The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-10-19
FIGHT FIRE And
WATER IN WRECK
American Professor, Wife and
Children Have Exciting Ex-
perience in Argentine.
0IL-LADEN VESSEL BLOWS UP
Battle in Water With Fear-Crazed
ssengers-Burning Oil Spreads
Over Water and Many Are
Horribly Burned

New York.-A burning ship sur
rounded by a sea of blazing gasoline
attacks by passengers crazed with
fear that threatened to impede es-
cape and the buffeting of rough waves
were the obstacles that Professor Ed
ward X. Kemmerer of Princeton Uni,
versity, his wife and two children bat
tied against and Overcame when the
steamer Villefrance was wrecked in
the Parana river Argentine, last June.
Professor Kemmerer, noted
economist who was at one time f.
nancial adviser to the Mexican and
Guatemaan governments, returned re-
Gently with his family.
1t was a dramatic narrative of a
fire and shipwreck and the many OBJ
structions that he and his family had
to surmount before reaching shore
that the professor unfolded. The
Kemmerers are the only cabin sur
vivOrs of the river tragedy.
1--WE were awakened at 2 a. m. by
a roaring explosion" Professor KEN
merer began. 1--WE were in bed and
jumped out clad only in our night
clothing. Running to the companion
way, we found the ship ablaze from
stem to stern.
Fire on All Sides
eve reached the deck, where there
were sweeping flames and saw oil
burning on the water on all sides.
Women and children were running
q oin off
were fighting and people were jump
ing overheard.
1T was terribly hot and people were
shouting and shrieking all about and
there was great confusion. We saw
it all in an instant and we knew we
had no time to lose. Suddenly the ship
began to list.
my wife and children-Ruth,
twelve, and Donald, siXteen-are good
swimmers. | shouted to them to run
to the rail and we waited there few
minutes. We could see people who
had jumped overheard who had been
seized by the flames and were terri
bly, burned, and all seemed to be
drowning
1--WE saw gradually the flames were
dying out as the oil surface was con-
sumed. That was our chance for life
We dived over The dive carried us
out of reach of the flames near the
ship. We swan under water a while.
There was wreckase about US and
many were struggling in the water. we
got some distance from the vessel
when there was another explosion.
That was followed by more flames on
the water, as more oil was blown out
of the ships hold where the cargo Of
gasoline was stored We looked back
and could see the ring of the fire
coming on toward us.
Seized by Drowning Man.
Suddenly heard my wife scream,
she had been seized by drowning
man who had gripped her and would
have carried her down. Before !
could reach her she had released her |
self and was swimming on. She was |
quite exhausted from the effort, how |
ever, and she had injured her leg, |
which had been broken several years |
ago.
"A man who had been burned and |
lriven insane was on top Of table |
which. had blown from the ship. He
sprang off the table on me and after |
4 severe struggle l succeeded in dis
Engaging myself from him.
"When l had done so / found the
sea was running higher and we be-
came separated, and unable to get |
ogether. Finally, we brought up to
shore at various points and were cared
or by the natives. 1t was two hours
before | found by wife and children.
.1y wife's face was slightly burned.
,ut she has recovered from It,"