Evening star., 1934-09-15
Rate by Mail-Payable In Advance.
MaryIand and virginia.
The Moro Castle Inquiry.

into the causes and circumstances OF
the Moro Castle disaster, which
caused the death of more than q
hundred persons. much remains to be
determined. Officers, seamen and pas
sengers have given testimony that
divides along two main lines, that the
ship was the victim of a fire that
spread too rapidly to permit the rescue
Of the people on board and that the
magnitude of the calamity was due to
the improper manner of construction
and equipment of the vessel and the
incompetence of those in charge. In
addition to the routine inquiry on
behalf of the Federal Bureau of Navi-
cation, in the course of which this
testimony has been given, grand jury
proceeding has been started, the de-
velopments of which are not known
to the public.
The accusative testimony is broadly
to the effect that there was long delay
In the sounding of an alarm and that
the passengers were left unaware of
the danger until it was too late for
orderly evacuation of the ship; that
such confusion prevailed on board that
the passengers were left to shift for
themselves; that there was no orderly
procedure in the sending off of the
lifeboats, and that the signal for help
was sounded tardily.
Against this accusation Of the break
down of discipline and provisions for
the saving of lives has been advanced
the testimony of ships officers that the
fire, originating in their judgment in
a criminal plot, spread too swiftly to
permit orderly routine Of alarm and
salvage; that there was no breakdown
of discipline, no confusion of orders.
All that happened has been attributed
to an unidentified malevolence.
Meanwhile the general conditions
ON board have been described by both
passengers and members of the ships
company in terms to raise grave doubt
as TO the seaworthiness of the craft
and the adequacy of its equipment.
1t is alleged that there were no fire
drills and little, if any, instruction OF
passengers in the matter of life pre-
servers and the use of the boats in
emergency; that highly volatile ma
teriaS were employed, in violation of
rules, for polishing and cleaning; that
the boats we're not in proper condi-
ton, the f1otation tanks being unde-
pendable; that the decks were oil
soaked and the construction OF the
cabins and public rooms Of the ship
was of a character to invite swift con-
hagration.
1t is difficult to escape the conclu-
sion that the discipline on board was
bad. that there was friction between
members of the crew and the officers.
that poor judgment was exercised in
respect to the gravity Of the fire and
that delay occurred in discovering it
and in giving the alarm; that the
ship was SO built and finished as to
made a holocaust of what, If not in
cendiary was otherwise Of nature
TO be quickly quenched and controlled
Ascertainment of the full truth will
be difficult, perhaps impossible. But
the probe should be pressed to the
utmost, not only to disclose the guilt
If any, Of those who contributed by
their negligence or by miSchievous
purpose to the disaster, but to bring
to light conditions Of ship building
and management that may be cor
rected for the sake Of future seafarers.
The use of tinderlike materials in the
trimming and ornamentation of the
ship. to which President Roosevelt has
already called attention with the pur-
pose of securing corrective legislation,
is the outstanding fact in all the
category Of horrors in connection with
this ghastly tragedy.
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