The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-11

! ing the seas and the rescue ships had
to pound their way through head
winds and raging waters.
Rescue Fleet.
In the rescue fleet were the follow
ing vessels: Carmania. La Touraine.
Minneapolis. Rappahannock. Czar.
Narragansett. Devonian. Kroonland.
Grosser kuerfurst and SeydlitZ.
The Carmania won the race to the
Nolturno. She found the vessel mass
of fire. her propeller fouled and wal
lowing helplessly before the wind All
the boats had left the burning ship.
Those still afloat were found half wat-
erlogged by the relief fleet. filled with
half frozen, covering refugees
The flames in the hull of the Nol-
turno had evidently been burning for
some time before discovered. They got
beyond control of the sailors Thurs
day night and ragged for twenty four
hours before the destruction was COM
plete
The boilers exploded while the Car
mania and her sister liners aided.
tearing out a section of the steel kull.
The purser of the Volturno, who was
taken on board the Kroonland. report
ed that the number of passengers on
the VOlturno was 500 and that she car
ried crew of 80, making $50 in all on
| board. According to the purser's es-
innate the death list reaches only 1872.
The original figures of the Carman'a
that 236 were dead, was accepteSs
however, by Lloyds and other marin-'
agencies here.
Dead Are Burned.
The meagerly worded wireless dis
patches from Capt. Barr of the Car
to -sS@l.4 n L. n
on the Volturno were burned, crush
ed and drowned Four of the six life
boats carried by the Inflated ship had
been smashed in the storm by being
washed against the side of the burning
ship. and all the occupants were
drowned
First Officer Gardner of the Carma-
mia 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.
Approaches Vessel.
In spite of danger Capt. Barr then
moved the Carmania TO position only
100 feet from the Volturno. Attempt
after attempt was made to throw life
lines from the Curnarder to the DOOM.
ed vessel but the wind prevented.
The scene on the stricken vessel
was heart rending. The fire had start
ed in the fore end of the ship and ate
their way toward the stern. Before the
onrush of the flames the immigrants
and sailors were crowded to the after
end. Their cries and shouts for help
came to the ears of the officers and
passengers on the Carmania who had
to stand by helpless and watch the
victims perish before their eyes.
! The rollers which crashed against
the rescue ships were crested with
bodies of men, women and children
and charred wreckage. Billowins
clouds of smoke were borne upward
by the gale, adding its pail TO the
| gloomy skies. The glare of the flames
in the darkness lighted up the sur
rounding seas.
Boilers Explode.
The flames soon reached the engine
room of the stricken ship and the
boilers exploded.
Dawn found the blackened hulk still
smoking and IL was not until day
break that the officers OF the rescue
! fleet were able to secure any definite
| information as to the number saved
and missing
In reporting to his company Capt.
Barr said:
"A STORM prevented our progress to-
ward the scene of disaster and also
prevented the other ships from get
| ting on the scene as rapidly as other
wise would have been possible The
Volturno was afre and helpless when
We reached her. We Immediately sent
out the International call for help and
responses came from nine other lin
ers."
Captain To Saved.
| A message to Lloyds stated that the
captain OF the Volturno had not died
on his ship but had been taken on
board the Rroonland with the second,
third and fifth officers.
The Folturno was built for the Ca
: madam Northern steamship company
but is chartered by the Uranium line.
She was twin screw vessel of 1902
tons She had two decks and a shell
ter deck She was constructed in Glas-
gov seven years ago The Volturno
sailed from Rotterdam on Oct. 2nd.
and did not stop ar any English port.
KroonIand Saves Crew.
Advice has been received from the
purser that the original number on
board that vessel when she sailed
were twenty-four cabin passengers.
$40 stearage passengers and ninety
three crew. making a total Of 757, the
crew of VoltUrno was saved by the
Kroonland. the captain, the chief sec
ond. third and fifth engineers and two
telegraphers by the Naragansett; the
bakers and a stearage steward, Gar:
the purser on the surgeon by the
Grosser Kurfuerst. Nineteen of the
names have not been received.
The wireless from the Carmania
said that the Volturno caught fire In