NEGLIGENCE ALLEGED

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1934, Page 5

NEGLIGENCE ALLEGED

MORRO CASTLE OFFICERS LUXURY LINER’S BURNING DELAY IN CALL FOR HELP LACK OF ORGANISATION By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 8 p.m. New York, Oct 16. The Board of Inquiry of the United States Steamboat Service, whose report was made public to-day, charged the acting-captain, W. F. Warms, and four staff officers with negligence in connection with the burning of the luxury liner Morro Castle on September 8 with the loss of 132 lives. No cause of or responsibility for the fire was given. The officers were ordered to appear at a hearing on October 29 to show cause why their certificates should not be suspended or revoked. The report alleges that when the alarm of fire was sounded the crew did not take their stations nor did the officers do anything to organise them. It further alleges that the ship continued at full speed for some distance after the fire was reported. “It was not until the fire was out of control that the course was changed and the vessel slowed down. The call for assistance was also delayed.” The four ranking officers who are charged with negligence along with Warms are the chief engineer, E. S. Abbott, the second officer, Clarence Hackney, the third officer, Harold Hansen, and the first assistant-engineer, Antonio Buijia. The acting-chief officer, Mr. Ivan Freeman, was the only one of the deck officers who was not charged with negligence in the preliminary report of the inquiry.