The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-01-31
SHUTS OFF OIL
in ENCINEROOM
Engineer Volunteers to Save
Lives of Men Trapped by
Flames.
NOT EXPECTED TO LIVE
Three Members of Crew Rushed
to Norfolk Hospital for
Treatment.
(By Assosiated Press)

(By Associated Press)
NORFOLK Va, Jan. 30-Three
members of fhes crew of the Italian
i steamer Nettuno were landed at New
| port News this afternoon by the Bel
gian steamship Kremlin and rushed
| to a hospital for treatment of severe
burns sustained when fire broke out
| in the engine room of the Nettuno off
the coast of Florida last Wednesday,
One of the men. Landi Vioganni, third
engineer of the Nettuno, is not ex-
pected to live,
stirring tale of heroism on the
high seas with Voganni in the prin-
cipal role was told today by mem
bers of the crew of the Kremlin. A
feed pipe in. the engine room of the
Nettuno. an oil burner, burst last
"Wednesday and fire spread through
the engine room endangering the lives
of the two firemen who We're trapped
therein and threatening the entire
ship.
Vioganni, the third engineer, volun-
teered TO go down into the engine
| room and cut off the flow of oil from
the bursted pipe and to rescue the
ffremen. Fighting his way through
the roaring flames. he reached the
pipe and managed to stop the flow
of oil, and then assisted the firemen
to the upper deck. When he reached
the deck his clothing had been burned
almost entirely from his body and
his flesh was raw from burns.
The Kremlin, bound from Calves
ton to Hampton Roads, answering a
distress call from the Nettuno, ar
h in,
had been extinguished. The master of
the Belgian steamer volunteered to
tow the Nettuno but the offer was
declined The three injured members
of the Nettuno's crew, however, We're
transferred to the Krenlin, and
brought to Hampton Roads, where
they were transferred to a Newport
News hospital this afternoon.
JACKSONVILLE, Jan. 30.-Captain
Bersini attributes the salvation of his
ship to miracle-the explosion of
her fuel oil tanks. which literally
snuffed out the fire after it had ragged
unchecked for 20 hours. The blaze
ori iginated in the engine room from a
bursting feed pipe when the Nettuno
was four days out from Porth Ar
thur, from which she cleared on Jan.
81 with a cargo of gasoline and fuel
oil. At that time she was off the
Florida coast in the vicinity of Ber-
muda.
In a few moments the Nettuno was
a seething inferno amidships and Cap
tain Bersini stated that it did not
seem possible for her to remain affoat
but a short time.
Seated in his badly damaged cabin
this afternoon while the Nettuno
swung easily at anchor in the river,
Captain Bersini painted vivid pic
ture of the horror through which he
and the ships personnel lived during
the 90 hours the fire ragged unchecked
in the ship, wallowing helplessly in
heavy seas.
1t was also a story of courage and
devotion to duty such as men are sell
dom called upon to perform. The
crew fought with desperation to keep
the fires from the gasoline stored in
the hold of the vessel. The first, how
ever appeared hopeless, according to
Captain Bersini, momentarily he ex-
pected the flames to reach the gaso-
line and blow the ship to atoms.
Practically every hfeboat aboard the
Nettuno had either been carried away
or smashed by the terrible buffeting
the tanker sustained during the hours
of the fire, which twisted and wrecked
her engine room and warped and
cracked her steel decks and sideplates
The crew had no hfeboats in which
to leave<the burning vessel which add
ed to~4he horror Of the situation. Cap
tstn Bersini spoke in highest terms
of the behavior of his officers and
crew, speaking feeelingly of the he
roic work of the two chief engineers,
Betteno and Crosa, as well as of the
heroism of Engineer Landi vioganni
The ship is so badly damaged that
it is estimated that it will be weeks
before she is again ready for sea. A
representative of the owners is ex-
pected-here tomorrow from New York
The Nettuno is 5000 ton ship, 400
feet in length with breadth of beam
OF so feet.
Captain Bersini stated he had had
four years OF war, had two ships tor
pedoed under him by submarines, was
badly wounded in one of the explo-
sions. but that those experiences were
nothing compared TO the horror from
which he had just emerged For four
days the crew of the Nettuno was
without food or sleep.