Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-14

to express sympathy to Capt Inch ant
| the officers and passengers of the Vol
| turno. ".Aiso accept for yourself. off
GERS and crew our great appreciation al
] the meritorous services rendered" The
message continued: do not restrict the
| use of wireless. Allow passengers tc
send on their own account any messages
| to friends or TO the press that they wish
to forward, provided that they are IN
| accordance with the faets'
Among the many persons who made
| inquiries at the offices of the Tran
ium Line here. today, concerning the
| fate of the Nolturno's passengers. was
Phillip Eppel of Philadelphia. Eppel
said his wife Rachel and sons Frnuin
and Abraham had been on the Vol
turno. He became hysterical when
Informed that they We're safe, Mrs.
Eppcl and F'rouin on La Touraine.
bound for Havre, and Abraham on the
Seidlitz making for Baltimore.
Mayor Kline in letter read at a
meeting of the Red Cross emergency
relief committee, today, appealed TO
citizens to assist in the matter of ear
ing for destitute survivors upon their
arrival here. Various organizations
and institutions plan to cooperate
with the Red Cross in raising funds.
The usual Immigration rules will he
suspended when the Kroonand ar
riVes and efforts will he made to bring
families together and send them to
their destinations.
With los survivors on board from
the steamship Folturno. burned TO the
waters edge, during a gale in mid
Atlantic and abandoned on Friday
last, the Grosscr Kurfurst is approach
ing New York.
The passengers and crew of the
Grosser Kurfurst witnessed some
thrilling scenes when their vessel, call
ed by distress signals from the Vol
turno, arrived in her vicinity. They
found the Voltnrno burning fiercely
and her crew and passengers helpless
in the heavy seas. Ii was learned by
wireless messages from the flaming
vessel that the fire was started by an
explosion in the forward hold at
o'clock. on Thursday morning, ships
time
on the arrival of the Grosser Kurfurst
the flames from the hold of the vol
turno Were leaping so feet into the air
through the hatehway. and it was learn
ed that 80 OF more of the Volturno's
crew and steerage passengers had been
killed by the explosion and the fire.
Six boats We're lowered immediately
afterward from the Nolturnos davits.
and three of them still empty We're
smashed to pieces against the vessels
side. Another with 40 passengers on
board capsiZed while being launched and
all of those in il were lost. The two
others with from 60 to 50 passengers on
board got away but apparently were
lost
Altogether y liners We're brought by
the wireless distress signals within hail
of the Voturno. The Cunard liner Car
mania was the first of these. She reach
ed the scene at about u o'clock noon
Then followed the Seydlitz, the Grosser
kurfurst, the Kroonland. the New York,
the Devonian. La Touraine, the Nara
gansett, the Minneapolis. the Asian the
Rappahannoek and the Car.
The sea was running too high to allow
the taking off of the Nolturno's passen-
gers when the rescuing vessels came on
'He SSttie. 1ulliS the uaNtline the
flames from the hold of the yoIturno
We're kept more or less under control
but about o'clock on Thursday night
when the fire reached the coal bunkers
and it was found necessary to close the
bulkheads, the pumps We're unable to
work at full pressure and the flames
broke out through the entire forward
part of the vessel
AT 20 minutes to 10. on Thursday night,
another explosion occurred on the Vol
turno and caused a panic among her
despairing passengers and crew The
Gresser Kurfurst launched three boats
and rescued 80 persons who had been
washed or jumped into the sea.
One of the reseung lifeboats was out
for six hours and was nearly lost.
All those remaining Oh board the $oI-
turno crowded together at the after end
or the vessel and were taken off safely
after daybreak on Friday
Second Officer f. Floyd of the Voltur-
no was one of the heroes of the disaster.
He fell from height of 20 feet while
repairing the wireless apparatus on
board his vessel but continued TO fight
the fire all day and at o'clock in the
evening made perilous trip to the
Grosser kurfurst i'm a small boat with
three others from the VoIturno. The lit
tie craft was sinking when she was
picked up by one of the lifeboats from
the Grosser Kurfurst The total Num-
Der of those saved is believed to be 52a.
ELIAS THOMAS.