South Bend News-Times, Volume 30, Number 295, South Bend, St. Joseph County, 15 October 1913 — Page 3

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THE SOUTH BEND NEWS-TIMES.

UMI(0M

OF

1

CAPTAIN

TELLS STORY OF SHIP DISASTER

Outbreak of Fire in Hold Spells Doom of Vessel Was Notified of Blaze by the Chief Officer.

SEVERAL MEM WERE VICTIMS OF FLAMES

Attempts to Get Passengers to Safety Ends in Many Deaths When Boats Are Crushed by Wind.

Baltimore at Philato ttaltiriock at

Ni:V YORK, Oct. 15. Cpt. Francis Inch, whocp stoamcr, th Volturno, was lurned at sa with the 1 )ss of 136 livfs. tokl his story of til disaster Tuesday nitfht. It is a plain fcamen's tale. but in it, line by line, th' horrors of the disaster and the terrihle ordeal through which pasprnsjers and crew passed are brought out all the more clearly, perhaps because; of the marked directness and simplicity with which the story is told. From its bosinnintr, where the outbreak of the fire which spelled the doom of the. Volturno is recorded, the narrative runs without the apparent omission of any salient facts but one to the point, where the blazing ship was abandoned, the last remaininR passenger taken off and the captain and what was left of the crew boarded the, waiting Kroonland. ('apt. Inch, however, does not sy what caused the lire, reported simply that the chief ollieer advised him at ten minutes before seven on the morning of Oct. 9 of its existence below and that live minutes later the llames had burst through the forward hatches and were rapidly spreading. Capt. Inch's story came by wireless Tuesday night from the Kroonland which is bringing him and other survivors to this port. The Kroonland maj' not reach here until Thursday or later as she had had a mishap to a shaft, she reported Tuesday and is proceeding slowly. The captain's message was sent to the press through the Uranium Steampshlp company's oihees here, having been prepared and sent forth at their request. The lied Star line officials cooperated in seeing that the captain's M'ry was promptly transmitted. Ust May Shrink. It is possible that the total of dead in the disaster may shrink slightly when all lists are balanced. Tuesday I;isseiiger Agent Fourman of the Auranium line here, said that his figures showed that 657 persons sailed on the Volturno, including 24 cabin and 54 0 steerage passengers and 93 crow. His lists showed that 526 persons had been accounted for, leaving 131 on the missing list. It was announced Tuesday night that the North (German Uoyd steamer ieydlitz bearing 4 5 survivors of the Volturno will stop at Philadel

phia before proceeding to and that she should dock delphia before proceeding more and that she should

Philadelphia some time Wednesday. The steamer Grosser Kurfurst, with 105 survivors on board, is due here tomorrow morning. The rescued passengers she carries will be allowed t land without the usual examination at FUis island. Acting Immigration Commissioner I'M having given orders to that effect today. The Red Cross committee will take charge of taem. ('apt. Inch's Story. Ortpt. Francis Inch of the Volturno tent his story of the disaster by wireless Tuesday night from the Kroonland, on which he is being brought to New York, to the officers of the Vranium line here. Capt. Inch's liarrative reads: "At 5:.0 u m., Oct. 9. 1913. latitude 49.11 north, longitude :14.51 west, lire w.is reported in hold No. 1 by chief officer. At t:53 a. m. flames were burning through No. 1 hatches, getting lire to the forecastle and all deck fittings. I slowed the ship down and kept her before the wind to enable us to put the steam extinguishers in operation, also three fire hose from deck connections. The dames were gaining rapidly, reaching the height of the foremast light and imprisoning tli-' Watch below, who Were turn d to death in the forecastle. "A scries of explosions now occurred wr king the saloon and hospital amidships, the compass and steering gear being ai.-o damaged by the explosion. I gae orders to get help by wireless as so,.;; ;us the flaun s burned the hatches. Provisioned Hoat.. "It seemingly heing impossible to .vave the ship I had boats provisioned and swung out. The ship was rolling heavily. Uoats N'os. 1 and 3 were smashed, but No. D w.is lowered to the water with cabin passengers and stewardess, in charge uf chief Otlicer I . H. Miller. After this boat left the ship she capsized throwing her occupants into the water. She afterwards righted herself and several of the crew got back into the boat, the hief otttVer being one of th m. The No boat was lowered and got away

