Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-09-20 | Page 11 | Infernal Machione Discovered under Wharf in Houston

Infernal l Machine Discovered Under Wharf in Houston Pounds of Explosive Are Connected With Battery and Alarm Clock Linked With Attempts to Fire Ships at Sea HOUSTON Texas Sept 20 Officials CAP AP Officials of the MOrgan steamship steam ship line announced today that a large store of ot dynamite connected to a battery and arid an alarm clock had bad been en found beneath the company's docks on the Houston ship channel A special officer for the Morgan line found the Infernal machine late yesterday He and other investigators tors broke the connections with the battery and the timing mechanism and removed the dynamite tot totaling pounds pound i iOne One theory advanced by authorities ties was wai that the plot to wreck the steamship terminal was connected with the reported attempts at destroying destroy destroy- ing vessels at sea by fire Four vessels in the gulf and Car Car- trade including the ill fated Morro Castle have caught fire while at sea during the past tw two weeks Warms Bewildered Says Radio Operator NEW EW YORK Sept 20 UP UP-A UP A bitter bit bit- ter harshly drawn picture of at a bewildered bewildered be be- master masler and officers on the bridge of ot the flaming U. U S. S Morro Castle was given n today in testimony before before-a a federal board inquiring into th the disaster George Alagna assistant radio operator op on the burned luxury liner told the inquiry that Acting Captain W W. F. F Warms stumbling back and forth through a dense fog tog of ot smoke on the bridge had 1 Repeatedly refused to give him Alagna orders to send out the SOS radio call at a time when the ship chip was in flames and Alagna believed It had been burning more than an hour hours 2 Appeared not to know what It was all about didn't recognize Alagna Alag Alai na na despite U the fact the Or operator wore his bis officers officer's cap and d gave a meaningless meaningless meaningless mean mean- ingless vague reply of all right to Alagna's Alagna request for orders orden 3 Gave orders order to abandon the bridge and nd himself abandoned the bridge while the radio operators operator were fighting their way through smoke leaving room about a. a m. m after alter sending the 1 long long- ng delayed SOS when Warms finally gave the orders 4 4 f Said to Alagna before the SOS was Wn sent that conditions were out of his Warms' Warms hands 5 Stood with other officers on the forward part of the ship after alter abandoning abandoning aban aban- th the bridge while hIle hiie passengers i who ho had jumped overboard g. g lIed In the water I Alagna a also io charged that ships ship's officers of ot knew that thal a combustible polish mixed with kerosene was Wa used wed on the ship apparently in violation of oi regulations of ot both the steamboat inspection in in- service and the Ward Line The story told by Alagna who h had d been described by earlier as hero trouble maker trouble strike leader and a ve vengeful eul by the ships ship's master was the the fullest l' l and most vivid picture yet given of confusion confusion con con- f fusion sion on the bridge of ot the burning vessel I