VOLTURNO FIRE.
THE CAPTAIN'S STORY. m> ORICIN OF THE FIRE. [By Eleotbio Telegbaph—Coptbight} XUniiei/ Pbess Association.} London, October 15. According to Captain Inch's narrative, the tire originated in >»o. 1 hold and spread so rapidly that the watch below were imprisoned and burned to death. A series of explosions wrecked the saloon. Tlie chief officer's boat with the cabin passengers capsized, and most of the latter were drowned. They 6ent a wireless call, and as it seemed impossible to save the ship he provisioned and swung out the boats. The ship was rolling heavily. Two boats were smashed and a third "was then successfully lowered. It contained the cabin passengers, the first officer, and a crew of stewards. The boat capsized and the occupants were thrown into the water. The boat righted and the chief officer and several of the crew re-entered her. A fourth boat with steerage passengers, in charge of Mr Langsell, fourth officer, got away safely. A fifth boat was caught under the stern and was wrecked. Meanwhile the chief engineer, two seamen and himself fought the fire, which was apparently subdued. He ordered them not to lower \more boats, as he had received word from the Carmania. The Chief Officer Discovered the Fire in No. 1 Hoici. The fire burnt through the hatches and fired the forecastle deckhand fittings. The flames gained rapidly, reaching the height of the foremast light. The watch below was imprisoned and incinerated, while the explosions wrecked the saloon and the hospital amidships and damaged the steering-gear. At the last the passengers became calmer. He then discovered that a bunker was ablaze close to the watertight doors. They poured water into No. 2 hatch, but the fire was continuously gaining.
ARRIVAL OF THE RESCUERS.
When the Carmania arrived her life-rafts* drifted past out of reach. By dusk' other steamers arrived, and futilely attempted to reach the Voltiirno. The saloon and chart-house were then aflame, and all hefore the funnel was blazing fiercely. Just before midnight an explosion wrecked the wirelss aerial. The fire worked through'the women's steerage to the after end of the ship, hut they kept the knowledge from the passengers,, who were quiet. Throughout the night the chief „tftp Marconi J operators, the sailors and himself™*' spent the night making small rafts. The fire burned through the deck before daylight, and at five in the morning the liners' boats were alongside and the . passengers were'loaded in orderly manner without panic, thbugh the women ;wept when- .help V:came alongside. > "researched the shipS? he continued, "but found none aboard, and decided to abandon her, as. No. 3 hatch was alight." \ 4• " .
The liner Campania reports that the Yolturno was still smoking 0 n Sunday, otherwise she is in good condition. Batches of survivors have reached Havre, Rotterdam, and Liverpool.
Thsrs are various theories of the fire.
Badko, a German, relates that smoking in the steerage was prohibited. A Russian emigrant was smoking a cigarette, when the steward appeared and the man dropped the cigarette, through a hole in the floor amongst the immigrants' baggage. Badke afterwards lifted the trap-door and found the compartment afire. Ho raised an alarm. The "Yolturno doctor declares that the statement that there was a panic among the crew is -unfounded. A frenzied woman threw her child to the Devonian's boat's- crew. It fell into the water and Hazlewood, a sailor, plunged overboard at the risk of being crushed between the boat and the Volturno and rescued it. The survivors agree that the loss of life was largely due t,o the panicked people jumping into the sea. One woman threw her child over and jumped after it. Three boys of one familyleaped overboard but the mother and other children were saved.
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Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 39, 16 October 1913, Page 5
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623VOLTURNO FIRE. Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 39, 16 October 1913, Page 5
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