safely filled with steerage passengers in charge of Fourth o:!ic r lingS'Ml. The No. 7 boat, on being lowered, was caught under the stern of Xhf sht?. the boat being completely wrecked. "Meanwhile the chief engineer, two amen and myself fought the fire and apparently subsided, the t'.ames. I gave order: to s- nd no more boats awav as I had received word from the Carmania that she was hoping to be with us bv 11 a. in. Life belts were served out and put on ach pass-en .rer. The passengers now iorarne calmer. Food w 'as served out to them. Hunker Catches Pi re. "At 9 a. m. the bunker was found to be ablaze. It bing impossible to stop the rire in the bunker on account of gases, the water-tight doors were closed and water poured down the No. '2 hatch onto the tire but the tire was gaining all the time. "At II a. m. the Carmania arrived lowered a bout but could not

reach the ship on account of high seas. I asked the Carmania to look for the No. r bout. The steamship Seydlitz arrivej and lowered boats which could not reach us. About 3 p. m. the Carmania returned and tried to reach the ship with life rafts but all drifted past our bow, too far away. '.-eeral steamers had arrived by dusk. The Kroonland put away boats which made four attempts to come alongside but were swept away each time. "At 9:30 p. m. the saloon and chart hou.-e wen- darning. The deck, bridge and all before the funnel were blazing fiercely. !'i:mps and dynamos stopper! for want of steam. Marconi operators were working with the accumulators until 11 o. m. whea the magazine on the bridge blew up. carrying the aerial awav. "Several boats by inn time were laying off the ship and induced passengers to jump and they were rescued by boats. At IL' a. m., midnight, the weather was overcast and squally. Operations were suspended, it being too dark for boats to see. The lire meanwhile worked through the women's steerage to the after end of the ship but we kept knowledge of this from the passengers who were quiet throughout the rest of the night. "The chief engineer, the Marconi men and seamen and myself spent the night making small rafts in case the fire burned though the deck before daylight. "At 5:13 a. m. the first boat arrivedWeather and sea having moderated boats were enabled to come alongside ship which enabled passengers to embark quickly. All the steamers laying around the ship sent boats. Now we were enabled to load three boats with passengers at once. The passengers left in a very orderly way and there was no panic, women breaking down and crying, when help was alongside, and all were off the ship by S a. m. about 4 00 passengers. I searched the ship myself and found no one else on board and decided to abandon her as the No. 3 hatch was well alight now, so with the remainder of the crew embarked on the Kroonland. "Nothing at all has been heard of the two missing boats. Passing vessels were asked to keep a lookout for them, "I wish to express my heartiest thanks and gratitude to the captains of ships who stood by; also to the officers and crews, who came to our assistance for their bravery and endurance in their endeavor to come alongside the ship; also to the passengers of the Kroonland for their kindness to the rescued passengers, engineers and crew and myself in fitting us out and doing everything for us. Following are the names of the steamers that came to our. assistance: Carmania, Grosser Kurfurst, La Touraine, Asian, Narragansett, Seydlitz, Minneapolis, Devonian, Czar, Kappahannoek, Also one other steamer without wireless. The ship was abandoned in latitude 4S-30 north, longitude 34.57 west."

The fact that all these rescued by th Minneapolis were men afforded further evidence that this was true. They were nearly the last b at load taken off. Many had seen their wives ani children depart in the earlier boats. Several of the survivors agreed when talking to Mr. Fuller that the fire originated in an explosion of grease in a gallev as a result of which several cooks and their assistants were killed. loiter a number of the crew and several passengers lost their lives fighting the flame. None of the survivors on the Minneapolis saved anything with the exception of a cheerful and clerical looking Pole who brought off a huge Iiible and a green bag filled with books.

