The Raymer enterprise., 1913-10-16
.136 LOST ON
BURNING SHIP
AS HURRICANE, FIRE AND Ex
PLosIoN WRECK GALLANT
LINER.
521 PERSONS RESCUED
HUNDREDS SEE PEOPLE PERISH
ING AND ARE PoWERLEss
TO GIVE AID.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
London, Oct. 13.-The latest ac'
counts OF the disaster to the steam
ship Volturno, burned and aban'
doned in midocean on Friday morn
ng, confirm that the loss Of life will
,e. limited to about 1856. The Carma.
ala, first OF the rescuing ships to
each the burning steamer. arrived off
Queenstown this morning, but owing
o the gale proceeded to Fishguard.
A graphic story by the solitary sur
;ivor aboard the Carmania was re-
:eiyed by wireless and presents ter.
.ible picture of the horror and confu.
zion aboard the burning liner.
London, Oct. 13.-Not since the tt
anic disaster has Europe been so
hrilled as by a wireless message Sat.
lrday telling OF the burning of the
steamship Volturno in mid.Atlantic,
With a loss, so far as is at present
tnown, OF 1856 lives and the rescue OF
,2l.
The survivors are now aboard a
leet OF steamers summoned by the
rolturno's call for help. some OF
which are bound eastward ard 9TH
srs westward.
The Volturno sailed from Rotter.
lam on October End for New York.
According to the official statement
she carried 90 first cabin passengers,
j3S steerage, and 4 crew numbering
16.
The rescue ships reached the scene
Of the disaster in plenty Of time t O
save all, but for hours stood by the
blazing vessel impotent because OF a
terrific storm to reach to agonized
men, women and children crowdine
the after part Of the ship and within
stones throw.
All night Thursday the ilfeboats
made a desperate effort to get along
side the Volturno. but the waves beal
them back again and again, and moi
until the storm abated, at daylight
Friday did the rescuers succeed In re
moving the survivors from thu
doomed ship.
Even now only the fringe OF one o
the most thrilling tales OF the sea l!
available.
The volturno was well equipped
with boats. sufficient. the agents say
for a thousand people. but the tower
Ing seas or lack OF boat drill, or panic
among the passengers prevented thu
successful employment Of them.
The rescue ships were able to low
er llfeboats, but apparently most o
the boats launched from the Volturn'
we're smashed or upset and the occu
pants drowned.
Two OF the boats, crowded will
passengers. are reported to have go
away from the ship. but search 70
them has proved fruitless and the,
have practically been given up a
lost.
The steamer Carmania. bound fror
New York for Liverpool. was seve
miles away when the call for hel
sounded. Captain Barr, ordering ful
steam, in spite Of the gale, drov
through the seas at twenty knots a
hour and was first of the fleet I
reach the burning vessel. She wa
followed by La Touraine. Minneapolis
Rappahannock, Car, Narraganset
Devonian. Kroonland. Grosser KuI
fuerst and Seydlitz at various hour
throughout the day. But try as the
might the rescuing vessels could nc
get neither line nor lifeboat to tn
volturno. the forward part Of Yhic
was almost hidden by dense clou
of smoke, when the Carmania a
rived.
The hopelessness OF the situatio
was manifested at Q o'clock In tn
evening when great explosion tor
away part Of the upper works, an
flames burst from the engine room
1t then became a matter Of how Ion
the volturno would stay above Ii
waters.
Meanwhile several Of the terrific
passengers, wrapped In life buoy
dropped over into the sea. One
them was taken aboard the Cahmani
It may be that others found a have
with other vessels OF the fleet, b,
some. undoubtedly were swept away
When day broke the volturno W,
still afloat. The gale had moderate
and the seas had Gained down. Fro
almost every one OF the encirclir
steamers lifeboats were sent out. ar
into these the women and childrt
we're lowered first. Sveral trips we
necessary before the survivors we
removed to a place Of safety.