| Show LINER 1 INER FIRE SURVIVOR I a DENIES DENIES' ALARM GIVER GIVEN VEIl Crew Negligent Passengers SayIn Say SayIn In Disaster r Quiz C CHarges arges No tte pt Made Mide ade Jo to o Put Pass Passengers gers of bf Ill Fated Morro Morro- Castle Caste In nL Lifeboats Lifeboats Life Life- fe boats No NoOne One to Supply Supply- Life Belts NEW YORK Sept 11 AP AP-A AP A survivor of the Morro Castle disaster today testified be before ore a federal board of inquiry in In- that at no time was there an alarm when the liner caught fire off oft the Jersey coast last fast Saturday morning The witness Gouverneur Morris Phelps of New York or first of the Morro Castles Castle's passengers to be called on the stand also testified th that t no attempts were made mad to F o place the pan pan- passengers in Jn lifeboats Phelps said that his wife wile called to him about 4 o'clock In tb the morning G Gov there is b isa a fire because there Is Ls some smoke pouring in The witness continued by describing describing describing ing the c ascent of himself wife and lion ton son Pictures on OD Pale Page 2 24 Z to lo the deck where passengers were milling about crying and arid screaming Awaited Bridge BrIdIe Orders A woman asked an officer when the lifeboats would be lowered Phelps Phelps' declared and the officer replied When we get orders from rom the bridge Phelps testified that he Mrs Phelps and arId their son leaped into the sea and were subsequently rescued t y Was there ther any alarm the witness s was asked by Dickerson N. N Hoover r. r head of the inquiry board I At no time tima was there an alarm Phelps Phelps replied uW Was u any effort made to supply you with life preservers questioned ed eda Hoover a little later Phelps answered There was no noone noone effort one oneto to make an Idea Idiotic I Referring to the officer who said the lifeboats would not riot be lowered until until un un- til orders were received fr from m the bridge Phelps said he considered it ti Idiotic to talk about waiting wailing for foe for orders from the bridge with that roaring roar rr ing o of the wind a and d terrific crackling of Jl flames mes Eben S. S Abbott chief chic engineer of the liner testified that within half an hour after an alarm awakened him bim the morning of the fire he lie took aUthe off aU the No 1 lifeboat with 32 persons two of t them passengers What I want to know demanded Hoover is why No 1 boat did not take off olf more passengers When I left A deck there were no passengers on deck Abbott replied Anyone down below must h have ve burned up We saw no passengers There were none in sight Abb Abbott tt said he took the boat on ord orders or or- d ders rs of the captain and he believed his boat was the third to get away from the burning liner Grand Jury ury Meets l While Abbott was testifying at the department of commerce inquiry three bridge officers and a wiper appeared ap ape at the federal building in inan an answer s ser er to grand jury in Continued on Pa PaCt Pace f r CREW GREW FILLED LINERS LINER'S BOAT Engineer Testifies Only Two 3 Passengers Among 32 Aboard Continued from Pate Pace One United States Attorney Martin Conboy's Conboy's Con Con- boys boy's investigation of the disaster They were Chief Officer William T. T Warms Acting First Officer Clarence Clarence Clar Claro ence C. C Hackney Acting Second Of or- ricer ticer Ivan Freeman and ond Ellis Beau Beaumont mont a wiper They were accompanied a accompanied com by a group of ot attorneys They were questioned behind closed doors by Chief Assistant United States Attorney Louis LouLs Louts Louts' M M. Treadwell Francis P. P F. F Adams chief chie of of the criminal division Assistant United tailed States Attorney Joseph Prendergast Pren and Edward P. P F. F Eagan agan assistant as United States attorney Refuse to Answer While t tic e witnesses were being questioned in advance of the meeting meet lag ing in of the grand jury agents of the bureau of investigation of the department department de of justice were seeking additional ad witnesses All four men it was learned later refused refuted on on advice of counsel to an an- ewer questions before being taken to the grand rand jury room Short Shortly before noon George I I. I Alagno lagno second assistant wireless operator operator op of oC the Morro Castle appeared at t the United States attorneys attorney's office and was told to report to the gland grand jury without previous questioning Chief Officer Warms Hackney Freeman Free man and Beaumont also were taken to 10 the grand jury room room where their attorneys were barred at the en en- trance Motor Lifeboats Lifeboat Okeh George W W. Rogers chief wireless s Operator of oC the Morro Castle also epp appeared ared at the grand jury ante ante- room Abbott testified that engines and generators were in perfect condi condi- tion Neither was was was' there anything wrong rang with the motor lifeboats He said he was asleep up until fire lire alarm went off oft No one wakened you asked Smith No uNo sir ir What did you do I jumped up and got in my clothes and nd went to A deck to see sec if H the hose was working Then rIlen I worked my way down to B Band and C decks I met ome some of the crew helping passengers I met the third