WAS NO PANIC. LONDON, Oct. 13. Stuart J. Fuller, United States consul at Durban, who was a passenger on board the Minneapolis, which arrived Tuesday, possessed a linquistlc equipment sufficient to enable him to talk in their own language with some of those rescued from the Volturno, by the crew of the Minneapolis. Mr. Fuller told the Associated Press he had gathered from the survivors that there was no panic on board the burning ship and that on the whole good order had been maintained though the passengers had been herded aft like a flock of sheep. They complained that the ship's officers had treated them roughly and had refused to give them any information. On survivor told Consul Fuller that the first boat lowered from the Volturno, which was (lashed to pieces against the steamer's side and all its occupants drowned, was loaded mainly with women and children, which

indicated that the men had ac-1 quiesced in giving them precedence. I

100 FRIGHTENED 10 JUMP INTO WATERS

HALIFAX. N. 8.. Oct. 15. Capt. Hamcden of the Furness liner Rappahannock, which arrived here Tuesday night, told of his part in the rescue of 15 women .and four children, the first to be taken frcm the flameswept Volturno. After hearing the Carmania's report of the Volturno's position, he gave orders to crowd on all steam. Capt. Harneden said: "At 10:30 a. m. Thursday when the Carmania's message was received we were about 160 miles from the Volturno, and various wireless messages exchanged led us to believe her position was very desperate. "At 9:30 p. m. we sighted the burning ship about 20 miles away and when we came nearer, the flames were rising above her funnel. "At 12:25 that night we sent out first lifeboat to the wrek. About 3:30 a. m. the boat returned and reported it was di'figerous to approach within 500 feet of the Volturno. There were about 400 aboard then, but they appeared to he too frightened to jump into the sea and trust to be picked up. All had lifebelts on. It was decided to wait until daylight. Saves Nineteen. "At 6 a. m. Friday I Fent the boat away again and she succeeded in saving 15 women and four children, all of whom were in a most pitiful state. The boat again returned to the rescue, but boats from the various other steamers had succeeded in getting all the people off. "After all had been rescued, search made made for two boats reported to have left the Volturno before any of the other steamers came to her assistance and which were reported missing. Eleven steamers scattered and searched, but no bodies or people -were found." The captain explained that with the heavy wind and rough seas, somo delicate maneuvering was required in a fleet of 11 ships. They circled about the burning craft and when one of the fleet got in a position to windward, she would send off a life boat and then work around the circle to the leeward of the Volturno and watch for an opportunity to take the life boat on board, again going to windward and launching another boat. The arrival of the oil tank Narragansett and the pouring of her cargo of oil on the water very materially aided in the work of rescue. It was stated however, that more than half the people were rescued before the arrival of the tank steamer. Twelve of the 19 Volturno survivors, bound for the United States, sailed at midnight for New Yurk on the Red Star liner Florizol. Five will leave for Cape Breton Wednesday. Mrs. Parcuska Genuik, a young Polish widow, and her year-old son will be sent to Hamilton, Ontario, to join her sister.

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'I CAUSED

DEATHS OF HY OE PilSSEiEliS

Capt. Caussin of the LaTouraine Tells of Going to the Rescue of the People on the Volturna.

