The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-10
Victims or The Sea
 TragedyNun,ber 156
Total dead-156.
tContinued from Page n

Total dead-156.
 Probable survivors: 221 passen- gers and 1S0 crew. A total of 401. fore the fire would account for the total of 55S listed as having been aboard.
 Investigators stories of what happened aboard the Morro Castle after she suddenly burst into flames early Saturday morning while returning to New York from . Havana cruise were contradic- tory.
 Answers That All Sought
 Enquirers sought these answers:
 l. Why there was at least 45 minutes delay in sending out the sos.
 2. Why the passengers were not given the alarm earlier and assembled on deck for safety, in- stead of being allowed in some cases to perish in their cabins.
 3. Why the fire spread with end of the ship.
 were stopped, although the fire
 
 anchored instead of making in- shore for bleaching.
 5. Why such a large portion of the crew instead of passengers were saved.
 6. Why the lifeboats were so inadequately handled. Four of 12 were not launched and one which got away held only four members Of the crew, although its capacity was 70.
 2. Whether there is any truth in intimations of sabotage in con nection with the recent dock work ers' strike in Havana.
 8. Whether there was anything mysterious in the death of Cap tain Robert R. Willmott d few hours before the fire.
 In connection with the captains death, some investigators believed it was an important factor in the loss of life. Out of respect to him gala activities aboard the usually festive cruise ship were halted Passengers went to bed instead oi celebrating their home coming late into the night, and what drinking parties there were was privately in cabins. Had the passengers been up and stirring as usual, it was pointed out, smoke would have been felt and the alarm spread more rapidly.
 The hulk of the liner. a mass of smoking, hot metal, lay in the surf about 200 feet off the Asbury Park Convention Hall and Casino which extends we'll out into the water.
 Cremntcd Victims Inside
 All vestiges of wood had burn ed away. Within the hull undoubt- edly were the cremated remains o1 victims, but it was impossible tc descend ito the lower part of the ship. With a brooches buoy. coast guardsmen and newspapermer were sent aboard, but even he up per decks were almost too hot tC stand on. A newspaper photogra' pher who went aboard was badly burned and sent to the hospital.
 The first aboard found the body of a boy, burned beyond identifica ton, and the charred remnants O. q woman. Both were above decks the boy towards the stern and thu woman near the bow. Her bod! was half thrust through hole il q buckled deck plate which hat been twisted around 1t by th' warping heat.
 Chief William S. Taggart of th' Asbury Park fire department. wen aboard equipped with a gas mask He found the fumes and gas s' dense 1t was hard to breathe ever through the mask.
 s.1t was all could do to sta. aboard between 20 and 30 minutes he said. "The upper structure o the ship is just a mass of twisted ruin. Ali could see was twisted beams and plates and heaps o
 Doubt of Finding Bodies
 sI doubt very much if man, bodies will be found, It must be 1Ioafing crematory. Even 8 big Iii boat built of steel was bent double Iike q paper boat. The cabins wer GHfles. what was Tn those asne x11e can only guess.
 HYou couldn't stand on them q places and had to keep moving Q e1orch your feet.v <. me finer lay broadside to tn