In what is being called the worst civilian maritime disaster in recent memory, the Good Ship Lollipop sank Tuesday after catching fire killing 91 of the 118 passengers on board, among them former child actress turned US diplomat Shirley Temple. According to coast guard captain David Kochner, who had arrived on the scene an hour after it sank, the vessel was taking a 'sweet trip to the candy shop' when one of the engines apparently caught fire spreading smoke and flames quickly thru out the ship, which was made entirely of gingerbread. Sources close to the Cracker Jack Shipping Corp., owner of the ill fated craft, said the Lollipop was headed for Peppermint Bay where the passengers were to be treated to unlimited amounts of bon-bons, chocolate bars, lemonade, tootsie rolls and devil's food cake. Eyewitnesses from a passing ship said the anguished cries of those on board the Lollipop could be heard for miles. “The sound of people crying and screaming for their lives will live with me till the day I die”, said Jackie Biltman, a passenger of the nearby ship. US Marine Insurance Co. which is the insurance underwriter for the Lollipop is suing the Cracker Jack Shipping Co. because they claim the Lollipop was built of substandard materials and that the design of the ship was 'shoddy at best'.
The precocious Ms. Temple, 85, was aboard the boat with her private nurse, Jan Hackbarth who said the actress was recouping from a diabetic coma which she had been in since November of 2013. “We all thought the rest and relaxation would do her good”, she said. “I was a bit concerned about her being around all that sugar but she assured me that she would strictly follow her diet regimen. She couldn't make it to the life boats because the other passengers were so hopped up on all the sugar they had ingested at the 24 hour dessert bar on board the ship that they just pushed their way to the head of the line", she said.
Reports from the Channel 7 news helicopter indicated that a debris field of candy wrappers, animal crackers, whipping cream and chocolate frosting covered the water for a half a mile but no bodies have yet been recovered.
Hollywood will pay tribute to Shirley Temple on Saturday with a marathon of her movies playing around the clock. Anyone with diabetes is cautioned to limit their exposure to not more than two of her films.