The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-02
OIL SHIP ON FIRE
Captain Declares Salvation of
His Vessel to Be Miracle

jacksonville, Fla, Jan. Gothic
Italian steamer Nettuno. Capt. G..
Borsini, en- route from Port Arthur
Texas, TO Brindisi, LAZY, was towed
into this port today by the coast
guard cutter Yamacraw after being
alire at sea.
Capt. Bersini attributes the saliva
ton Of his ship to miracle-.he ex-
ploSion of her fuel oil tanks, which
literally snuffed out the fire after it
had ragged unchecked for twenty
hours The blaze originated in the
engine room from a bursting feed pipe
when the Ncttuno was four days out
from Port Arthur from which she
cleared on January 81 with cargo
Of gasoline and fuel oil. At that time
she was off the Florida coast.
In Il few moments the Nettuno
was a seCthing inferno amidships and
Capt. Bersini stated that i: did not
seem possible for her to remain afloat
but a short time
Seated in his badly damaged cabin
this afternoon while the Nettuno
swung easily at anchor i'm the river,
Capt Rersini painted a vivid picture
of the horror through which he and
the ships personnel lived during the
twenty hours the fire ragged unchecked
in the ship wallowing helplessly i'm
heavy seas.
Il was also story of courage and
devotion to duty such as men are sell
dom called upon to perform. The crew
fought Wi,h desperation TO keep the
fires from the gasoline stored in the
hold OF the vessel. The fight, how
ever, appeared hopless, according TO
Capt. Bersini, and momentarily he ex-
pected the flames to reach the gaso-
line and blow the ship TO atoms.
Practically every lifeboat aboard the
Ncttuno had either been carried away
or smashed by the terrible buGfeting
The tanker sustained during the hours
of the fire. Fire twisted and wrecked
her engine room and warped and
cracked her steel decks and side
plates. The fact that the crew had
no lifcboats i'm which to leave the
burning vessel added to the horror of
tho situation.
Capt. Bcrsini spoke in The highest
terms of the behavior of his officers
and crew. speaking of the bravery OF
Che two chief engineers, Bcttcno ana
trOa, as well as of the ~hCroiSm of
the engineer. Landi Joanno, who vol
untccrcd To so below at the time the
feed pipe burS' to shut off the flow OF
oil and rescue two firemcn trapped
in the fire room. Joanna was so Sc
Vcrcly burned that Capt. BcrSini stat
cd he did not think the engineer could
4, l.,
from his body and his flesh i'm many
places literally cooked. Joanna and
the two hrpmcn. Brancalaonc and
Losito, who were also badly burned.
were transferred TO the Belgian steam
"r krcmlin on January 26. the day
after the fire aboard The Ncttuno
had been cN:inGuishcd, and sent TO
Newport News.
The lamacraw. which hau been
advised To look out for the Net
tuno, picked up the ship on January
rs and headed for Jacksonville. The
Nc'tunO is owned by the Italian state
Railways. her home port being Pal
nero. Italy.
The ship j.; So badly damaged that
ii is estimated that it viii be weeks
before she is again ready for sea. \
representative II the owners is tN-
pcctcd tomorrow from New York
The Ncttun" is "A 6.0OO-;on ship. 400
feet i'm length with 4 breadth of
beam oG sixty feet.
capt Hrrsui stated he had had
-four years of war. had two ships tor
pcdord under him by submarines.
WAS badly wounded in one OF the cx-
p!"Sions bat those experiences were
nothing compared to the horror
through which he had just emerged
Fer four days the crew OF the Me-
-Nnn WIS Mithnnl fnnl. nl. Slnnl,