* * * Officers on the Morro Castle' Never in
the history of recent major disasters at sea has a more scathing report of a ship's officers been made than that of the Steamboat Inspection Service Board pronouncing on the wreck of the ' Morro Castle.' Only one of the deck officers—the Acting Chief Officer, Mr. Ivan Freeman—is absolved from negligence. The captain is charged with a series of grave omissions which in the opinion of the Board contributed to the swiftness of the burning, the tardy arrival of help, and the dis- organization of the crew. It is stated that the engine room was deserted by its principal officers, that the lowering of life-boats was not properly superintended, and that passengers were neglected. No more damning series of charges can be imagined than these, which accuse officers both of failure in their prescribed duties and, in effect, of hastening to save their own skins whilst passengers were burnt or drowned. There is no sugges- tion in the report that the legal regulations in regard to fire-screen doors, equal watches, emergency steering- gear or lighting, &c., are deficient if properly observed.
Previous page
