The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-01-25

CT MorrO Castle burned Sept c off the coast of Asbury Park, N J., with loss of 124 lives. The liner Havana piled up on q cor. al reef off the Florida coast last month.
 Information from the scene oi the disaster was fragmentary. Capt !. A. Mckenzie, master of the Al. gonquin. wirelessed the United Press that he had picked up five Iifeboats containind 3S passengers and 5s of the crew. He gave nc details. The coast guard cutters reported graphically that the search continued.
 Two Hours To Go Down
 While the Mohawk received such q fatal wound that she was on the bottow within two hours after the crash, the Tallsman suffered only a badly smashed bow. She hove to at the scene of the wreck, com munIcating by wireless sketchly She said she was in no danger, re. quired no aid. Asked If she had picked up any of those aboard the Mohawk. she answered, No" Sc far as could be ascertained she lowered no boats.
 The Algonquin after searching the vicinity until q. m., turned back to land her survivors in New York. She was outbound for Mi. ami. The Champlain said she would land her survivors at her base, Stapleton, s. I.
 MystPy About Cause
 The cause of the accident was shrouded by conflicting reports. Some report a mistake in whistle signals, although ship experts said vessels at sea had no business com ing so close as to require such signals. At any rate there was no obvious climatic reason for the dis. aster. The sea was calm, there was not so much as hint of fog In the sky, and only tho near zero temperature kept the weather from being ideal.
 Further mystery was added by the fact that the Mohawk and the Talisman had no business being within 25 miles of one another.The Mohawk, much faster, sailed more than an hour before the freig hter. commanded by Capt Edmund Wang put out for Bahia, Brazil by way of Claymont, Del. She is owned by the Wilhemsen line. Calculating comparative speeds, the Mohawk should have been more than 26 miles ahead of the Talisman as they passed Sea dirt.
 Fatal Radio Message
 Nevertheless at 0:30 p. m. this radio message electrified New York harbor.
 IS Q S-Mohawk in collision G c Sat laAn
 A minute or two later another g 0 s shot out over the busy coast al waters and the sea lanes into and out of one of the busiest har- bors in the world. It was from the Talisman.
 The Algonquin. nearby was the first to reach the scene. Mean while aboard the Mohawk Captain not the Ward line, but the Clyde Mallory line, from which the Ward line had chartered his vessel to replace the Havana, was master of his ship in every way. In orderly to their previously assigned life boats. The crew rolled the boats overside. preparatory to immed- iAtO %opiHhi VVpt threw his helm over, telegraphed his engine room for full steam, and raced toward the shore four miles distance, to beach his boat This was impossible.
 The Mohawk was Hating, sink ing.
 Captain at his Post
 Lower number one boat. or dered Captain Wood through his megaphone. It dropped Into the water, drifted out into the black waters and disappeared. A minute later a bright full moon came up. illuminating the scene.
 Lower number two boat" came the next order from the bridge.
 Then one by one. the boats drop ped into the sea, loaded with men. women, and children, including two babies in mothers arms. The coast guard believed all persons aboard the Mohawk, with the pos sible exception of her master, was safely afloat in life boats, when she heeled over and plunged to the bottom.
 Relatives Frantic
 In New York frantic relatives of passengers stormed the offices of the Ward line, the same offices that in September were besiegcd by relatives of the passengers of the MOrro Castle. Conflicting. and. in many cases, inaccurate re- ports, tortured these hapless ones. Scores were relieved when the United Press received the first au- thentic list of survivors picked up bv the AIRonuuIn
 The Ward line and the Clyde Mallory line are subsidiaries of the Atlantic, Gulf. and West In- dies steamship lines. When the Havana piled up on the reef, the Mohawk was chartered to the Ward line to maintain Havana schedules. She was making her second voyage under that charter. Captain Wood was her only Clyde Mallory officer. The others were Ward line employees.
 Missing Passengers
 The missing passengers were:
 10. IL. Barr, Philadelphia; Mrs David Y. BTuckner and Miss Alice Williams, Mansfield. O.; Prof. Cle- land: r. L. Frost, New York; Miss E, N. Gentle, New York; J. HOwie, New York; Mrs W. Fl. Kra-
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