The Morro Castle Disaster Complete Picture Story

booklet

An illustrated booklet titled The MORRO CASTLE Disaster Complete Picture Story. A duplicate of 2020.39.36. The author describes the fire and the individual experiences of several survivors, as well as the rescue efforts. Most striking in this book is the author's eyewitness account of seeing the still-burning ship when it beached at Asbury Park. "The giant hull, once an object of beauty, was a ghastly thing. In great ugly splotches, the paint had burnt off, leaving the bare, red, distorted metal. Fires from the depth of the boat reflected hot and glaring on walls and ceilings. Angry, billowing clouds of smoke were smeared crimson from the same reflected flames." He also describes the local fear that the ship might still come loose and do more damage to the town, including to the new convention hall that was just next to where the ship grounded. This book was written sometime between the September 8, 1934 accident and March 14, 1935, when the ship was towed away from Asbury Park.