FIRE PANIC.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 37, 14 October 1913, Page 5

FIRE PANIC.

ON A BURNING STEAM SR. SCENES ON THE VOLTURNO. [By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] [United Press Association.} (Received 9 a.ra.) London, October 13. The warship Donegal has been despatched to destroy the Volturno. ’ Captain Inch sent continuous pitiful messages “Cant something he done to help us. Must abandon ship, plates buckling. Stand close in, as may have to jump for it.” Captain Inch with the wireless operators left in the last boat. A PASSENGER’S NARRATIVE.

London, October 13

Trintepohl, a German rescued by the Carmania, states that the alarm of fire was raised at six o’clock on Thursday morning. The outbreak occurred in one of the holds; The passengers were ordered on deck and lifebelts distributed as a precaution, the captain stating that he hoped to extinguish it. The women were much upset, and the children cried bitterly. A.s the fire became worse and ■ they saw things blazing below, a cry went up at ten o’clock to put out the boats. Captain Inch and the English officers behaved splendidly, hut the German and Belgium crew behaved badly. People rushed about wildly, and the crew seemed to think they ought to have the first place and made the panic worse. Disaster in Launching the Boats. The first officer took charge of the first boat, and wanted the women and children first; hut the majority in the boat were members of the crew. The boat was smashed as it touched the water, and all were drowned. A second boat was lowered, and the chief steward threw food in and jumped in himself. There were more men than women in the boat, which ■smashed against the side before reaching the water, and all perished. Three other boats were put out aft, but the ropes broke, and the occupants were either drowned or killed, and ho boat got away. The captain then cut the tackle to prevent the other boats being launched. AVhen thp Carmania arrived the firemen rushed the deck, And the Captain with a Revolver,

drove them hack. The captain was compelled to leave the bridge owing to the heat” He placed the women and children on one side of The deck and th'o mhn 'on the iothor. The women shrieked and laughed hysterically. There was an awful scene when the flames hurst out. Some men and •wewwßt- toy ,-their hair, whilst others were quite still. After the explosion Trintepohl, an English passenger, and a number t the crew decided to jump overboard. Trintepohl did net see his companions again, # .... ■ Five sailors and one steward; fell into the .lire and were-incinerated/ The Car mania will arrive at Ris'nguard on Monday morning. j ;,y ; ■■-- The Xarragansette, an oil-tank steamer, -manoeuvred to windward of the Volt nr no, and pumped oil od the sea. i- > , USE OF OIL ON THE WATERS. (Received 10.1-5 a.m.) London. October.l3. Captain Barr, of the Carmania, told i the wireless operator to get in touch with the Xarragansette, and tell them to discharge oil bn the surface of the water.' A FRUITLESS EFFORT. (Received 11.55 a.m.) London, October 13. Captain Barr states that at the third effort he sent rafts adrift with lino attached, hoping tiie Volturno’s seamen would swim with other lines and thus establish communication, hut the effort was fruitless. REPORTED DEATH ROLL 170. The Carmania has arrived at Fish;guard.

A passenger states that if the two boats of the Volturno’s which were safely launched are lost, as is feared, the death roll will be 170_ The La Tonraine’s officers report that many of the Volturno’s passengers becoming terrorised by the onrush- | ing flames jumped into the sea and ! perished. . THE WORK OF RESCUE. (Received 12.20 p.m.) New York, October 13. According to a wireless message (from the Grosser Knrfurst, the flames [leaped eighty feet in mid air from the holds of the Voltnrno. | Fifty of the crew and passengers | were killed by the explosion and the flames. j The Knrfurst rescued twenty-three | persons in the wash of the sea. The second officer, named Lloyd, although suffering severe injuries- by a fall during ffre-flghling, rowed a small boat to the Knrfurst with three passengers, the little craft sinking just after reaching the steamer. 40 KILLED BY THE EXPLOSION. 1 (Received 1.25 p.m.) i ) The Grosser Knrfurst wirelessed that I forty were killed by the Volturno exi plosion. The captain was injured.