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Show n . . ' SCORES SAVED . Ill BALTImORE-VESSft BALTImORE-VESSft BLAZE Pair Missing After Checkup; Arson Hint Given BALTIMORE, July 30 (AP) Captain Charles O. Brooks of the charred, smoking bay steamer. steam-er. City of Baltimore, suggested today that sabotage may have accounted for the "amazing" spread of the fire which left two dead and two missing of a complement com-plement of 93 aboard the ship. The speed ef the flames as they flared through the wooden superstructure super-structure ef the boat will be one of the chief interest ef the twe-phaae twe-phaae Inquiry launched here. A special federal kiqulry board was named In Washington to hold ths first of It hearings tomorrow and the company said that It, too, would probe Into the causes and results re-sults of ths fire and a series of minor explosions which passengers said foliowed the first burst of flame. Inspector of the marin inspection inspec-tion and navigation bureau went to the smoldering hull of ths ship, still aground on Bodkin point, this morning for an examination of the blistered steel hull and the twisted mas of beam which ha supported the wooden deckhouses. Sabotage Decried Captain Brook emphasised that he did not hold to sabotage as "my theory." "If there were any sabotage," he said, "there ought to be a reason, and I must say I haven't the remotest re-motest idea why anybody should want to start It. This Is only an Idea ... just ons of rhe things I have been thinking about." Officials of ths Chesapeake Bay line, which had operated the 26-year-old boat, checked the names of 89 known survivor against hastily-compiled hastily-compiled passenger and crew list. Then they announced that only two persons were missing and that rwo were dead. There were 40 passengers pas-sengers and 63 crew members, all easterners, aboard when the fire broke out, the company said. The dead: J. R. Pollkoff, an Aiken, S. C, lawyer. An unidentified member of the crew. The missing: H. Paige, a passenger, address unknown. Cy Haynie, an oiler. Three navy seaplane began an aerial search of the bay shortly after dawn seeking bodies of possible victim. The liner, en route to Norfolk, became be-came a floating furnace 14 mile below be-low Baltimore. Flame Travel Fast Flames, passengers said, roared from Hie lower hold and within three minute after the first alarm had enveloped two-third of the boat The passengers, most of whom were at dinner, scurried to the rails, many still clutching their napkins. Others tumbled from staterooms, Ths crew surged up from ths hold. Two mile away, resort residents who had been sitting on their lawns a moment before talking about the mildness of ths night-rushed night-rushed down to the water' edge aghaat an ths horror before them. Boat put out from the beaches. Fishing crsft near ths liner hurried hur-ried towards her. With ths fire licking up the deck, the passengers, joined by the crew, huddled towards the bow. Screams could be heard ashore above the roar of the flames. Passengers Pas-sengers begged for help as chose in the smaller boat were driven back by the fierce heat An unidentified man picked up a rope, tied one end to the railing and pitched the other overboard. The flames swirled closer. Some grasped the rope and slid down to the water. Mra, William Klacka. wife of United State Marshal August Klecka, of Bayslde, who first notified no-tified authorities of the disaster, said lifeboats were not lowered from the burning vessel until 15 minutes after the fire broke out Captain Richard B. Wysong of rhe (Contrr.uea' on Pass Twor , (Columa mm FIRE RAVAGED WRECKAGE OF BAY STEAMER 2 KNOWN DEAD III SHIP BLAZE (Coattaua from Pat On pilot boat William D. Banner, which aided in rescue work, said several of the City of Baltimore's lifeboats had been lowered when the Sanner reached the scene. Beads for Shore The ship, witnesses said, turned and headed for the shallow water of the west shore. Luther Booxe of Baltimore, fishing fish-ing nearby, said he and five companions com-panions were the first boat on the scene. "We yelled to the people to jump," he said, "but they seemed too hysterical hyste-rical to pay any attention. They were scrambling around the railing and screaming." A few minutes later and It was jump or face the flamea Many pulled themselves to the top rail and let go. Others got over the railing rail-ing and clung there until the heat forced them to drop. As the passengers jumped, the small boats plied about, picking them up. The pilot boat alone rescued res-cued 61. Preserver Snatched Max Stein, a Baltimore fruit broker, bro-ker, said that when hs jumped into the water a negro, awiwa swing without with-out a life preserver, tore his from him and swam away. Stein said he swam until dragged from the water. L. S. Haward of Newport News, Va., said he and Captain Brooks JHWmli.;ty' " '"WW" '," J lw"a mi'iii.i m )i' mrmr'vwlmwmmmrT' wewls1 ' ' v- IJe" mm " i ' ' '"' ." " ' . '" " I - ,:..-,. .:,.(.'' r... .. , : ,. ;-yT- ..' .V. . . r ' A---' f- "'';-'v. ) . . . i . " - : 1 1 c. . f , 1 ' ; :Jt h ' " " '" - : , " I j CITY OF BALTIMORE HULK OFF BODKIN PT., MD. I Fight goes on against blaze which took at least 2 lives were trie last to leave the ship. "I was eating dinner," he said,' "when I heard the call of fire. I went, outside and stayed with the' captain until the deck was empty, i "He and I then jumped into the water." Boats from nearby United Spates naval academy and three navy planes were ordered to search this morning for the missing. I Quit Postponed j Captain Paul E. Tyler, federal steamboat Inspector, postponed the start of a formal inquiry until tomorrow, to-morrow, but said he would Interview as many members of the crew as he could find today. I Elisabeth Ramsey of Baltimore.! one of the first passengers dragged from the water, said: j "I was locking my door when the flnt alarm rang. I ran on deck' and saw fire in the staterooms. In about five minutes the whole boat was on fire." She with doxens of others pushed her way to the bow of the liner. "The fire," she gasped to rescuers, "was coming toward us and burning our faces." j An unidentified man grabbed a rope, tied it around the rail and hurled It overboard. Thoee who! dared slid down it to the water about ' 30 feet below. Some Leaped With the flamea licking near them, others leaped. Safe ashore, James Johnson, 21,1 negro kitchen helper, told of discovering dis-covering the fire. He said hs saw amoke curling from the forward section of the freight deck. i "I yelled to the other fellows," he ' said, "and we got soms backets and water." A few futile tries and they aban-j doned their fire fighting, scrambling 1 to ths upper decks. ; Rescuers said they were amaxed at the resourcefulness of the pas-! sengers. Though hysteria gripped; many as ths flames roared near; them, they strapped lifebelts about! themselves and went over the vessel's ves-sel's side. I The City of Baltimore was built 1 In 1311 and had a length of 287.5 feet It was of 2378 gross tons and with ths City of Norfolk, a sister ship, plied between Baltimore and Norfolk carrying passengers and cargo. j |
