BLAZING INFERNO IN MID-OCEAN.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1881, 15 October 1913, Page 7

BLAZING INFERNO IN MID-OCEAN.

9 , CARMANIA'S RACE TO THE ' BURNING VOLTUENO. ' THRILLING STORY OP 1 THE DISASTER, j I OIL STEAMER SAVES THE : SITUATION. By (Telegraph—Press Association-Obpyrißht London, October 13. The Carmauia is at Fishguard. A passenger relates that if two of the 1 burning steamer Volturno's safely- j launched boats aro lost, as is feared, the ; death roll will be 170. _ < Captain Inch sent continuous pitiful 1 messages. One read: "Can't something 1 bo dono to help us? Wo must abandon 1 tho ship. The plates are buckling." ■ Another read: "Stand close ill, as wo may liavo to jump for it." The cap- ; taiii, with tho wireless operator, left ■ in tho last boat. Captain Barr, at the third effort, sent off rafts, with lines attached, hoping tho Volturno's seamen would swim with other lines and establish comnuinica- 1 tion. His effort was, however, fruitMr. Lloyd, second officer of the Volturno, although suffering from so- ; vere injuries from a fall during, the lire-fighting, rowed a small boat to the Grosser Kurfurst with three passengers, the little craft sinking just after reaching the Grosser Kurfurst. Tho Grosser Kurfurst has sent a wireless message stating that fifty of tho crcw and passengers were killed 011 tho Volturno by the explosion, and that tho captain was injured. Tho flames leaped 80ft. into mid-air from the holds of the Volturno. 'l'ho Grosser Kurfurst rescued twenty-threo who had been washed into tho sea. Tho officers of the steamer La Touraine report that many of tho Volturno's passengers, terrorised by the onrushing flames, jumped into the sea and perished. It is believed that 78 of the Volturno s crew of 93 perished. This lends colour to tho statement that the crew rushed the boats, and may also account for tho failure of tho Volturno to make some effort to sccor.d tho Carmania's attempts to get a line on board. Tho passongors on the Volturno woro reduced to a stato of, collapse when, after their day and night of horror, they saw tho heroic efforts of tho boats fiom tho Minneapolis and tho other steamers fail. The timely arrival of tho oil-tank steamer Narragansett was an important factor in tho rescue work, as tho oil calmed tho waters, and enabled tho boats to reach tho Volturno. SEEN FROM THE CARMANIA. CAMBRIDGE GRADUATE'S STORY. (Rec. October 14, 10.50 p.m.) London, October 14. On tho arrival of the Carmania at Fishguard, one of tho passengers, Mr. Smith, a graduate of Cambridgo University, interviewed, said that the first sign that anything was wrong was tho sudden increaso of speed during breakfast 011 Thursday morning. Tlio Carmania rushed through the water, tho spray flying high over the decks. Aftor four hours' steaming' tlioy saw the smoke from tho doomed steamer, and tlio peoplo huddled togothor 011 tho decks dumbly appealing for aid. A boat was quickly launched, but owing to the high seas could do nothing. Tho lioroism of tho chief officer, Mr. Gardner, was magnificent, and when tho attempt of his boat to reach tho Volturno was abandoned 110 volunteered to savo a drowning man who was drifting closo to tho Carmania. A deck hand, however, jumped overboard and rescued tho man. Dante's Inferno. Tho appearance pf the Volturno at night was like a picture from Dante's Inferno. Tho flames, enveloping the foro part of tho ship as high l as the funnels, lit up the terror-stricken faces of the men and womon. 011 tho Carmania, women wept and men -were struck dumb by their inability to holp. When the detonators and rockets in tho Volturno's exploded, thoso on board thought that the end had come and torror drove them almost mad. A boat sent out by the Minneapolis was away fivo hours. Its rudder wa-i broken, and it was at the mercy of tho sea. Tho Carmania, going to its assistance, lost hor position in the plan of tho rescuo operations, and lay further away'from the Vulturno'than 'tho others. Captain Barr then signalled that, as tho Carmania was difficult to manoeuvre, _ he would stand astdo if the handier*ships could do tho, work. Mr. Lloyd, the second officer of tho Volturno, with four men, managed to launch a boat. Ho made a gallant offort to carry a lino to tho Grosser Kurfurst, but his boat was dashed to pieces aeainst tho Grosser Kurfurst's side. All wero rescued. Tho. spectators hardly appreciated tho significance of the presence of ton groat ships in face of the terriblo sights enacted before them. An eyewitness saw a passenger with his wife and two children clustering round him. The man evidently despaired of any rescue by the boats, so 110 fastened lifebelts to his wife and children, dropped them 0110 by ono into tho sea, and then jumped after them. They wero all drowned while .quite closo to the Carmania. Groups of passengers wero seen kneeling in ornyor 011 board tho Volturno, but their hopes of salvation waned, until, in abject despair and tossed by the sea, it seemed as if all must bo washed overboard. As night canio on the heat increased, and they passed through an inferno. Situation Saved—The Final Scene. The Narragansett, having saved tho situation, a fleet of boats-raced to tho derelict. Tho Devonian's lifeboat was first alongside, and took off 21 children. Othor boats took 56 women and children. Tlio Volturno's officers passed ropes around them, and lowered them tr. tho rescuers. Within fifteen minutes the boats were filled with the survivors, who were at once transferred to the other vessels. Tho final spectacle was impressive. Tho various commanders signalled to the Carmania, complimenting Captain Barr upon his leadership of tho opcratiens, and then tho vessels sailed on different courses, in search of the missing beats, leaving tho derelict shooting up flames 80 feet into the air. Parents and children were widely separated during tho rescue work. Some were taken to America and others to Europe. Tho warship Donegal has been dispatched to destroy tho Volturno. FULL SFEED TO THE RESCUE. CARMANIA'S DASH THROUGH THE GALE. (Rec. October 15, 0.40 a.m.) London, October 14. When the Volturno's call reached tho | Carmania, Captain Barr asked for more , pn W t], nml Hi" nhifl.f engine" l ; tn tlie atokeraj "Boys, there's a amp. bura^

