A VOLTURNO INCIDENT.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14829, 21 November 1913, Page 5

A VOLTURNO INCIDENT.

NEW ZEALANDER TO THE RESCUE. HEROISM OF SEAMAN HEIGHWAY. tTROM OtTt OWN CORBRSrOXDKNI.) LONDON, October 15. A seaman of tho Cunard liner Carmania, a New Zealander by birth, distinguished himself in the rescue of survivors from tho burning emigrant ship Volturno in the Atlantic.

Night had fallen, leaving tho frenzied passengers still clinging to tliG storn of the burning ship. All attempts to launch boats and approach the Volturno had failed owing to the high sea running, and there was nothing for it but to lie to and wait for the storm to moderate. From time to time loud cries of anguish from the despairing emigrants were wafted across the water, but it was out of the question to do anything for them just now. At last out of the darkness wa« distinguishable one faint cry which could only proceed from ono of the bolder emigrants who had decided to jump into tho sea and chance reaching the rescuing ships. Tho Carmania's searchlight played all round on the surface of tho sea in tho endeavour to discover tho swimmer. Ono after another the floating buoys were examined, but thoy were all vacant, and still the cries continued,' At last, half a mile away, was seen the figure of a man being tossed up on the crest of the wares. Gradually ho fought his way towards tho Carmania until h© was so closo that ropes wero Hung to him. But he was now too weak to catch them and those on board were dismayed to soothe swimmer carried gradually past them and away from help.

Amongst those who were from the Carmania was an A.8., Edward John Heighway, a native of New Zealand, who had been nine years in tho service of the Cunard line, and has crossed with the Carmania on every voyage. Heighway was watching tho searchlight when he caught sight of the swimmer drifting towards them and occasionally making his own efforts to roaeli safety. Heighway thus told what he did:

"Somebody said 'Lower a boat and pick him up, , but that would have been simply absurd. 'Lsn't anyono going to go for this chap?' I asked. 1 had my Jersey on, and was on a deck twenty feet above the water line. I saw the searchlight fixed on the poor fellow, so I said, 'Hero goes,' and went down for him. Hβ was still drifting about, and by and bye a big wave lifted him right up towards mc and I grabbed him. As I held on to the rope which had been thrown to mc to lash round the man a high wave seemed to wash us liigh up, and then I was able to drag him along, and we were hauled out by the other men, who were on tho pilot, ladder helping mc."

This is put goite baldlw. A witness of the incident says he regarded it as au act of heroism which impressed him more than anything else he saw. Tho man was washed away from tho ship at least ten times, and. when Heighway reached him with the- line they were carried thirty yards away from the ship. They must have been holding to tho lino together for fully twenty minutos before* . they were pulled aboard tho Carmania. The passengers watching from the deck raised a loud cheer when tho rescue was effected.

Another man from tho Garmania went into tho water with Heighway and assisted him out. The rescued man was a German emigrant, Walter Trintepohl, who stated that ho jumped overboard from tho burning ship in company with tho only English passenger and on©"other. . . < When. Heighway was hauled on hoard again he was offered a whisky, hut ho only replied: "No thanks; give mc a handful of fntit." An American Rhodes scholar who was on board said that he afterwards seemed very reluctant to take tho purso which was subscribed by, the passengers for him.