New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-12

into tie sea on the end of life line
grasped him and brought him safely 10
the deck.
In a few minutes the shrieks OF the
drowning were silenced, and once more
only the rending tumult of the gaze
mingled with the roar OF the VOL
turno's cauldron. After the explosion
the flames were briefly baked. Inc
fore and after bulkheads had resisted
stanchly, and those crowded on deck
were able to see that their small island
of safety was growing no smaller
while the sea was slowly calming max
ing possible another attempt by the
rescuers to launch their boats.
Wireless Call Never Ceases.
All the time the wireless of the Vol
turno never ceased working, but even
after the explosion had destroyed the
boilers and dynamo on the Nolturno
the operators hooked up their appa-
ratus 10 batteries, and the Volturno
and the Carmania continued sending
Only after broad daylight on Fri
day, more than twenty-four hours after
the first call for help had been sent,
were the rescuing boats able to reach
the Volturno. and as a eliminating
horror. as the small boats swarmed
under the stern of the burning ship the
flames burst through the after bulk
heads and the fire swept down with re-
newed fury.
The seas were still so furious that II
was impossible for the boats to come
close enough alongside for the rescuers
10 reach them, and the deck ladders
had to be put over, and the passengers
were saved only by jumping into the
sea. When the flames renewed their
charge many were again overcome by
panic and leaped into the sea in such
numbers that the boats were unable TO
save ell, and many were drowned with
rescuing hands reaching out to grasp
theirs
Even that was not all, for two Of the
boats were overturned while returning
to the ships and all were lost. In all
81 were saved. these being distributed
as follows among the rescuing ships:
The Carmania, /.
The La Touraine, 20.
The Minneapolis, 80.
The Rappahannock, ~.
The Car. l02.
The Narragansett, %.
The Devonian, 50.
TIE Kroonland, so.
The Grosser Kurfurst, 100.
The Seydlitz, 80.
Search Sea for Survivors.
The Carmania and La Touraine re-
manned several hours after the re-
mainder Of the feet had dispersed,
sea, ching the sea for possible sur
vivors and hoping to find the two boats
which first left the Volturno, but no
trace was found even Of the wreckage,
and at 800 a. m. the still blazing hulk
was abandoned. 1t will be nothing in
the future but a danger to navigation.
In spite of the terrific gale raging
when she arrived near the Volturno
the captain of the Carmania had one
Of his lifeboats lowered to proceed to
the Volturno TO help in the rescue.
This was effected with much difficulty,
for even on the lee side Of the Car
mania the sea was exceedingly rough,
and il was only by extraordinary eff
forts that the small craft was pre-
vented from being smashed or cap
psized as she left the side Of the ship.
The Carmania's lifeboat in charge Of
First officer Gardiner, made a gallant
but futile attempt TO get alongside the
doomed Volturno. After two hours
battle with the waves, in which the
lifeboat lost all but three Of her oars,
the rest being broken or torn from the
hands Of the crew, Gardiner returned
TO the Carmania. which he succeeded
in making without loss Of life OF
broken limbs among the members OF
his boats crew.
Gets Within One Hundred Feet.
Captain Barr Of the Carmania then
m&nnuvred his big vessel close to the
Volturno and finally got the Carmania's
bow within hundred feet of the Vol
turno's stern. 1t was found impossl-
BILE, however, TO cast line on board
the Volturno or to get anybody off.
IT was terrifying sight for the pas
sengers and crew of the Carmania to
see so close to them the hundreds of
passengers. including women and chill
dren, in horrorstricken fear on the
decks OF the Volturno and yet be un-
able to help them.
Most of the passengers got into the
Volturno's lifeboats, but hundred of
them had gathered at the after end Of
the burning vessel whose crew at the
same time continued in vain to fight
the fire at her forward end.
Captain Barr in the meanwhile kept
his wireless apparatus ct work COM
municating with all the vessels within
the radius % his instruments. Then
the Grosser kurfuerst and the Seydlitz
came in sight, and these two were
Joined later in the afternoon by other
ships.
Boats Lowered in Vain.
The gale moderated slightly toward