New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-22
Owe Lives, They Say, to
the Tuscania's Modern
Fire Apparatus.
OFFICER IN HELMET
PROWLED IN FLAMES
British Sailors, Using Fists, Halt
ed Momentary Panic When
Passenger Transfer Began.


ried by the Anchor Line steamer Ius-
cania probably saved the lives Of many
Of the 4O8 survivors OF the Greek
steamship Athinai, burned in mid
ocean. who arrived here last night.
Responding Sunday to wireless call
for assistance, the Tuscania reached
the Athinai, outbound from New YORK
! 20 Piraus, the port OF Athens, about
noon. A boat in charge Of First Of1cer
Mcneil and manned By dozen ofiicers
and seamen put of for the burning
ship. Wireless communication mad ex-
planned the state Of affairs on the
smaller vessel.
Aboard the Athinai the crew were In
a WORKOUT state. A fight Of more than
twenty-four consecutive hours with the
flames in the hold had told on them.
! There were no chemical fire extln-
guishers or other up-to-date apparatus
on board. The English seamen. how
ever, brought a smoke helmet, with air
pumps, tubes and telephone attach
ments. Since the war all British ves-
sells have been prepared for emergen-
ces.
Downing the headgear, the first Of
fcer descended through the smoke that
poured from hatch to No. 2 hold.
Air was supplied to him by motor,
and the second steward, who held the
telephone, listened as Mcneil reported
his progress.
~ am coming up" he said after sew.
eral minutes. "Off at one end this hold
is like a furnace. The bulkhead is
likely to give way any minute and the
fire spread through the ship. Better
get the passengers of at once
Tuscania Answers Call.
The extreme danger threatening the
persons on the Athinai had not been
realized The ferceness of the fire had
been underestimate. The smoke he'll
met made it possible to determine true
conditions.
The log of Captain Nicholas Boziatz-
wis outlined the peril from which the
passengers Of the Athinai escaped only
by the timely assistance of the Anchor
Line vessel The fire was discovered
in No. hold, which was filed with
baggage and general cargo, at o'clock
Saturday morning. After an all day
fight it was believed that the blaze
was extinguished. Next morning il
was found that it had broken out again
and was making rapid Roadway.
A wireless call for help was flashed
/ The Tuscania, fifty miles away, picked
1t up on her instrument and changed
/ her course. La Touraine, of the French
/ Line, also heard it, but the British
/ steamer was nearest and volunteered
/ to 90 to the rescue.
BY 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon the
| fire had spread to other parts of the
vessel. Eight lifeboats were launched
/ from the port side Of the Tuscania and
each made three trips to the burning
steamship. Sixty-two saloon passcn-
gers; 80 second cabin, 225 steerage and
/ 20 of the crew were taken on board
the Tuscania. In the meantime the
/ Rumanian Prince, British oil tank,
/ had come up. Five steerage and fifty
| six of the. crew went to that vessel.
The transfer Of the passengers was
effected without accident. Monday
morning Thomas Sotir, Greek second
cabin passenger, died from heart
disease in the smoke room of the Tus-
cania He was forty years old, and
formerly kept candy store and shoe
backing establishment in Meadville,
Penn.