HAVRE, Oct. 1".. The La Touraine of the French line, second of the rescue ships which iigured in tho Volturno disaster to reach port, arrived at Havre Tuesday morning. The La Touraine had 42 survivors of tho disaster on board. On the forward deck of the La Touraine when she arrived at the quay was a group of eight children from three to 12 years old, who had been rescued from the Volturno and whose parents either had perished or were aboard other rescuing steamers. The children had been made much of since they were broueht on board the Touraine from the burning Volturno. What followed after the arrival of La Touraine in the vicinity of tho Volturno is related in a detailed report sent by Capt. Caussin to the French trans-Atlantic Co. lie says: "The forward part of the Volturno looked to me like an incandescent brazier. As the sea was beginning to moderate, wo began putting out boats but the opinion of all my officers was against the lowering of life boats. I sent out a whale boat, however. "The Volturno at this time had her stern in the air while forward and amidships she was nothing but a great torch. "Lieut. Izenic reported that upon his arrival at the side of Volturno that vessel presented a frightful spectacle. She was blazing from her bows to amidships and plunging arid rolling. Crew and passengers had been driven by the flames and smoke to the extreme .after part of the vessel where they uttered incessantly cries of terror. The whaleboat stood off, its crew calling to the passengers to jump into the sea when they would be taken on board. None, however, would Jump until the Touraine's whaleboat was thrown by a gigantic wave against the Volturno's side. Instantly a number jumped or slid down ropes into the boat. Two who had jumped for the boat, disappeared under the side of the Volturno as she rolled. One man landed on a sailor in the whaleboat and injured him. "Happily Lieut. Izenic was able to

p-t clear of Volturno with hve rescued pa.Nsencjers or his boat would hae been overloaded and sunk. Called to Jiunp. "The other whaleboit commanded by Second Captain lU-usselet of the Touraine was near the stern of the Volturno and its crew was i ailing to the passengers to jump. but noriWould do so. No other boat was st en at that time near the burning ship. Lieut. Izenic wanted to again put off from tiie Touraine, but I sent a second mate with a freh i'rew. "Rousselet returned l iter with three rescued people. All who were brought in were in a state of grat exhaustion. "Ilousselet was allowed to makeanother trip in his whaleboat with a fresh crew and then I lowered a lifeboat, thinking it might bring back a large load. "The second mate returned with seven persons he had picked up and Ilousselet brought back seven others. "Rousselet reported that he had found ropes, pulley tackle and improvised ladders along tho after part of the Volturno dang'.lng from the sides. The vessel had a strong list to starboard, her noso was low in the waves and the water was breaking over her. The flaraes lighted up the scene as Kousselet's whaleboat ran in close and a hail of human beings fell upon it and its crew. Fourteen people were nicked up, of whom seven were transferred to the other whaleboat. "By this time it wap C o'clock on Friday niornfng and numerous boats from the other ships alongside had been lowered and were around the Volturno. Another one of our boats took two .women and two children from the sea, which had become moro calm. The women and children were let down Into the water tied with ropes. No More on Hoat. "When no more people were on board the Volturno our boats were taken in. "If there had been less panic at the beginning of the Are, many more could have been saved. Unfortunately two boats launched from the Volturno were broken up by the seas and it is certain that many were drowned during the r.ight. If the crew and passengers had kept calm everybody might have been saved." The doctor, the purser and several otllcers were the last to get Into the boats, and Capt. Inch was the very la.st to leave his ship. Friederich Batke, a young steerage passenger, was the first person on board the Volturno to discover the fire. "I saw smoke coming through cracks in the lloor of my quarters forward," he said, "and I became sure that the hold below was ah're. I ran as fast as I eoull to the deck in front of th bridge. The captain himself was there and I yelled to him in German that tho ship Was on fire. Ho did not understand me. I called out again in Polish and then shouted in Yiddish, but still I vas unable to make him understand and he sent down a sailor to inquire what was the matter. "I led the sailor down to the

. steerage th ek. Whn h- saw th I snu'ke he opened one of the hatch.es

ke b,e opened ol;

! and was met with a rush of nnk' and h at. Th sailor th-n returned to the bridge and warned the aptain. ; "All the passengers in the forward ! steerage bail by this time become I aroused and everyone -.eemed panie ; stricken. I believe svnie jamped over

board as the result of shr r fright. When the suioke and choking jr'anie

HEROIC WORK SAVES LUES BORIliG STORM

became !s

rush aft

there was an excited

nd the passages and stair

ways for awhile were crowded with struggling. lighting people. All Panic stricken. "In the meantime the captain bad

i given tne alarm. l m r.re er.w was

manning the rire apparatus under the e e of Capt. Inch, who thus was unable for tlie present to keep order on deck where the panic stricken passengers had gathered around the lifeboats in the stern. In the absence of the captain and the other oHlcers wh- were he low lehtin.; the fire, there was much disorder." The tire seems to have been due to the carelessness of a steerage passenger. Harts Magnus, a member of the Volturno's crew, avers there, were frequent violations of the steamship company's strict order forbidding persons in the steerage to smoke. "The company tines any one smoking $5 as Is usual on emigrant ships." Maarnus suid. "yet the rule was