assistant engineer on en D deck How are things I asked Pretty bad he said Reports to Captain Dont let anyone leave lea the engine en engine gine room but if it you ou have to leave b be sure to shut down the turbines and leave things in order I saidI saidI said I r went back up to the top deck then and reported to the captain on the bridge I told him things were pretty bad down there and I didn't know how the men could sta stay I had hada hadt a t lot of 01 smoke in my lungs by then Were the electric lights still on I 1 dont don't think so 50 so Dont y you u think asked Smith that it was strange the water tenders a and d men working Sown down below be be- low were were not called 7 The alarm called them tem Rail Hall All Aflame Were the water tenders and asleep Yes sir Where were the engine room of ot- ticen They took their posts at the entines en- en tines lines and Did you see the fire ire in the social hall ball Yes Ye sir from the outside outside outside-it it was all aflame name Did you you rou go in 1 I was too busy I was trying to get fiet to the engine room room In In your mind If they had put a host hose bOle with pressure of pounds a square inch on the social rocial hall dont don't you ou think they could have knocked down that lire fire No sir not sir not with l hose hOc when I I seen it ft Did an any of your our m men n help passengers gers gets Helped Passengers I J helped some Did you close the bulkheads down below No sir we were afraid that the themen men nett below would never be able to get out My crew and m my engineers were good I know the they were true Did you leave the fire lire pump running running run run- ning Yes sir we did It was running all the time lime You had about pounds pres sure on your boilers then didn't you About that What were your orders order from the bridge One W was U astern and one ahead One engine astern and one ahead Phone Working Yes Ye sir to work the ship around Was the telephone communication to o the bridge working Yes sir It was wa intact How about the engine room telegraph telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph It burned out No trouble with machinery on on that ship Was there any my friction between the he engine room and the bridge No sir Abbott said the Morro Castle was I rn more re than a ship to me She was like my child he said in ina a hoarse quivering voice She went through hurricanes without without with- with out ut any trouble I knew every bolt and nd rivet in her I was on her over five ive months on tests All Lights OffIn Off OffIn OffIn In what wn way did you ou get off oll the ship hip asked Hoover I reported to the bridge and the I captain told me to take No 1 life life- I boat oat I got it off oU Do you ou know if it you OU were first off ff I think No 3 3 and md 5 were away W Was s the fire burning then It was raging and all all' the lights were off When you got into the boat was there any water being played on the theire fire rire ire J Some I r think but not very much Who was in that boat beside yourself your your- self elf two Thirty altogether Any passengers Two sir All the r rest t were of the crew then hen Yes sir One was Dr Cochrane and nd a lad lady passenger What I want to know Hoover said aid sternly why No 1 l boat did not take ake takeoff ort off more passengers When hen I left A A deck there were no 10 passengers passengers' on deck Anyone down below clow must have b burned up We saw sawo no o passengers There were none in insight sight How long did all this take after you ou awoke at 3 o'clock Not more than half halt an hour hour hour-a a hall half hour at the most Hoover questioned Abbott about the ie resisting fire bulkheads in the ship hip The They went all the way through ever very every deck he said He said he did not believe the doors in n the fire screens were shut No Kerosene on Board I know the door between the lounge and the library was open because be be- cause ause I saw it on my way down Hoover turned to inquiries concerning concerning con- con the electrical installation Abbott bbott Abbott under qu questioning said the social ocial hall fire would readily burnout burn burnout out ut the systems and destroy the emergency set Abbott said there was no kerosene on n board because the company did didot not ot permit its use we on the ship Arthur Stamper 28 third assistant engineer who was on watch at the tho time Ime of the fire was called next Everything was working perfectly In n the engine room Stamper testified Smoke Gets Worse The first I knew that there was tire fire re aboard was when the telephone rang ang and someone told meThe meThe me The fire alarm rang about that time me It was was vas about 3 Then smoke began t to come down into nto the engine room Stamper said he stopped slopped the force draught raught ventilation system for or a few lew minutes minutes but the smoke seemed to get worse worse and he started the motor again gain The first order we got from the bridge ridge was a stand by T Then en came a alow slow low down o order What time did you decide to leave the he engine room Soon after aLter the lights went out ut The smoke Rot got so dense Did you have ample time to shut the he the stops on the main boilers boller Jumps Overboard No sir