ins, and wo arc going to try and savo hei." Tils stoliorn toll over one another rushing to the furnaces. The Carinania steamed nt full speed through the gale, swept from bow to stern by seas, her lifeboat crews all standing-by. Tho iSeydlitz and Grosser Kurfurst wero next after tho Carinania to reach tho scene.

Tho Grosser Kurfurst's boats rescued 32 from tho sea during tho night. Heigliway, a sailor on tho Carmania, who rescued Herr Trintepohl (whose story waa published yesterday), is a New Zealandor. Ho plunged into tho tempestuous sea, tied a life-line round | the half-drowned emigrant, and swam back to the ladder at tho vessel's Bide. It is now denied that Captain Inch, of tho Volturno, sent tho message: "For God's sake holp us!" —as reported yesterday. A MEMORABLE SCENE "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. (Rec. October 14, G. 30 p.m.) London, October 14. Accounts which liavo been received of tho Volturno disaster show that tho night spent by tho rescuing vessels was a liovcr-to-be-l'orgotten 0110. Somo prayed for tho souls who wero in peril on the burning linci, and all were racked with anxiety, watching tho burning vessel, and aware that they wero 011 the verge of a holocaust. The finest fleet of ocean liners ever assembled in the middle of tho Atlantic were powerless to help those 011 tho Volturno owing to tho fierco' wind and furious seas. Soon after midnight tho Grosser Kurfurst lowered o boat manned _by a double crcw, which, after fighting tho waves for three hours, got within speaking distance, but were forced to return. The liner Minneapolis also put out a boat, which got within hail. Tlio officer in charge of tho boat shouted to the passengers to jump, but thoso on board apparently did not hear, or wero hypnotised with terror, for nobody responded. Tho passengers were almost tongue-tied with horror, it is said. A 'hundred of their fellows had been engiilfed, they knew that tho fire was steadily gaining on them, and they saw the rescuing boats tossed helplessly about in the angry sea. "It was hell," said one. Tho boat which was lowered by tho Minneapolis narrowly escaped destruction. A terrific sea carried off tho rudder, and they were at tlio-mercy of,the waves. Their plight was detected by the searchlight of the Carmania which steamed alongside and rescued the men just as the boat was smashed to atoms.