Evening star., 1934-09-09
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MaryIand and Virginia.
All Other States and Canada.
The Toll of the Sea.

ages marine casualties have figured
In the annals of humanity In the
earlier times when man-power and
wind we're the sole propelling agencies
life at sea was wholly at the mercy
of the tempest. When explorers
widened the area of travel and
voyages heightened the casualties
increased as wider waters were
traversed and unfamiliar and sterner
conditions were met. The shoals and
reefs of strange coasts impaled the
ships of venturesome mariners. Many
a ship sailed forth from home never
to return, never to be heard from
again. The seas became more thickly
dotted with vessels and collisions
began to occur. Then came steam,
with its quickening influence upon
navigation, as to both speed and
volume, and the casualties rose in
proportion to this widening of activity
afioat. Beacons gave some degree OF
warning of the proximity of danger
and the routes to be followed, but
the development of the safeguards
against wrecking was slow, until a
few decades ago. Steadily, however,
in recent years devices for the safety
of those afloat have been provided
-stauncher lifeboats, signals, and
finally radio. With the development
of the steamship came new hazards,
from exploding boilers, from fire and
from the perils of speed,
An authentic compilation of marine
disasters, of all kinds, permits sum-
mary of the number of lives lost In
the course of the past century which
shows that the latest catastrophe, the
burning of the steamship MORO
Castle, yesterday morning, though it
is to be rated as one of the most
shocking of late years, makes but
comparatively small contribution to the
record of casualties. This record shows
four hundred disasters of all kinds,
from every manner of cause, in that
period. 1t includes ships that have
sailed forth without subsequent trace,
ships that have gone ashore in storm
or fog, ships that have collided with
others, ships that have been burned
at sea, ships that have been sunk in
storm, ships that have capsized
through faulty loading, ships that
have sprung aleak and foundered.
1t does not, with the exception of the
sinking of the Lusitania. include the
ships lost in the course of war
making.
The total of lives lost in these four
hundred marine disasters, in the past
century, is 65,442, the population of
a good sized city. The average of the
losses in these four hundred cases is
164 lives. Thus at the latest reckon
ing of the Moro Castle casualties
that disaster is above the average in
terms Of human sacrifice. That rela-
lively high total of loss of life was
due to the hour and the circum-
stances Of the calamity. fire swiftly
enveloping the ship when practically
her entire company was asleep.
1t may not be said that all catas-
trophies at sea are preventable. The
sea itself at times defies all human
powers of resistance. A stroke of
lightning-if such was the cause of
this disaster-cannot be resisted.
Reliance for safety must be placed
upon the organization and discipline
of the ships crew and the provision
and proper handling of lifeboats.
There have been shocking cases of
demoralized crews failing in their
duty, as alleged in the Bourgogne
collision July 4, 1898, costing $50
lives of the inadequacy of security
devices as in the Slocum disaster of
June Is, 1904, in the East River, New
York, with 1921 dead; of the ignoring
of warnings of danger, as in the case
of the Titanic, April IA, 1912, when
1877 we're sacrificed. Those are out
standing cases of needless losses.
Not until searching inquiry into the
Moro Castle disaster reveals all the
circumstances can this latest entry in
the record of marine catastrophes be
classified as to cause and as to the
need-if ever there is need-of the
shocking total of lives destroyed.