The tragedy of the Morro Castle disaster on the liner, hosted by the national hero of the United States

The best way to profit in the years of prohibition of alcohol. This simple Maxim in 1930, adopted the American company Ward Line operating in the shipping market. Businessmen organized a weekly flight to Cuba, where he was equally accessible rum and women.

Dollars flowed a river. In less than four years luxury liner Morro Castle made 173 extremely profitable flight to Havana. But the 174th ended mystical terrible tragedy. Someone poisoned the captain and set fire to the ship. Killed over a hundred people. The culprit of the accident was calculated only in 19 years, and he was the man for action in case of fire was awarded the medal "For courage".

On the evening of 7 November 1934, the Morro Castle was finished a trip on the "drunk line," the new York — Havana. The rest of the trip was less than five hours, but before the captain had to give a traditional Banquet to mark the end of the cruise.

However, Robert Wilmott had the honor of passengers with their presence in the cabin for the captain's table. The captain wasn't feeling very well and ordered the watch to apologize for it and serve dinner in the cabin. In an hour the ship's doctor diagnosed the captain's death from poisoning. He was found half-naked in the tub.

Robert Wilmott.

The news of the death Wilmotte resounded through the ship. Music and laughter ceased, the Banquet was canceled, and passengers went to their cabins.

In the third hour of the night new York firefighter John Kempf woke up to the smell of burning. He jumped out in a corridor, ran around the deck and found a fire in the room of the ship library. Metal Cabinet full of papers, glowed a strange blue flame. John rushed to the hydrant, but the pressure was not. The man began to knock on the door of the cabin, and the fire, meanwhile, grew rapidly. For some strange reason, fire suppression system malfunctioned.

Senior assistant William Jake, the acting captain, was extremely stupid. Instead of immediately to signal SOS, he waited more than 15 minutes, hoping that the fire will be extinguished. Besides, Jake is not dispatched one of his aides to lead the fire. Fire clumsily fought the passengers themselves. For this, in fact, Jake and received two years in prison.

William Jake.

By dawn, the fully burnt and still smoldering liner only a few people. To Morro Castle was approached by a rescue ship of the U.S. Navy Tampa. Burnt ship was towed to deliver in new York. But during transport, the weather deteriorated, and the tow rope snapped. Morro Castle drifted more than ten hours before he was thrown aground near the beach, the amusement Park in Asbury new Jersey.

The next morning, hundreds of people, upon hearing of the tragedy, came to the beach to stare at the Morro Castle. The owners of the Park took in $ 10 for the right to get on Board. Visitors were given respiratory masks, lanterns and fire boots.

Subsequently, some businessman offered the founders of the company Ward Line to sell the skeleton of the ship for a hundred thousand dollars — he had intended to stage a house of horror. But the owners of the Morro Castle chose to take the ship for scrap metal — the reputation is more expensive.

The tragedy killed 134 people (total on Board were more than 500 passengers and crew members). Expert judgement in a criminal case consisted of 12 volumes. William Jake lost the navigation license and was sentenced to two years in prison, Eban Abbott received four. George Rogers, in turn, suddenly became a national hero, Congress awarded him a gold medal "For bravery".

George Rogers.

Soon, Rogers left the marine service, and went to his hometown, where he became chief of the radio workshop in the police Department. His fame gradually faded, until 1953 it disappeared from radar. Yet again appeared on the front pages, but quite in a different light.

Rogers was accused of murdering 83-year-old typesetter printing house of William Hummel and his daughter Edith. During the investigation unexpectedly revealed some shocking facts. Rogers was a pyromaniac and the cause of the sinking of the liner Morro Castle, he's poisoned the captain Wilmott.

It was found that an hour before the departure of the ship from the captain, seeing the head of the radio station with two bottles of some of the chemicals ordered to throw them overboard. Wilmott, and Rogers has long feuded, and crazy as it turned out, the operator decided to poison the captain. He slipped a strong poison into the food, and when Wilmott died, burned the ship with bombs. He pulled pozorovatelna and spilled gasoline.

Rogers gave a lifetime. Four years later he died in prison from a heart attack.