The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-10
new EXPLOSION
ROCKS RUINS OF
MORO CASTLE
Blast HurIS Debris High Into
Air; May Finish OFF Fire
Destruction.
BY SANFORD KLEIN
United Press stan Correspondent

ASBURY PARK. y. J.. Sept. 10
Rent By new explosion. the
charred hulk Of the S. S. Moro
Castle today deAed efforts Of in
vestigators 20 penetrate within her
twisted frame. and threatened 70
crack up within a few hundred feet
of shore.
the explosion sent debris high in
the air. and may have completed
the work OF destruction. Il was
certain that not living being re-
manned on shipboard
At noon the estimated death toll
stood at III.
The Moro Castles timbers had
crumbled away is plates and
beams were buckled and warped. II
was still a smoldering. seething mass
Of unmanageable metal, having
burned continuously since IL caught
fire Saturday morning with 558 per-
sons aboard.
Continues To Blaze
Coast guardsmen and rescue work
ers watched for more bodies. flung
up by the unfriendly breakers all
along the north shore. TWO more
bodies fiOated in at dawn. Coast
guardsmen recovered one Of them.
The other was wedged in rocks and
could not be reached at once.
Throughout the night. like a fit
ful beacon. the Moro Castle con-
tinued to blaze. Thick smoke at
times obscured her bulk But at
dawn she doomed up. dramatically
near the thousands Of curiosity seek
ers who lined the beach and the
pier. Not a square foot Of her was
left untouched by the flames.
The heaviest explosion, which
occurred at Gas a. m, appeared TO
be directly amidships. II was &C
cOmpanied by a great cloud OF
smoke from the blackened funnel
Smaller Blasts Reported
Several smaller explosions had
been reported at intervals during
the night. and we're believed to be
from pent-up gases in the water
tight compartments.
Several times the crash of metal
beams. giving way and laundering
through the torn decks, could be
heard.
Firemen. almost exhausted from
their battle. continued their at
tempts 10 cool the smoking struc-
ture. but the ship was still danger
ouslv hot and extended surveys OF
her interior we're impossible
A dispute over the jurisdiction OF
the Moro Castles hull between in |
surance underwriters and the Ward |
Line. was settled after a morning /
conference between the officials. |
The underwriters withdrew their |
claims to the wTeckage, and the line |
took full charge of further salvage !
operations.
City fremen planned to go aboard |
the hulk this afternoon in an at |
tempt to extinguish the blaze, still |
burning over the forward part OF
the ship.
50 Bodies Still on Board
Acoast guard officer who refused
TO let his name be known said ne
believed as many as thirty bodies
still were on board the vessel. Res |
cue workers were planning 10 make
another attempt to board the ship
this afternoon. but unless the wreck
Sge CoOls, it was considered un-
likely they could get below decks.
Questions as to why the paSsen-
gers might not have remained
aboard the MORO Castle, since Chief
officer William F. Warns and sew
eral Of his men stayed aboard and
were rescued. we're answered by
one look at the blazing hulk. Warns
and his men were cut off by flames
from the remainder of the ship and
huddled on deck above the fore
castle. the metal plates warping and
buckling beneath them.