The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-10-11

mass of IRE. her propeller fouled and
wallowing helplessly before the wind.
All the boats had left the burning
ship. Those still afoat were found
half waterlogged by the relief fleet,
filed with half frozen. covering refu-
gees.
NUMBER OF RESCUED
Wireless reports from the 10 ships
gave the following number of rescued:
Carmania II, La Touraine 40, Mime
apolis 80. Rappahannock 10, Gar 1o2,
Narragansett %, Devonian So, Kroon-
land 90. Grosser Kurfuerst los and the
Seidlitz So. making o fatal of 521.
The purser Of the volturno. who
was taken on board the Kroonland,
reported that the number of passen-
gers on the voIturno was $50 and
that she carried crew of SO. making
SIS in all on board. According to the
pursers estimate, the death list
reached only 1872 The original fig
ures of the Carmania, that 2ss were
dead. was accepted, however, by
IAoyds' and other marine agencies
mere.
The meagerly worded wireless dis
patches from Captain Barr of the Car
mania told a dramatic story. The
dead on the volturno were burned,
crushed and drowned. Four of the
six lifeboats carried by the i'll fated
ship had been smashed in the storm
nv being washed against the side of
the burning ship, and all the occu-
pants were drowned.
SMALL BOATS TO RESCUE
First officer Gardner of the Car
mania was in command of fleet of
small boats, which tried for two hours
to reach the side of the burning ship.
The huge rollers swamped the boats
and smashed the oars.
In spite of danger Captain Barr
then moved the Carmania to a posi-
ton 100 feet from the volturno. At
tempt after attempt was made to
throw lifelines from the Cunarder to
the doomed vessel, but the wind pre-
vented.
The scene on the stricken vessel was
heartrending. The fire had started in
the fore end of the ship and ate its
way toward the stern. Before the on
rush of the flames the immigrants and
sailors were crowded to the after end.
Their cries and shouts for help came
10 the ears of the officers and passen-
gers on the Carmania, who had to
stand by helpless and watch the vic
tins perish before their eyes The
rollers which crashed against the res
cue ships were crested with bodies of
men, women and children and charred
wreckage. Billowing clouds of smoke
were borne upward by the gale, add
ing its pail to the gloomy storm skies.
The glare of the flames in the dark
ness lighted up the surrounding sea.
The flames soon reached the engine
room of the stricken ship and the
boilers exploded
BLACK HULK STILL SMOKING
Dawn found the blackened hulk
still smoking, and it was not until
daybreak this morning that the off,
GERS of the rescue feet were able te
secure any definite information as tc
the number saved and missing.
In reporting to. his company, Cap
tain Barr said:
"A storm prevented our progress
toward the scene of the disaster and
also prevented the other ships from
getting on the scene as rapidly as
otherwise would have been possible
The Volturno was afire and helpless
when we reached her. We Immediate
~ sent out the international call for
help. and responses came from nine
other
WILD RACE TO RESCUE
H. -ae reward of vic.
tory. death in is most horrid form
the penalty Of defeat In spite of the
winds which beat against her and the
rolling seas into which she plunged
the stanch Carmania worked up to q
speed OF over 20 knots an hour. Part
of the time the raging propellers
spinning with the speed of pin
wheels, were completely out of water
as the waves rose and fell.
standing upon the bridge.
awaited eagerly the sfirst sign Of the
burning ship. About four hours after
we picked up the first call for heir
we could see from the bridge the
blurred ship, wrapped in fame
smoke and fog. rolling in the heavy
seas In the meantime during the
hours that we had been rushing tc
the rescue, the wireless operator had
kept up an incessant CALL notifying
ALI liners within range of the plight
and position of the VoIturno.
SETTLING MASS OF FLAMES
The volturno was seething mass
of flames from her bow TO the waist
She was pitching and rolling drunken
ly. Huddled in the stern OF the vessel
in suspended lifeboats. which they
had been unable to launch, were a