SEA TRAGEDY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 143, 19 May 1932, Page 7

SEA TRAGEDY

THE MISSING PASSENGERS. NEARLY ONE HUNDRED. FRENCH LINER STILL BURNING. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received May 19, 10.30 a.m. LONDON, May 18.

The Otranto and Kaiser-i-liind have sent wireless messages to the effect that no survivors of the Georges Phiilipar, the French motor liner, are aboard. A message from Aden says that the liner is still burning. A dramatic story of how the alarm was raised is told by Madame Valentin. The fire started in her cabin. Un returning from the deck to her cabin at two o’clock in the morning—there was a dance being held—the lights went out. Madame Valentin rang for a steward, but,the switch dropped off into her hand ’ and the ends of the wires felt hot. She rushed to call an officer, and then returned to her cabin. She heard the crackling of wires inside the wal lof the cabin, which was soon filled wit smoke. Flames burst through the walls of the adjacent cabins. Madamo Valentin says that some of the passengers must have been trapped by the flames, which spread with amazing rapidity. It is revealed that the music and the gaiety of the dancers prevented most of the passengers hearing the fire alarm. The loss of valuable minutes added to the difficulties of escape.

A BRAVE STEWARDESS. An epic story is told of a brave stewardess named Helbut, who vainly darted into burning cabins to find the parents of a badly burned girl of twelve, who afterwards was lowered into a boat, but died en route to the Mahsud. The stewardess later succoured two burned men all the way to Aden, and then herself collapsed from shock and exposure. THE DEATH ROLL. CONFLICTING REPORTS. LONDON, May 18. According to the Rome correspondent of the Times, the death-roll as a result of the fire on. the Georges Phiilipar in the Gulf of Aden is 110. Other estimates of tire missing vary from 114 to 200. According to the Daily Mail, the British steamers Contractor and Mahsud have landed 277 survivors. Four French girls died of their injuries. The Messageries Maritimes Company does not know the exact number of passengers the luxury liner carried. The latest estimate is 506. The crew numbered 374. The French police declare that warnings concerning sabotage have been investigated, but nothing suspicious has been revealed.

MANY BURNT TO DEATH. STORIES OF RESCUES. Received May 19, 12.20 p.m. LONDON, May 18. The arrival of the Andre Lebon at Djibouti with the survivors of the Georges Phiilipar, including Captain Vicq, enabled the Messageries Maritimes to state that there were altogether 769 passengers and crew aboard the Georges Phiilipar. Thus far 678 have been accounted for and therefore 91 are missing. It is now reported that Dr. Sze, the Chinese delegate to Geneva, disembarked at Hong Kong. Those missing include M. Albert Londres, a well-known Paris journalist, also the daughter and son-in-law of the Chief Justice of Indo-China. Mesdames Vincente and Bouvier are convinced that many’ first-class passengers were burnt to death. They discovered that their own escapo was cut off when the Last boat left without them. “Wo screamed,” they stated, “but the roar of the flames drowned our voices, so we rushed to the bridge and clanged the ship’s bell until a boat put back and rescued us through a porthole near the water’s edge.” A passenger, M. Brauß, helped to rescue 80 children who wbre aboard and thinks that nearly all were saved. He saw Mr Alvis Wendling jump into the sea with the three-year-old child, Bernard, in his arms. The Sovietskaia picked up both. Mr Wendling is now fathering the child, who cries for his missing mother, but will not leave his rescuer for the women who wish to take care of him.

All the accounts emphasise the amazing rapidity with which the fire spread. Tnere is no explanation why it could not be isolated.