Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-15
YQkDURNO VICTIMS
TRAPPED BY Ere.
REacuEp OFFICER or CHIP RE.
poRrs MANY WERE BuRNED
70 DEATH.
IMPRISONED IN COMPARTMENT
~ FIRST ExPLosIoN

0Oe0 N0S NuIOo Soss'O"s ~
Fat,-oresssr kurfusrst Reaches
New York With los eurvtvers-cap-
tain Inch Maleee Official Report
Nsv York. Oct. 1.-THE North Ger
man Lloyd steamer Grosser kurfuerss
with 100 survivors Of the fire which
destroyed the steamer volturno ct sea,
was abreast Of the Fire island light at
o'clock this morning. few hours
run distant from port It was expected
she would dock before noon today.
Between eighty and ninety passen-
gers on the volturno were trapped In
compartment No. by the first explos-
ion on the vessel Thursday morning
and either perished at once or were
burned alive.
This news was brought to port today
with the docking Of the steamship
Grosser Kurfuerst bearing 105 surviv-
prs Of the disaster.
It came from the lips Of Waldron
Disselman, third officer OF the Vol
turno. ono Of the rescued.
The Grosssr docked in Hoboken this
afternoon. Committees OF the Red
Cross and Jewish organizations and
friends and relatives of the dead and
living awaited her coming. Ten auto
mobiles and an ambulance were on
hand 10 bring the unfortunates to
places Of temporary refuge in Manhat-
!an.
eueesssion Of Explosions.
In broken English Disselman. a
quiet et-mannered man Of about IS years.
told Of his experience during the eight
cen hours he was aboard the dre-swept
vessel. The cause Of the fire he ,estab-
iished as the explosion Of drum con-
tanning chemicals or oil In the forward
part Of the vessel.
Il was Just going to the bridge" he
said, when the explosion occurred.
The ship t1emblsd - II she had been
struck ~ : heavy she'll. Almost i'm
medtately other drums began to ex-
plods. There was rapid fire Of ex.
plo6foab 1olloWllS.
'CaptAl4 inch vs. on the bridge.
heard him shout 60 man the Nfeboats.
Passengers came running to the decks
IN panic. The sailors sprang to the
davits. A gale was bowling and the
seas were sweeping in great rolls
around us. The passengers crowded
the rails 80 that the sailors had diff
Guilty In lowering the boais. Meantime
The drums and cases Of chemicals were
exploded by the dozens every minute.
No one thought the ship could last Ave
minutes. Flames swept from No. l
compartment and leaped to the FORE
:astle.
Best Leads Disappear.
"A boat was lowered and made away.
It seemed rs II 1t would capsize every
minutes. We lost 1t time efter time in
the trough Of the sea. Another was
smashed against the davits before 1t
could be lowered. The carpenters boat.
filed with men. women and children.
put of. Each boat required q compile
ment Of sailors to man 1t and as each
got away It left US with fewer men to
,ower tho remaining boats.
u helped lower the third officers
5oat When It struck the water heavy
sea hit It and swept several women
overheard. The chief officer was swept
over too. but he held on and climbed
Jack. saw him take out an oar to
steer the boat away from the ship, as
1t was in danger Of breaking to pieces.
boat drifted away.
The fourth officers boat was low
cred next. About twenty-five passen-
gers were In 1t. We let it down and
saw 1t far away ten minutes after. That
go far al know.
A. 49,
other boat full Of people. We did not
lower that, however. as the captain
said the sea was too high and a boat
could not live in 1t. I later saw the
carpenterS boat 100 yards away. It was
bottom up.
carmania Answers Call.
'Then ! went to boat No. s, as the
captain said We might try to lower
that. Meantime the explosions were
dying down. found that boat No. 5
had already been whipped by the gale
against the davits and its bow had
been smashed. I don't know why. but
/ lowered the empty boat. 1t got away
broken.
THE captain then gave the order 20
fight the flre. I went on the bridge.
He coupled the hose to the pumps.
I'VE had been working the wireless
for nearly an hour. Finally we got
word that the Carmania was coming
full speed. I ran to the passengers.
who were huddled aft Some Of them
were praying. some laughing. shout
ed to them that the Carmania was
coming. Most Of them fell on their
knees. The panic among them ended.
Steering Gear Fails.
II went back to the bridge. The
captain told me that the main mast
was IN danger Of falling. I got a couple
Of tackles ana made the main mast
drm 90 that the aertals could not go
down ana destroy our wireless.
Then the steering gear on the
bridge blew up with loud explosion.
We began to drift. The carpenters
.ixed up . hand steering gear. We
didn't went to drift for fear the Car
mania could not hnd U. told the
passengers that tho Carmania would
reach ~ In An hour and that auieted
them.
S..rhs Carmania sent . message to
60 southwsst BY west to meet her.