Category Archives: history

2/11/11

For the last several days, I’ve been glued to cable news any time something’s come out of Egypt. So, naturally, today I was watching when the announcement came — on the heels of yesterday’s false alarm — that the peaceful … Continue reading

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Morro Castle, Part 3: Aftermath

In “Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast,” author Patrick McGilligan states that one of the director’s first projects upon coming to America was “Hell Afloat,” a story based on the 1934 Morro Castle fire. It was to have been … Continue reading

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Morro Castle, Part 2: Rescue At Sea

A short time after 3 in the morning on September 8, 1934, hysteria seemed to have gripped the Morro Castle as surely as the flames that were consuming the ships’s superstructure. Deck B, where the fire had originated in the … Continue reading

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Morro Castle, Part 1: Fire at Sea

Captain Robert Wilmott could recite her vital statistics from memory, and often did as he gave passengers a tour of the T.E.L. Morro Castle’s bridge. 11,520 gross tons. 508 feet from stem to stern. 70 foot beam. Turboelectric motors capable … Continue reading

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