Evening star., 1934-09-19
SHIP CHECK D|MS
FIRE ORIGIN CLUE
Inquiry Board Members
Less Certain in Opinions
After Study of Boat.
By the Associated Press.

ASbOh1 FAtLh, IN. D., CSPtChAoSA
19.-Origin of the fire that swept
the liner Moro Castle became even
more doubtful last night after the
Federal Board of Inquiry spent four
and a half hours examining the
beached hulk.
I'm not as certain as I was that
the fire started on B deck" said
Dickerson N. Hoover, head of the Fed
eral board I'm not exactly certain
yet where it did start. That is a mat
ter that must be gone into thoroughly
Actually We found nothing at all
to show where the fire really started,
but we obtained a great deal of val
liable information"
What that information was he re-
fused to say.
To Inspect Lifeboats.
The board left for Spring Lake
where members intended to examine
lifeboats of the ship-lifeboats alreaoy
closely inspected by United States At
torney Martin Conboy of New York as
to whether they were seaworthy.
I'VE went through the entire ship.
checking up on the testimony taken
by us and on certain leads on the
condition Of the ship" said Hoover.
1--WE found all the fire doors still open.
One was partly closed.
I'm not so sure of several things
now as was before this examination,
which was highly satisfactory
Hoover conducted a general inspec-
ton of the ship; James Smith, boiler
inspector, of the engine rooms, and
Karl Nelson, inspector of hulls for
this district, of the hull. They came
of the ship on the breeches buoy.
All were reluctant to express an
opinion as to whether the MORO Castle
still is seaworthy, but said they found
considerable water in the holds.
Fire in Hold Evident.
Hoover said there was evidence of
fire of great intensity" in No. hold
A witness Tuesday at the hearing in
New York disagreed with previous tes-
timony as to the point of origin of the
flames and told of swiftly spreading
fire there.
Mounds Of clothing and shoes on
the after deck" said Hoover, told a
tragic story all JI1elT own.
In the engine room and in the
boiler rooms there was evidence of
much smoke, but the boilers were in
tact. There were no signs of an
explosion.
1T was clearly evident that the fall
ure 20 use the lifeboatS on the port
side of the ship was due to the fire
blowing that way. Lifeboats and
were burned.
We found nothing of new import
in the hold. The cargo in Number
3 hold. where there had been fire
of great intensity, consisted chiefly,
as we saw it, of rags and hides.
"Other cargo was burnt to a crisp,
even to grapefruit and oranges. The
walls were burned through in every
state room from "A to D. deck
from cabin to cabin the fire had
taken out everything.
Locker Is Destroyed.
In the writing room, where some
OF the witnesses said the fire started
there was no evidence Of the locker.
Only the rear steel bulkhead was left
There Is some evidence in Number
.
make it possible for the fire to have
started there. I'm not so certain
about B deck. The intensity Of the
heat in various places on the vessel
leads to a possible change Of theory.
What impressed me most about my
inspection of the ship were peculiar
things. One was that the boat itself
was completely burned out-every-
thing inside Of her was gone.
"On the after deck, however, were
shoes and clothing just as men and
women had left them, shoes were
side by side as though every one
had gone to bed and placed them
carefully there.
1T impressed me terrihcally."
Nelson was asked concerning an ex-
animation Of the paint locker on the
ship, which has been regarded as q
possible source of confiagration and
as an aid in spreading the fire.
He said he found it intact and not
burned, although heat had swelled
most Of the cans.
Hold Blaze Explained.
The examination, he said. also dis
closed that there had been fire in No.
! hold directly under the bridge, but
he regarded this as an aftermath that
followed the spread Of the blaze after
the ship was beached.
Hoover asserted study Of the fire
hydrants showed that "a number were
not used"
my examination gave me the idea"
he said, that if the fire door off the
writing room had been closed it would
have enabled the crew to control the
FIRE"
The fire door is an aperture in the
steel bulkhead known as a fire screen
opening from the ships lounge to the
writing room