Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-10-14
Picked Up From Ocean, Walter Trim
tephol Tells Of
Horror.
SHIPS BOATS ARE USELESS
Were Dashed to"Pieces As they We're
Lowered Into Waves
People We're Crazed.
HIPS BOATS ARE USELESS

London, Oct. 13.-The latest ac-
counts of the disaster to the steam
ship Volturno, burned and abandon
ed in midocean on Friday morning,
confirm that the loss of life will be
limited to about 1876. The Car
/ mania, first of the rescuing ships to
reach the burning steamer, arrived
off Queenstown yesterday mornins
but owing to the gale proceeded to
Fishguard where she is due to ar
rive at II a. m.
A graphic story by the solitary
survivor aboard the Carmania was
received by wireless and presents a
terrible picture of the horror, the
panic and confusion aboard the
burning liner. Walter Trintepohl, a
German, who tells the story, howev-
er. is clearly suffering from the
stress of illness and awful expert
ences, and his story is too incoherent
to be accepted in every detail.
Most important, if true, is his de-
NAL that two boats got away from
the Volturno.
According to other accounts Cap
tain Inch was the last to leave his
vessel, which was still burning late
Friday night and was danger to
navigation.
Forty of the 1876 persons lost from
the steamship Volturno in mid At
lantic were in the two boats which
succeeded in getting away from the
burning vessel and which without
doubt were swamped. The majority
of the other victims lost their lives
when four other boats were smashed
against the steamers sides in an at
tempt to launch them.
All this occurred before the arriv-
al of the Carmania and the other lin
ers summoned by wireless calls for
help. The Carmania, with one lone
survivor of the Volturno aboard,
found it too rough to stop at Queens
town and is proceeding to Fishguard.
From that survivor, however, comes
a thrilling story of the burning of
the steamer, of the terror, the strug-
gle for the boats, the death of those
who went over the sides and his
own desperate fight for life.
Arthur Sturgeon, passenger on
the Carmania, in wireless dispatch,
supplements his own description Of
the race of the Carmania to the
burning vessel and the rescue of the
passenger of the Volturno by the
story told him by the survivor, Wal
ter Trintepohl, German, who
swan to the Carmania and was res
cued in an exhausted condition
Since being taken aboard the Car
mania, Trintepohl has been in the
ships hospital, threatened with
pneumonia. He told his story to Mr..
Sturgeon before he became seriously
i'll. Trintepohl had been employed
at Barcelona and took third class
passage on the Volturno to secure a
position offered him in New York.
All went WELL" said 1rintepohl,
until o'clock Thursday morning
u,G oil nl ~,
were aroused and told to go on deck,
as fire had broken out in the hold.
On assembling, life belts We're hand
ed around, and much time was occu-
pied in fastening them. We were
told that the fire might soon be
quenched, but the captain thought
it wise for all to have belts as a pre-
caution.
"The fire frightened the captain,
who cried bitterly. There were
many babies in arms.
1.-THE fire grew worse. We saw
things blazing down below. About
10 o'clock there was a cry to lower
the boats.
1.-THE captain behaved spIendidly.
So did the officers, who were Eng
lish. I am sorry to say that the
crew, who were Germans and Bel
gians. behaved very badly. The peo-
pie rushed about wildly and the crew
seemed to think they ought to have
first place. Instead of quieting the
passengers they made the panic
worse.
1.-THE first officer took charge of
the first boat, but although he want
ed the women and children saved
first, majority of those who enter
ed the boats were members of the