Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1913-10-17
lS6 LIVES ARE LOST
In DISASTER AT SEA

Liverpool, Oct. l1.-After burn
ing to the waters edge, the steamer
Volturno sank in mid-Atlantic las
Friday morning.
She had 564 passengers and a crew
oil Us on board. OF these lS6 ar,
missing Undoubtedly all perished
Ten big liners surrounded the char
red hulk when it went down. AT des
peraie risk to themselves they had
rescued 52l of the crew and passen,
gers.
Inc Volturno was commanded by
Francis Inch, who only had won his
captains stripes two months ago. II
belonged TO the Canadian Northern
steamship line, better known as the
Royal Line, but had been leased to
the Uranium Steamship Company OF
Holland.
October 2 she sailed from Rotter-
dam with "a cabin and $40 steer
age passengers, bound for Halifax
and New York.
Early Thursday fire broke out on
board. 1t spread so rapidly that
Captain Inch soon saw the ship could
not be saved. At his order the wire
less flashed the s. o. S. call for aid.
From many directions responses
came Immediately. The Cunarder
Carmania was only rs miles away.
Captain Barr ordered full steam
toward the burning ship. The Cum
arder reached the scene at noon
Thursday. 1t was not far from the
spot where the Titanic sank.
The Volturno was blazing furiously
from stem to stern and rolling heavi-
ly in the trough OF the sea. Six boats
had been lowered from the burning
craft, but owing to the fouling of the
tackle four of them were smashed on
the Volturno's sides and their occu-
pants we're drowned. The other two
reached the ocean safely.
There was a bowling gale, and for
the Carmania to run close to the Vol
turno was an undertaking OF the
greatest difficulty and danger.
Captain Barr attempted 1t again
and again, however. The liners
Grosser Furst and Seidlitz came up
about o'clock Thursday afternoon.
La Tournaine, the Minneapolis, the
Kronland, the Rappahannock, the
Narrangansett, the Devonian and the
Czar arrived soon afterward.
Throughout Thursday night the
big ships Unanswered constantly In
an effort to get close enough to the
Volturno to take of her crew and
passengers. All had repeated mar
row escapes from collision with the
burning vessel or with one another.
Captain Barr ran the Carmania
once within 100 feet of the Volturno's
stern, but failed to get a line to her
before the gale swept him again to
too great distance from the distress
ed boat.
About 9 o'clock Thursday night
there was an explosion on the fam
ing ship. A shower OF sparks was
hurled high in the air, to fall back,
many of them, upon the feet of res
cuing liners.
With the explosion the Volturnos
deck became like a volcano The
rescuers' search lights began to To-
cate the life boats Dozens of small
boats we're quickly lowered and be-
gan picking them up. The search
lights were kept sweeping the water
for them and illuminated buoys were
thrown overheard to guide them. In
the storm and darkness, however,
many OF them undoubtedly perished.
Toward midnight the fire began to
subside, having practically burned
Itself out, but Fridays dawn showed
The burned-out hulk sinking by the
head.
BY this time the gale had abated
and the sea was not so high. Several
life boats succeeded In reaching the
wreck and taking of the remaining
passengers. II was but few mo-
nents after the last one had been res
,ued before the volturno sank.
II was 9:45 Friday morning when
he work OF rescue was completed.
The Carmania had stood by the burn
ng boat more than 21 hours, the
Irosser Furst and the Seidlitz II
lours and the others from IA to 16.
Captain Barr made a tolerably
complete report Of the disaster by
wireless as soon as he could establish
with the nearest sta
ion on the west coast Of Ireland, and |
he other captains sent their mess
ges through him.
The Carmania was eastbound, but .