever seen SO far
as ! know
II ran to the starboard and saw an
other boat full Of passengers. We
did not lower that, as the captain said
that the sea was too high and that
boat could not live in it. turned
around and saw the carpenters boat
floating 100 yards or SO away. It was