New England Coast Struck by Heavy Gale But Only One Life is Lost Many Boats Caught in Winds.

LOSTOX, Oct. A nortiie.ust cale swooped down oi: tile coastwise shipping of the Xcw Lnlar.d coast Tuesday, leaving death and ruin in its wake. Heroij r .-;. s kept tho known loss of life down to one. that of Capi. .ears IVrry of Sandwich, who perished in the wreck of h.a boat on corton beach. The barge .Sumner K. Mead, one of the town of the iiig Paoll from New Yoik for Uoston, piled upon the tip of Cape Cod and her three men wero taken oil by those on the Paoil. The

Makland. another of the Paoli's string.

broken. I have found eigaret stubs was in a precarious position near and half burned matches often push- Highland light Tuesday night with

ed into cracks or under objects.

"T feci sore that some steerage passenger, when an inspector was seen, threw a eigaret down a hatchway. The fire broke out in a part

of the hold where a lot of rugs and other stuff that would burn easily

were piled." Magnus says there was no explosion on the Volturno except when one of the bulkheads blow out under the pressure of heat. He worked at a hose from 7 o'clock in the morning until 7 o'clock at night.

NO WOMAN" A HOARD. GRAVESEND. Eng., Oct. 15. There was not a woman among the SO survivors of the Volturno brought to port here Tuesday by the Mlnne-

her crew signalling for help.

Six men were res-rued frim the two-malted schooner Georg a Pearl, Elizabethport for Uverpool. N. S., by the surf side life savers on Nantucket. The ess d was expected to JO to pieces before morning. On the extreme northwest of tho New England coat another daring rescue of four men took plaeo when a small boat from a Canadian steamer

braved the breakers near Grand Man- , an. N. H.. where the Hritish fishing ; schooiur Dreadnaught was pounding ' to pieces. ! As usual the brunt of the gale wa ! felt at Cape Cod. A largo coastwise ! I'.eet of schooners, tugs and barges, 1 released Monday from a two weeks'

fog embargo, was rounding the capu. Manv of them worked to snug an-

apolis. All were men. Several of,chorages with the loss of sails rrul them charged the crew of the Vol-1 deck fittings. ...... ..u....,J The schooner Henry A. Whitney

! was brought into Vineyard Haven by

turno with acting with abominable j

cowardice. ! n nor after a narrow escape on Tucke-

Some of the immigrants refused to; nuck shoals, ishe sighted the revenue try again to cross the ocean. J cutter Gresham struggling to save a "Wild horses could not drag me to- I two-master from the clutches of

ward America, with all its golden op

portunity," said one. SOME NEWS NOTES.

St.

Davies Laundry. Both phones. Leslie, the optician. 201 S. .Mich.

Dr. Stoeckley, dentist, nil J. M. Walsh&Best, Dentist, Km. C, J.M.S. Rubber stamps and alphabets made by H. A. Pershing, 230 S. Michigan St., room C, over Burke's. Advt.

Crossnip shoalc.

Try NEWS-TIMES WANT ADS

APPFAL. TO SUPItl'Air. COURT. An appeal to the supreme court was taken by the plaintiff in tho suit of George Thomas against Joseph H. DeFreese in the circuit court Monday. Thomas sued DcFreese as executor of the MeNaughton estate in Elkhart for a specific performance of a contract to sell a business block in Elkhart to Thomas. Judge Funk held in favor of the defense and overruled a motion for a new trial, and the appeal resulted.

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