The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-10-23
Story o: VOltnrnO'S Captain

sea with the loss of 1876 lives, told
his story of the disaster today.
1t is plain seaman's tale, but
in it, line by line, the horrors OF
the disaster and the terrible or
deal through which passengers
and crew passed are brought cut
all the more clearly perhaps, be
cause of the marked direcness
and the simplicity with which the
story is told.
From its beginning, where the
outbreak of the fire, which spell
ed the doom Of the ship is record
ed, the narrative runs without
the apparent omission of any sal
lent fact but one to the point
where the blazing ship was aban-
doned, the last remaining passen-
ger taken off, and the captain
and what was left Of the crew,
boarded the waiting Kroonlard,
Captain Inch, however. does
not say what caused the fire, re-
porting simply that the chief Of
ficer advised him at ten minutes
before z O'Clock, Of its existence
below, and that fveminutes later
the flames had burst through the
forward matches and were rapid
ly spreading.
Although all possible measures
were at once taken to subdue the
fire, the captains story shows
that it was even then too late 10
save the watch" below. The
men were trapped in the forecas-
tie and burned to death there,
their fellow sailors being helpless
to aid them.
Then came explosions, which
wrecked part Of the midship sec
ton of the steamer. The sjtua-
ton was plainly becoming des-
perate. The IS. O. S." call for
help by wireless had gone Out,
as soon as the fsmes shot through
the forward matches. and the
crew was doing its fighting best
to stay the progress Of the blaze
until assistance should come.
1t looked then as if there was
no possible chance to save the
steamer, and although the seas
were running high and the Vol
turno was rolling heavily the
captain had both provisions and
boats s'Tung out.
Boa IS Nos. 10 and Is were
smashed, " is the simple way Cap
tain Inch described the first at
temp to launch the life craft, but
Chief Officer Miller's boat got
away, and although she capsized
throwing everybody out, she
eventually righted herself and
the officers and several of the
crew got aboard her.
Another boat described as No.
6, commanded by Fourth Officer
Langsell, also got away, filed
with steerage passengers. Cap
tain Inch knows nothing further
Of the fate as these boats and as
far as is known, no one else does.
Although a widespread search
has been made for them by steam
ers that were on the scene short
ly afterwards, and by others no.
titled by wireless, no trace Of
them has been discovered, and
they probably are lost with all on
board. Captain Inch describes
the arrival, one by one, of the
rescue vessels summoned by the
wireless operator, who worked
until II O'Clock at night, when
the fire had progressed so far
that the magazine on the bridge,
containing signal rockets and
lights blew up, tearing away the
aerial apparatus and compelling
the Wireless man to close opera
atoms.
The Volturno's master, covers
in few words, the progress of
the fire through the night and
how, when the rescue steamer
came up, and had failed, because
of the heavy weather, to get
boats to the burning liner, some
passengers jumped overheard
and were picked up by the att
tending craft. Bv midnight. the
fire had worked It's way aft, but
this direful news was kept from