The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-14

Volturno. but the Carmanias boats
found it impossible to get alongside
the burning steamship owing to the
raging storm.
! her wireless working, attracting the
...s...s....................
rs. Q. s." signal Captain Barr double
named the stokeholds and the Car
mania was soon travelling at high
rate of speed through added combus
tible oil She attained her highest
speed in the first run.
The first launchboat of the life flo
tilla of the Carmania fought its way
through heavy seas for three and a
quarter hours to reach the vessel Ac-
cording to the spectators only the use
of sea anchorage and the magnificent
seamanship of First Officer Gardner
saved the craft and it's crew from de-
struction.
AS the senior officer present, Cap
tain Barr took command of the rescue
operations He directed the smaller
vessels to close in as they ran less
risk than the Carmania. Additional
searchliehts kept the whole scene WV
idly illuminated.
AS many as possible of the survivors
We're placed on westbound vessels.
A wireless dispatch from the operator
on La Tourain says that when that yes
unsuccessful attempts to take off. the
| Volturno's passengers and crew..
The sea was then nloderating and two
of La Tourains boats were launched and
got alongside the burning steamer. Each
lifeboat came back full of passengers.
During the night the officers of La
Tourain report many of the Voturnos
passengers we're drowned through jump
ing into the sea, while others jumped
| into the boats unwisely and injured them
| selves.
La Tourain saved about 80 passengers
and three of the crew of the ship.
Mansfield's Story
Mr.. Mansfield of New York, passen-
ger OH the Carmania, said:
THE people on board the Volturno
seemed to be paralyzed with fear and
helpless utterly. They made no effort to
seize the lines thrown from the RATS. l
saw one man kiss his wife and children
and then throw them overheard. He
then jumped. He came to the surface,
then all disappeared. The fire started in
cotton seed OIL.
T. w. Suller of New York, describing
how the passengers were saved, said
ropes were cast from the lifeboats to the
Volturno and the passengers were made
fast to these and swung overheard. He
further said:
Il saw no panic. The passengers of the
Volturno were all wearing lifebelts and
| seemed to be safe l saw two boats float
| ing upside down"
7. T. Watson of Philadelphia, another
of the passengers of the Carmania, said
| that the chief credit for saving those on
| the Volturno was undoubtedly due to the
| oil ship Narragansett. "Only few good
swimmers he declared. would have
survived from the Inflated ship had not
the Narragansett made free use of oil to
| calm the terrible waves.
when the Carmania arrived Captain
| Barr recognized at once that 1T would be
almost hopeless task to attempt to save
| the Volturno's human cargo without the
use of oil. but with daring amounting
| seemingly to foolnardiness, he instructed
| First Officer Gardiner to lower a small
boat. This after terrible buffeting re-
gained the Carmania with only three oars
intact. After this miraculous escape Cap
| tain Barr did not again attempt to launch
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 ma
neuvering impossible Captain Barr stood
! off and directed operations, acting in eff
| feet as commander of the great fleet
which gathered about the stricken Vol
! turno. Shortly after we arrived the Car
mania tried both fore and aft oil sprays,
but without effect on the mountainous
| waves. Then the captain sent out wire
less calls in all directions for an oil ship
and his efforts were rewarded by an an
swer from the Narragansett.
Work Facilitated
(, When the Narragansett arrived the
Grosser Kurfuerst, with other liners, got
(; In as close possible and lowered life
! boats. They took aboard several persons
who had jumped from the Volturno, and
yuo. .,;lt al he.
steam pinnce Of the Gr6sser Kurfuerst,
which had stayed out all night. As soon
! as the Narragansett began to spray oil
about the doomed ship the waves subsidized
as by magic. Soon the small boats We're
enabled to run alongside the liner and
take the clinging people from ladders The
rescue was over in very short time.
| Eleven liners formed the boundary around
the film Of oil. and the survivors were
hoisted aboard the various steamers with
out trouble
Fire Burning Steadily
1--WE then cruised about for two hours
searching for the lfeboats which were
said to have escaped the destruction that
the other boats had suffered against the
side of their own ship, but found only
the air tanks which are carried beneath
these boats. | do not believe that there
is any possibility of the two boats having
escaped swapping.
when we arrived on the scene the fire
was burning steadily but not fiercely. 1t
never at any time got aft Of the bridge
When we went to dinner at o'clock in
the evening there We're no flames; Moth
ing but thick smoke could be seen. At
We were summoned on deck by the re-
breaking out of the flames, which soon
eliminated in an explosion Then we
saw for the first time signs of panic
on the decks of the fated vessel Sew
eral jumped overheard, among them our
own survivor. who made plucky swim,
Preached the side of the Carmania, but
was too weak to get up the ladder. Sea-
man HIGHWAY was then lowered with
life line through an open cargo port.
stripped "a The waist He got beneath
the swimmer whose life belt had become
unfastened. al supported him. 1t was a
magnificent exhibition of strength and
courage. Some idea can be gained Of how
difficult this fat ut4e rendered Inv tia