Please Join Our Book Signing
Sunday, July 8, 2012 – 1 pm to 4 pm at the Asbury Galleria
Located in the Convention Hall Arcade, AP, NJ
For the newly released
“INFERNO at SEA”
by Gretchen F. Coyle & Deborah C. Whitcraft
Legendary 20th Century maritime disaster on the Jersey Shore is recalled
in new book.
It was the great disaster of the 1930s, a horrific experience for all
those aboard the ill-fated liner Morro Castle. Returning to New York from
exotic, anything-goes Cuba, the luxurious cruise ship was filled with
passengers finding an escape from the Great Depression. But after the parties
ended
and guests were packing their belongings preparing for their arrival home
in the morning, the ship became a scene of panic as a raging fire quickly
spread, killing 137 and sending many overboard. The aftermath literally
floated into public view – center-stage on the beach at Asbury Park, where the
Jersey Shore resort town filled with rescuers, press, and gawking curiosity
seekers from throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The smoldering,
stranded ship quickly became a tourist attraction; hawkers sold souvenirs and
photographs, and the dramatic story filled front pages for weeks.
Controversy and intrigue surrounded the mysterious death of the captain, as
well as
the cause of the fire itself, and much of the mystery has endured for nearly
eighty years. But for many of those who survived the tragedy, it was a
closed subject; they rarely spoke of the events, and held the awful memories
away from loved ones. In Inferno at Sea -- a large-format hardcover,
filled with never-before-seen photographs -- we finally hear those personal
accounts. Survivors tell their stories, family and friends share narratives of
those lost that night, rescuers and volunteers all contribute to give us a
rare glimpse into the events of September 8, 1934. The fading, maritime
mystery of the Morro Castle fire remains, but those closest to the disaster
speculate about what really happened, and we gain a new perspective on a
famous and tragic New Jersey shipwreck.
Scheduled for release July 5, 2012, this new book is also the culmination
of passionate interest and research for co-authors and maritime historians
Deb Whitcraft and Gretchen Coyle. Ms Whitcraft is a former mayor of Beach
Haven, N.J. and the president and founder of the New Jersey Maritime Museum
established five years ago in Beach Haven. The museum’s collection of
artifacts and documents of New Jersey maritime history – forty years in the
making – contains the most extensive documentation and collection of
artifacts,
photographs, and memorabilia from the Morro Castle.
Steve Herman, 805 6th ave, AP
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