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Show OWNERS OF THE VOLTURNO ACCUSE INFURIATED RIVALS Believe That Explosives were Placed In Coal Bunkers as Reeult of a Bitter right. Liverpool. That the Volturno disaster disas-ter was the result of a deliberate plot to destroy the vessel Is the belief of the owners of the Uranium line. It Is broadly hinted that the plot was the outgrowth of the bitter fight Vblnh bus been raging between the Uranium and rival lines. Captain Tlnsley, manager of the Uranium linn, dec lures that he has noticed of late an Increasing bitter-new bitter-new among the Bailor and dock laborers la-borers toward the company, which baa been Involved In numerous distil dis-til en with Its employees. It is the belief of Captain Tlnsley that the disputes were instigated by business rivals, taking advantage of the fact that the ships of the line were officered by Kngllshmen and manned by Dutch and Belgian sail ors. Many threatening le-ttera have been received by the management Dne of then received Just before the illlng of the Volturno read: "If you don't listen to our demands ane of your boats will be burued." There was trouble among the crew ulhortly before the vessel aallod, but no attention was paid to the letter. It Is now believed that a bomb placed lit the bold, poHMlbly in the coal bunkers bunk-ers caused the explosion and fire which destroyed the ahlp and more than 100 Uvea. The Uranium ships sail . from Dutch ports and have been strong b Idlers Id-lers for the Dutoh and German emigrant emi-grant trade. So bluer has been the "ivalry between the competing lines ;hat the Herman officials have been nduced to forbid German emigrants o engage passage on the Uranium hips. The stories told by the passengers f the steamship Cnrmanla and other Iners which went to the rescue of the ;urulng Volturno describe the heroic 1 fforts In the face of almost lusuper-ible lusuper-ible difficulties to save the pussen-tcrs pussen-tcrs and crew of the doomed ahlp. STEAMER BUS, iraES LOST VESSEL COES DOWN AFTER 62 i OUT OF 691 PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN RESCUED. Wireless Calls Ten Lines to Aid of Doomed Ship, But Lifeboats Are Beaten Back by Waves and Passengers Are Drowned, London Not since the sinking of the Titanic has there been recorded such a tragedy at sea as the burning or the steamship Volturno In mid-Atlantic, on October 11, with a loss, so far as at present known, of 136 lives and the rescue of 621. The survivors were placed aboard a fleet of steam era summoned by the Volturno's calls for help, some of which are bound eastward and others westward. The Volturno sailed from Rotterdam Rotter-dam on October 8 for New York. According to the official statement, she carried twenty-two flrst-cluss cabin passengers, (38 steerage and a crew numbering 96. The rescue ships reached tne scene of the disaster lu plenty of time to save all, but for lours stood by the blazing vessel. Impotent because of the storm to reach the agonized men, women and children crowding the after part of the ship and within a stone's throw. All night Thursday the lifeboats made a desperate effort to get alongside along-side the Volturuo, but the waves beat them back again, and not until the storm abated at daylight Friday did the rescuers succeed in receiving the survivors from tne doomed ship. The Volturno was well equipped with boats, sufficient, the agents say, for a tbosuand people, but the boisterous bois-terous sea or lack of boat drill or punlc among the passengers preventing prevent-ing the successful employment of them. The rescue ships were able to lower lifeboats, but apparently most of the boats launched from the Volturno were smashed or upset and 1 the occupants drowned. Two of the boats, crowded with passengers, are 1 reported to have got away from the i ship, but a search for them has proved fruitless and they have prac- i llcally been given up as lost. The I occupants of these boats are Included Includ-ed In the death roll. 1 The steamer Cnrmanla, bound for 1 New York from Liverpool, ,was sev- i nty-elght miles away when the call i for help sounded. Captain Darr, or- ierlng full steam, in spite of the j (ale, drove through the seas at twenty twen-ty knots an hour and was first of the ( Beet to reach the burning vessel. She j was followed by La Touralne, , Mln- , leapolls, Rappahannock, Czar, Nar- . ragansett, Devonian, Kroonland, ( grosser Kurfuerst and Beydllts a' t rarlous hours throughout the day Hut try as they might, the rescuing ressels could not get either line or . Ifeboat to the Volturno. ( The burning steamer lay In the f rough of the seas, pounding help cssly, wlta 'jer propellers fouled by ( he boats' tackle. The terrified pas icngers were huddled together as ar as It was possible to get from ' he flames, while throughout the lay the officers and crew fought dee irately with whatever appliances ' rere at band to hold the fire In heck. Hut night came on and the ias sbated only slightly. The circle if steamers kept " tbelr searchlights ilaylng and waited patiently within he danger cone for the first moment 0 vben they might again launch the Ifeboats. m When dvy broke the Volturno was 11 till afloat. The gale had moderated md the seas almost calmed down, b "roru every one of the encircling teamers lifeboats were sent out and o these women and children were a Dwered first. Several trips were neo a 'sary before the survivors were ra uoved to a place of aafety. |