The Washington times., 1913-10-15
VOLTURNO OFFICER
TELLS OF RESCUE
Five Men Braved Death in Leboat Show Others They Could
Push Over Mountainous Waves-Strugged for Two Miles
in Terrific Gale at Word From Their Captain.

NEW YORK, Oct I5.--How Capt
Francis Inch, of the burned Uranium
liner Volturno, when denied boats in his
dire extremity by the other liners sur
rounding his furnace ship. called for
olunteers to SHOW Them and how five
Of his crew responded in the face Of
almost certain death. was Iold this
afternoon when the Grosser kurfuerst,
"ith 105 Of the rescued aboard. locked
ME facts We're told by Second Officer
Edward Lloyd. Of the Volturno. the
man who led the forlorn hope With
three sailors and one engineer he re-
sponded TO the call and gained the Kur-
fuerst's side just as his boat sank be-
meath his feet
My God, we cant stand this long.
Our boats are gone. Send coats" Cap
tain Inch had wirelessed to the Car
MANIA the Kurfuerst, and the other
boats which lay in a circle about the
blazing Volturno as darkness came
down on the sea late Thursday.
We have tried our best, but the sea
flashed back across the mountain
waves And then on the burning Vol
turno. with the words, We'll shom
them," Inch called for volunteers.
Offer To Risk Death.
Lloyd and his four men were selected
from all who offered to risk death for
their fellows, their boat was lowered in
The gathering darkness and the voyage
ia deaths jaws began.
The waves were terrific" said Lloyd
in describing the trip to the Kurfuerst
While the men rowed, l kept flashing
the light of a little pocket electric light
We had SO the watchers on the sur
rounding ships could see we were still
afioat- 1t was an awful struggle for
Two miles. But we made it. When We
reached the Kurfuerst's side the other
four men clambered up the lines and
just as /. almost exhausted. was hauled
in the boat went down beneath my
feet. But we had shown them boat
could live even in that sea and i'm
medlateIy after our task was done
boats were lowered from several of ;he
vessels and the life saving began"
Why was there only one person
saved by the Carmania?'' Lloyd was
asked. God only knows was his re-
ply. NO boats were lowered from the
Carmania. And no boats were sent
from her even after we had shown the
way.
] was asleep when the explosion came
about : a. m. family heard the report
and was aroused by the alarm of fire.
All hands We're ordered on deck whore
the flames were shooting sixty feet
into the air. For moment ] thought
the entire boat was ablaze, so intense
was the heat. even while We stood just
forward Of amidships.
Man the Lifeboats.
The captain ordered the crew to man
the lifeboats. At this time there was
q terrific gale and a terrible sea roll
ing. We ripped up 4 part of the deck
around the hatchway from which the
flames were shooting and put into us"
every piece of fire-fighting apparatus on
board the VOlturno. In the meantime,
boats No. f and 1. with their respeC-
tive crews and passengers. mostly wo-
men. were swung overheard. This was
about 7:30 a. m. Thursday. Boat No.
was caught on the crest of a gigantic
wave and swirIed directly uncer the
propeller, which chopped the small
craft to pieces and | suppose literally
chewed up many Of its hapless occu-
pants.
mo. ( boat took the water about the
time No. ] was bCing ground to pieces. |
It's occupants were never seen again. |
Then the captain decided to wait in the |
hope that the sea would go down as the |
sun came up. In the meantime we had |
hsen sending out wireless calls for aid,