The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-10-14
|IINE ROTTEN L|FEBOAIS
| On SHIP FROM ROTTERDAM

second class passengers insisted on
being saved first and fought back the
steerage passengers while they crowd
ed into the volturno's boats. If this
be true. they lost their lives by their
haste. The Volturno's boats saved
none. Four were smashed and all
were drowned and the two boats which
got away with seventy persons were
never heard from again.
"All those who remained aboard the
volturno were saved. No living per-
son was left aboard and the last man,
Captain Inch, was off at Z a. M. Friday.
"The most heartrending feature Of
the awful catastrophe was the arrival
/, OF the abandoned little babies. One
OF the first boats brought seven to
the LaTouraine at day light. Our
women were most devoted to them
and three others that came later. They
were given royal reception.
1 1--WE left the scene at 10 a. m. on
Friday. Nothing then was to be seen
Of the two lost boats. or bodies in the
water
| "The LaTouraine passengers gave
Captain Caussin testimonial for
bravery. His conduct was superb. He
could have done no more than he did.
4 H. Magowsky, Yiddish common
sailor Of the Volturno, said: -Four
IVolturno sailors off watch were sur
lfocated In the forecastle before we
knew there was a fire. Perhaps more
died that way. An explosion did not
start the fire, as far as ! know. Inc
/ explosion came afterward.
1 Il was scrubbing the deck amidship
when ships boy came racing down
the deck yelling ''fire" at every jump
! He made the full length OF the snip
arousing sailors and passengers alike
with his screams
This was about 6 a. M and tne
first knowledge any Of us had OF tne
: fre There was much smoke forward
:, and apparently the flames had peer
smoldering In the hold for some time
when the fire did break out, 1t sno'
high in the afr forward and spreae
!, with amazing rapidity.
ss"I saw no panic. We all turned y
| and fought the fre down below unit
!. the engines stopped. We stayed u
! that blazing hell as long as morta
men could stay. Our hair and brow
were singed off, our hands and face
bustered and our shoes burned
4 through. We stayed there until Thurs
, day night. No man quit. NO mai
] though OF food.
Captain Inch did not have to driv
: any Of us back with his pistol, Dc
r cause none tried to leave until all ma
o been done that could be done. Tn
L reason we stopped fighting the nre
d even though the task had been OF
S viously hopeless for hours, was ina
r the engines stopped and there was
power to pump more water throug
+ the hose. The fire incapacitated the eI
), zines and 1t would have been ridicl
Ions to hght that blazing pit wit
buckets of water. That night our mat
= drowned in one of the first boats low
= ered. No boats were lowered unit
Thursday night. Four were smasne
I and two lost. Other boats We're u.s.
9 less because Of tangled tackle an
= Captain Inch cut them down SO ths
e they might not be used. All who
~ tempted to leave in our boats Wer
) lost. The fact that the last to be tai
a en- off were mostly women and chi
lt dren does not show cowardice on IN
N mart of the crew or men passengers.
d great many men and sailors 5umpe
s.. overheard during Thursday n1gh
le some we're drowned and others wei
II rescued by the surrounding steamer
,p There we're few besides women an
In children and the Volturno's ofhcel
p left aboard when life boats got to
I'd early Friday morning"
8. Hendrick Mennema 33, the Dutc
a. second cook on the Volturno, was or
le of those injured in jumping from IL
Iii burning ship. His leg was broken an
D. ba arrived in the La Touraine's hosI
tai.
is eve first knew of the fire when
,e ship,s boy raced over the ship cryir
n fire at the top of his lungs, sa
yo Mennema. Smoke was issuing fro
k the forward hatch, and we found fo'
N. dead in the forecastle. There was
he explosion until later.