The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-09-08
TALES OF HORROR
WILDLY TOLD BY
MEMBERS OF CREW
Is Agree Many Passengers
Went to Death Refusing to
Get Into Lifeboats
SEAMEN FOUGHT FUTlLELY|
Finally Forced to Take OFF lsav-
ing Many Behind Who
Could Have Been Saved
sEAMEN FOUGHT FUTILELY

on the steamship MORO Castle who
met death aboard the flaming ship
eight miles at sea early Saturday,
died because Of their refusal to enter
the lifeboats, members Of the crew
OF the vessel said today.
Twenty-Five members Of the crew,
interviewed separately, told practically
the same story.
It was tale Of horror, of men and
women frenzied by the raging flames
and thick pail Of smoke, resisting all
attempts Of the sailors to get them
into the lifeboats and to safety.
The seamen insisted that practically
all passengers could have been saved
If they had followed orders.
Leroy Kelsey, q seaman from Al
bany, N. Y, dramatically described
the scene aboard the big ship, In
bound from Havana, as fire broke in
the eerie early morning with stiff
northeastern blowing.
The crew had succeeded in getting
all passengers on deck, Kelsey said,
despite the inferno which raced
through the superstructure after
starting In the library in the fore
part Of the ship.
Passengers Panic Stricken
Flames licked out across the sew
eral decks, smoke swept down by the
heavy weather assailed the nostrils
Of the men and women who had been
aroused from their slumbers and or
dered on deck in night clothing and
hastily donned garments.
The crew urged them to cross the
decks and enter the boats. Sparks
and cinders fell all about them. The
wall Of smoke grew heavier and the
passengers becoming frenzied refused
to risk the few short steps needed to
take them to the rail and safety in
the boats.
"They refused to 60 through the
smoke and the flames" Kelsey said,
I'VE pleaded with them. We tried to
herd them but few OF them would 60.
Many even tried to fight past us and
get down the ladders to the lower
decks.
Finally we were forced to take to
the boats without them as the sparks
and cinders were burning the ropes"
Kelsey, q well-spoken man Of ~,
continued vivid recital Of the mad
activities on the burning ship.
He was asleep In the crews quar-
tiers in the forward part of the ship
when he heard the alarm.
Il jumped up and got into my
clothes" Kelsey said, land ran up on
deck. The wind was blowing hard.
A lot Of fellows in the crew came
after me. I should say there were
about q dozen Of us. We grabbed the
fire hoses and began shooting water
on the fire which was raging through
the midships section. We smashed
windows to get our streams through.
People were shouting. You could
hear them crying out and all the
time the fire was getting worse.
Pumps Stopped Working.
1T was pretty confusing. Well, we
saw we couldn't do much about the
fire and we didn't want to stand
there and roast, for just about this
time the water suddenly gave out. l
think the pumps must have stopped.
There we were holding useless hose
in our hands.
Someone yelled about getting to
the oars and we all made move
there. The passengers had ringed
us and we knew we had to get them
off the ship. Well, we told them
pretty plainly they would have to get
through that smoke and probably get
singed by the flames before they
reached the boats. But we all had
to take the same chance, we told the
men and women. They didn't seem
to understand.
II knew there were three girls who
had the nerve to follow us, and they
got ashore all right.
I'VE made q break for It all at
once. We knew 1t was that or get
burned.
I'VE got to the boats. And then
you know we had to work fast. You
couldn't stand there talking about 1t.
Those boats are made to be lowered
in seconds, and we did work fast with
the wind blowing the flames at our
backs and the air full Of big clinkers
and showers Of cinders. ! can still
feel that heat on the back Of my
neck and smell the dirty smoke.
And all the time it was getting
worse and worse. There was no stop
ping the fire.
I'VE got the boats away and We
didn't do 1t any too quickly, for !
think in q few minutes the boats
would have been burned and we
would all have been lost"