HE Morro Castle burned at sea off the New Jersey coast on September 8 while the large passenger craft was en route to New York from Havana at the end of one of her widely-advertised pleasure-cruises. More than 200 persons lost their lives in the disaster, which led to a searching enquiry by the authorities and the preferment of grave charges against some of the ship's officers Harrowing stories of the event were related by survivors and res-oners. It was described how a stewardess lost her life because she insisted that a little boy be picked up from the sea before she did. One youth, who leaped into the waves was dashed several times against the side of the blazing ship before he was rescued. The survivors among the crew reported that many passengers perished because of their reluctance to abandon the steamer. Terrified by the flames and smoke, they stood as paralyzed when members of the crew sought to force them into the lifeboats.
The first of the rescue ships to reach the Morro Castle was the British s. Monarch of Bermuda of the Furness Line, and the second was the freighter Andrea F, Luckenbach. The President Cleveland and the City of Savannah were the next on the scene. When they arrived, however, many persons had already been drowned or burned to death and bodies were being washed ashore on the New Jersey coast all through the day.of the disaster.
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