Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-15
NEWARKERS SAW
DISASTER At SEA
FROM BIC LINER
DR.. Wiener and Party Describe
Thrilling Scenes at Mid
Ocean Rescue.
RACE TO THE SCENE
AFTER S. o. S. CALL
Nephew of Justice Kalisch Re-
lates How News Was Re-
ceived on Rescue Craft.

Aboard the steamship Grosser Kur-
fuerst, which docked today IN Ho-
boken, one of the fire-wrecked Vol
turno's rescue ships. were DR.. I. K.
Wiener. of 50 Baldwin avenue, this
city; his mother, Mrs. Hanna Wiener
and his sister. Mrs. Daisy soloman.
The thrilling scenes that followed
the receipt of the Yolturno's IS. o.
s." signal. the efforts on the part Of
the Kurfuerst to get near the burn
ing ship. and finally the rescue of los
survivors, were described to Star
representative by DIR. Wiener
I'VE were first aware of the Vol
turno's predicament about Ii a. m.
Thursday" said DIR. Wiener, when
one of the passengers sighted two
boats in the distance.
Smoke was seen coming from the
ship. The news spread quickly
among the passengers, and when the
captain learned we suspected that
something unusual was happening he
informed US that he had received a
wireless from the Volturno.r
Captain Inch of the Volturno, had
tDi0 Us lIldl Ills SHIP ndt Ou 1fIt dti0
needed help. We were informed when
we were on our way to lend assist
ance to theb urning ship.
"At first the passengers aboard our
ship did not realize the seriousness
Of the case. but finally il dawned
upon them and excitement ran high.
AS we got nearer we could see the
two vessels and then We got a second
wireless asking If we were coming.
We're hurrying," our captain
wirelessed back.
LAS we got nearer we recognized the
yolturno with the Seydlitz some dis
tance away.
The see was very heavy and We
were being badly tossed about. We
got within perhaps 200 feet of the Vol
turno, but it was suicide, the captain
said, for US to go any nearer.
Then we could see the decks of the
Volturno blistered by fire. the rails
burning and the people all huddled up
in the back.
while in sight of the NoIturno a
message from Captain Inch informed
teur captain that the Carmania was
nearby and that he thought he could
get along without the help of the
Grosser Kurfuerst. He asked that
we stay near, though
DR.. Wiener, who is a nephew of
Supreme Court Justice Kalisch, then
told how news was received to the
effect that the Carmania could not
help.
He said that the second officer OF
the volturno. who was rescued later
by one of the Grosser Kurfuerst's $
lifeboats. said that the captain OF
the Carmania sent word he could not
risk the lives of his men in such a
sea and refused to put out life
boats.
DIR. Wiener went on:
1T was up then to the Grosser
Kurfuerst to do something. The sea
was raging. such as I have never
seen it before.
Our captain nevertheless put out
one Of our life boats and called for
volunteers.
" Big Jim, a member of the crew,
was the first to answer.
Come on. fellows he called. and
soon after six men put out
for the volturno. They came back
with four men. and just as they
reached the side of our boat their
skiff sank.
THE men splashed around in the
water, but manaed to grasp a line
that was shot to them and were
hauled aboard.
by this time everybody was in a
terrible state of excitement. Women,
unable to control their feelings, cried
and laughed alternately. while many
men were restrained with some effort
from rash acts"
The Volturno was shooting of
rockets and giving other distress sig
nails. until finally another life boat
.,f- IL 4
until some hours later. II held thirty
persons, mostly men, nearly all of
whom had jumped from the Vol
turno's railing. They We're dragged
aboard almost exhausted. Some were
srying for relatives whom they did
not know were alive or dead, others
were so worn out from the scenes
that followed the explosion aboard
the Volturno that they could scarcely
speak.
"Then our third boat came in. The
members of the crew were so weak
that they found it necessary to rig up
sail in order to get back.
I'm all we had los survivors aboard
and the scenes were such that words
cannot describe. No one who wit
messed il will ever forget it. Mothers.
clinging to babies, children crying
IoT parents HUM NAAtS asfo
been separated. 1t was terrible
Ten steamers went to the rescue
of the Volturno. and when Captain
Inch decided to abandon the ship all
the reseuing vessels agreed by wire
less to form a circle, with the fire
wrecked ship in the middle, and then
go out directly from those points. The
plan was to cover as much of the
, ocean as possible, in order to pick UP
any lifeboats that might have strayed
out of the rescue radius.
"One of the men we got aboard the
Grosser Kuerfeurst was the second
officer of the Nolturno.
1--WE forgotten his name," said DR..
Weiner ''but I talked with him on
more than one occasion. He told me
that when the first explosion oc-
/ Cured two-thirds of the crew were
killed
"He also told me there was no dis
order among the passengers. reports
TO the contrary Notwithstanding"
The passengers behaved perfectly
he said. Even when they We're put
out in lifeboats they seemed TO fee
there was no danger OF course, he
said. there We're a few exeitable per-
sons, but, ON the whole. the conduct
of the passengers when they were told
10 get dressed ready to leave the
ship, was remarkable.
Just at this moment" continued
DIR. Wiener. Il can't think of the in
I ,,.,,,, .,.a l,ls, afn,.fac ~ h.~a xrarr- q