the smoke was too thick Stamper said he tried in vain i to call caU the bridge and the chief engineer by y telephone to find rind out how haw serious the he fire tIre was The bridge telegraph was was' also out of order There waS was ne never er any trouble i In he he the engine room oom Stamper said Stamper related he escaped from the he burning ship by jumping overboard overboard overboard over over- board after daylight There were no passengers in sight when he left th the e vC vessel Sel Stamper said The hearing recessed for tor lunch In Inthe inthe the he midst of Stampers Stamper's story Many Funerals While a n new w procession of at wit wit- nesses losses was forming to appear before belore the board of ot inquiry other were taking g sh shape pe at private homes churches churche and mortuaries mortuaries fu fu funeral processions of the Morro Castles Castle Cas tle le's les s dead Many funerals were set sel for or or today and tonight Others will b be e held tomorrow There is a third procession ble wherever tragedy rests The pt pro pro- a cession or of the curi curious the curious the us-the the camp fol tol- lowers of ot catastrophe More than 00 persons have flocked d to Asbury Park N. N J. J where the hulk of ot the five million dollar Ward liner still stil l burning sets in the sand Hulk Is Attraction Already though she is still the cof cof- fin tin for unknown de dead d the Morro Cas Caa C s- s tie is is the object of tentative The Asbury Park city counci council l wants to make some arrangement b by y which the hulk a scarred flame-scarred monument mon mono to an estimated dead ca can be retained where she rests just o ot au Convention pier pier The councilmen n have found her an attraction drawing drawing drawing draw draw- ing visitors from man many many miles around Even as the agencies of inquiry here her were striving to piece together som e accurate picture of what happened d ed aboard the Morro Castle before am an and after its wireless sent forth orth calls call fo for r help at o'clock Saturday morn mor n rn n a warning at OL malO lei HiL c a 4 r to o come was wu shouted from a Cuban pirate radio station ASBURY PARK PART N N. J. J J Sept ept 11 UP UP Salvage workers planned a thorough borough search of oC the holocaust liner Morro Castle today for tor the bodies of at 50 persons still on the missing list from one of ot the great greatest t marl marl- t time ime m disasters disaster of ot modern times The hulk of ot the luxury liner iner filled tIlled with tons of water pumped in by fire tIre tugs lugs was believed sufficiently cooled to permit searchers search ers era to penetrate her Interior They exp expected to find few tew of ot the many persons arsons believed to have perished in theIr heir staterooms wh when n the ship caught I fire ire and burned Saturday Most were cremated it was believed The fate falc of the big bIs ship was in doubt be beyond ond the certainty that she never again would travel the seas Salvage experts were agreed it would be impossible to pull her of off the sandy beach upon which she was blown by a gale Saturday night She already has settled into 15 feet of ot sand and HAVANA Cuba Sept 11 UP UP- UP The disaster aboard the Morro Castle undoubtedly was due to negligence e and Cuban communists had nothing eg g t to o do with it communist leaders d de de- e cia red today The Cuban government nevertheless ne erthe e less ess conducted a rigid investigation of ot the pos possibility that the fire firc was deliberately set Captain Oscar Hernandez Her tier chief of ot the Havana port police po po- lice ice lice appeared convinced sabotage was vas behind it IL Two United States agents were Understood understood un Un- to be checking a report that two wo stowaways were aboard the Moro Mor- Mor ro o Castle when it at sailed on its fatal voyage United States officials officiate re refused reused re re-I fused used to confirm the information but in m Washington it was denied NEW YORK Sept 11 UP News UP-News' News News- paper japer men were barred from the Ward Vard liner Oriente when it docked here today An official of or the line which also ilio owned the Morro Castle said no Interviews In In- would be bee permitted with Captain J. J J. J Jones of the Oriente or orny any ny members of the crew until they had been qu questioned by federal officials coals investigating in the Morro Castle Castl disaster ASBURY ASSURE PARK N. N J. J Sept 11 UP The The possibility of an explosion sion ion aboard the hulk of the stranded liner Morro Castle today today to to- day led city officials to order Convention Con Con- pier cleared and all persons person removed from the beach The Thc first hint that the salvaging situation had changed came when Captain William Hall of or the Ward Line appeared on the dock in work pants then wen went back to his hotel and returned return d in a business suit He was pressed for a reason for the sudden change We are not going to do any work today he said because the ship Is still I Is there any danger of an nn explosion sion slon There Is always the possibility of an explosion he replied We are arc going to clear the beach and Conven Convention Convent Conven tion pier pier for for the pre present enl anyway |
