Evening star., 1930-12-15
FOUR LIVES LOST
IN BOAT EXPLOSION
130 of 1876 Persons Aboard
Excursion Craft Saved
After Fire.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
MIAMI BEACH, Fla, December 49,
Four persons lost their lives in the
explosion and fire aboard the glass
bottom excursion boat. Eureka II yes
terday, an unofficial check disclosed
today. One other person was unac-
counted for and 130 of the 135 pas
sengers on the boat had been brought
safely to shore.
Three bodies were brought here and
another was reported aboard disabled
fishing craft somewhere south of Miami
Beach.
Those known to have lost their lives
were H. G. Grimm so, McCook. Nebr. a
passenger; Clarence Vine, 80, Haverhill.
Mass, a deck hand, and Mrs. Mamie
Sawyer, As, Miami, whose identity was
not established until today.
Only Small Wreckage Found.
Shippers of rescue boats which re-
turned here shortly before noon after
an all-night search reported finding
only small bits of wreckage floating on
the water in the vicinity of the disaster.
A scene Of wild confusion, attended
by the shouts of women and children
and the music Of three -piece orcIaes-'
ira, which tried courageouSIy to stem
the panic, was sketched by survivors of
the capacity crowd that jammed the
two decks of the 105-foot boat. Smoke
from the engine room, on the crafts
return trip here, they said, first gave
notice Of the nishap and was followed
by three explosions.
Four of the survivors, including Mr..
and Mrs. c. w. Chapman, Akron, Ohio,
were treated for exposure at hospitals.
Heroic Rescue Stories Numerous.
Heroic stories of the rapid rescue
operations were numerous. Sighting the
fire through binoculars, P. w. Miller.
retired grocery executive of Cincinnati.
abandoned pleasure trip and brought
30 OF the survivors ashore on his yacht,
the Lois Ann.
Some estimated that 20 to IS children
we're passengers on the Eureka II The
crew of the yacht Dorothea, which
picked up 80 persons, took baby from
the arms of a father who said save
my baby when he learned the Dorothea
could not care for additional survivors.
A child was tossed to the deck of a
fishing tug and brought here and re-
united with its parents, rescued by an
other craft.
First Mate Al Styles, brother of Capt.
Clarence Styles of the Eureka II, said
all passengers had ample time to don
life preservers after the first explosion
occurred and that there were many
more preservers than there were pas
sengers.
My brother headed the boat into
shoal water, which accounts for the
small loss of life," he said.
The boat was valued at $4,000.
Fred G. Norman, New York City po-
lice sergeant was a survivor with his
wife and their 13-year-old son. De-
| scribing the catastrophe, he said:
Panic reigned. No one gave orders
or tried to organize the situation"
Two men started pulling down life
/ preservers and distributing them" Nor
man continued. They were in the racks
between decks. There were no lifeboats
that saw.
Orchestra Played Like Heroes.
"A three piece orchestra kept playing
like heroes. They were piano player
a saxophone player and a drummer,
and they tried valiantly to save the
situation.
! THE orchestra was among the last TO
leave the boat" Norman asserted. II
was among the last of them. too"
! Among the survivors were Wayne r.
! Coe and Charles H. Coe Of Washington