SAFETY OF LIFE FROM FIRE AT SEA. 



33 



TYPICAL FIRES. 



A brief reference to several of these fires will illustrate general experience. 

 The British steel steamship Volturno was abandoned on fire at sea October lo, 

 1913, in the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rotterdam to New York, and later was 

 scuttled. There were 136 lives lost out of 657 passengers and crew.* The vessel was 

 loaded with a general cargo consisting of chemicals, oils, rags, peat moss, straw 

 bottle covers and mats, and large quantities of wine and spirits, all highly inflamma- 

 ble goods. The fire started in one of the forward holds and was fought with water 

 from hose streams and steam. The hatches were burned so that the steam had 

 practically no extinguishing effect, and, as the crew were unable to direct the hose 

 streams on the fire, it continued to burn itself out. The holds were not flooded for 

 fear of foundering, as there was a very high sea running, which also prevented the 

 lifeboats being launched from the Volturno or the several liners which had been 

 summoned to her aid by wireless. Oil poured on the waters by the tank steamer 

 Narragansett the following day finally permitted the rescue of those still alive. 



The wooden steamer Amazon was burned in the Ray of Biscay in 1852, on 

 her first voyage. The loss of life was 104 out of 162. f Fire started during the 

 night time in the engine-room from overheating of the engine bearings, and its 

 rapid spread prevented the engineer from shutting off steam, so that the vessel con- 

 tinued at a speed of some thirteen miles per hour. This made it impossible to launch 

 the lifeboats until the steam supply was exhausted. Several boat-loads were gotten 

 away, and these were rescued later. 



*From "The Burning of the Volturno," by Arthur Spurgeon. 

 fFrotn "Great Shipwrecks." 



