September 8, 1934: The Morro Castle Fire

September 8, 1934: The cruiseliner SS Morro Castle burns and sinks, killing 135 people, off the coast of Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Launched in 1930, the ship was run by Agwi Navigation Lines, and regularly sailed between New York City and Havana. Before 1959 and the revolution of Fidel Castro, Cuba, especially its capital city of Havana, was considered a resort for America's rich. And in the days before air travel was considered safe, cruise ships were the way to go to islands that couldn't be reached by train or automobile. The ship was named for a castle built in Havana by their former colonial overlords, the Spanish Empire.

On September 5, the Morro Castle set out from Havana to New York. On September 7, a storm began brewing, and when the rain started, many crewmembers retired early to their berths. Among them was the Captain, Robert Rennison Willmott. He had his dinner delivered to his quarters, rather than dining with his officers.

Shortly thereafter, he complained of stomach pain. Shortly after that, he died. Chief Officer William Warms was forced to assume command. As Midnight and September 8 came, the winds increased past 30 miles per hour.

At around 2:50 AM, the ship was 8 nautical miles -- the limit of a country's jurisdiction being 3 miles, until a 1982 United Nations agreement made it 12 miles -- off the coast of New Jersey's Long Beach Island. That's when a fire was detected in a storage locker on B Deck. Within 20 minutes, the fire had burned through the ship's main cables. This ended all electrical power, including the radio. The hydraulic lines were also severed by the fire, costing everyone the ability to steer the ship.

Of the ship's 12 lifeboats, only 6 could be launched. The sea was still rough, but the passengers pretty much had the choice to jump or burn. Some people tossed deck chairs and life rings overboard, to act as makeshift flotation devices. Several boats came to the rescue, but the rough sea made that difficult. Out of 549 people on board, 135 died.

There is a theory that the ship had been used to smuggle things between New York and Havana and back, and that the fire was purposely set to disguise this, and that the Captain was killed to silence him. Of course, Prohibition had ended 9 months earlier, so if they were transporting liquor, that wouldn't have been very profitable. And, of course, this was long before the embargo on Cuban products such as cigars. So this theory might not be accurate.

Less than 3 years later, less than 30 miles to the southwest, at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Ocean County, the zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and crashed, killing 36 people.

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September 8, 1934 was a Saturday. The NFL and NHL seasons hadn't started yet, most college football teams hadn't started their seasons, yet, and the NBA hadn't been founded yet.

In baseball, the entire American League played that day, but the entire National League did not:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Lou Gehrig, George Selkirk and Tony Lazzeri hit home runs in support of Johnny Broaca.

* The Cleveland Indians swept a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox at League Park in Cleveland. The Tribe won the opener 5-1, and the nightcap 3-2.

* A doubleheader was split at Navin Field in Detroit. The Philadelphia Athletics won the 1st game, 4-3. The Detroit Tigers won the 2nd game, 2-1. The ballpark was expanded into its familiar configuration in 1938, and renamed Briggs Stadium. It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.

* The Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-1 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

So what was up with the National League? The storm that hit the Northeast postponed some games. The Brooklyn Dodgers were supposed to host the St. Louis Cardinals at Ebbets Field. The game was moved to September 21, as part of a doubleheader.

The Cards won the opener, 13-0. Jay "Dizzy" Dean pitched a 3-hit shutout. The nightcap was a 3-0 Cardinal win, and Dizzy's brother, Paul "Daffy" Dean pitched a no-hitter. (Diz liked his nickname. Daff hated his.) Although Dizzy made the Hall of Fame, and had plenty of accomplishments to brag about, and did brag about them, a no-hitter was one that eluded him. He said afterward, "Gee, Paul, if I'd a-known you was gonna throw a no-hitter, I'd a-thrown one, too."

On September 7, the New York Giants wrapped up a series against the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds. On September 9, they started a home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And the Giants played only 153 games that season, instead of the standard 154.

Since it would have been very odd not to play on a Saturday, when most people weren't working and thus a high attendance could be expected, and there is no notation in the remainder of the Giants', Cubs' or Pirates' schedules, it is reasonable to conclude that there was a game set for September 8, but it got rained out, and it wasn't necessary to reschedule it.

Likewise, the Philadelphia Phillies played only 149 games that season, but none between a September 5 win over the Cincinnati Reds and a September 9 loss to the Cardinals. It seems likely that the storm that helped end the cruising life of the Morro Castle also canceled the game they had scheduled for September 8. The Boston Braves are also not listed as playing that day, so the storm may have rained them out, too.

Also, Arsenal drew with Leeds United, 1-1 at Elland Road in Leeds, Yorkshire.