The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-10
TIMES STAFF
MAN BOARDS
SMOKING HULK
Sees Craft of Disaster First
Hand; III Dead or
Missing.
BY BASIL GALLAGHER
Times stan Writer

Times stan Writer
ASBURY PARK, N. j., Sept. 10.
Just a few hours before a terrific
blast rocked the ruin Of what was
the Moro Castle today, I left the
deck of the disaster ship as smoke
beloved out of the hold.
I went aboard the smoking ruin
as dawn broke over calm Atlantic
and after surveying the scene of
tragedy left the boat via the
breeches buoy route.
Just a few hours later, a Shatter-
ing detonation shook the burning
hulk, but the inferno which cost
the lives of almost 200 men, women
and children still RACES in her hold.
During the early morning hours
today flames rose menacingly from
her bow and smoke beloved across
the boardwalk where thousands kept
an all-night vigil to watch the fire
raging in the huge vessel.
Authorities labored to care for the
living and dead among the $50
aboard when SWEET anddeadly flames
raked the holiday cruise ship from
stem to stern in one Of the most
CHASTITY sea disasters of modern
times.
Like a crippled sea monster the
Moro Castle lay helpless wallowing
in the trough of the waves. Her
keel was buried in eleven feet Of
sand.
156 Listed AS Dead
1t was impossible to count cas-
ualties exactly, because OF the scat
tered points at which survivors
reached shore or bodies were washed
up. An unofficial compilation by
the United Press indicated the fol-
lowing:
Dead or missing .............. III
Survivors sol
Bodies recovered .............. 127
Listing badly to port while stout
guy hopes held her fast to ASbury
Parks three-Story convention hall,
where she beached yesterday, the
former queen of the sea" lay COM
pletely out of her element like some
impossible, prehistoric whale.
In the half light of early morn
ing the raging fire could be seen
glittering through port holes on the
starboard side of the vessel. The
blistered plates on the ship-still red
hot-bore mute evidence to the fire
which ravaged her hold.
And piled in that hold which still
is too hot to penetrate even with
modern f1re-fghting apparatus are
the bodies Of more victims to one
of the seas greatest tragedies.
Body Lifted from Ship
While I watched from the pier
the body of a woman was lifted
from one of the port holes in which
she had persisted and was carried
to an ambulance on the pier-too
badly burned for identification.
During the long watches of the
night while a gentle swell swept
against the side of the stricken YES
sci in marked contrast to the giant
rollers which had tossed her help
lessly about in the hours of her
tragedy, few newspaper men were
permitted to board the vessel-for a
price.
One was slung across the 100 feet
which separated the liner from the
pier on a breeches buoy to touch
foot to deck hot enough to be felt
through the soles of stout shoes.
There on B deck, where the
breeches buoy trip ended, scene
of tragic devastation met the eyes
1 almost was suffocated by the
acrid clouds of smoke which were
carried upward from the burning
inners of the ship.
Trip Costs $40 Each
All about the upper decks were
strewn reminders of the terrible
night of disaster. Women'S purses
abandoned in wild leaps overheard
into an inky sea; gloves, vanity
cases, earrings, cigaret cases and
childrens toys lay on the charred
deck amid unused life preservers.
Hanging to their davits on the
sun deck three life boats which for
some reason were unlaunched
swung in the off-shore breeze.
AS the chosen few permitted to
visit the boat stepped carefully
along the roasting deck a local
underwriters correspondent met the
visiting group and demanded SIS for
the visit and another SIS for gas
mask which he insisted was neces-
sary aboard.
Those who demurred were CURLY
told to go back on the breeches
bouy if they didn't like it.
The toll paid. one proceeded eau
tiously along decks that sloped
perilously or dipped gently, depend
ing on the extent of the fire. The
black paint along the sides of the
vessel was peeling off in great
patches, leaving only the red under
coat to view.
Rails Are Twisted
Rails along c and B deck from
which most of the passengers
plunged to death or an uncertain
fate, were bent and buckled in fan
taStic patterns. Here it was that
the fire was worst.
Although it was impossible to go
below C deck where rescuers are
waiting to penetrate to recover the
bodies of more victims, the upper
decks told enough of the pathetic
story.
Cocktail glasses held in the hands
of shocked merrymakers still were
standing on charred tables in some
parts of the ship, although the in
tense heat of the fire had melted