Maiden voyage of Millionaire's Casino cut short

The maiden voyage of the Millionaire's Casino on Thursday was such a hot time the U.S. Coast Guard was called in. And the electrical system was shut down. An improperly-installed piece of insulation began smoldering just as the boat left the Savannah River and headed to the free-gambling federal waters. The Coast Guard was called in at about 8:30 p.m. The boat was forced to return to dock in downtown Savannah. The incident was just the latest in a string of problems the boat has had in getting operational. "Some news-lady called me up and said 'We hear you were a flame-out out on the ocean,'" said Jim Monaghan, managing partner of the gambling boat. "I said, 'Actually, we were gambling.'" Customers board the Millionaire's Casino boat Thursday on River Street. While passengers' gambling time was cut short Thursday night, Jim Monaghan dealt free passes to come aboard in the next 30 days. Scott Bryant Savannah Morning News Friday, the Coast Guard and the boat's own inspectors went aboard to assess the situation. The insulation, located in the exhaust for the main diesel engine, was noncombustible so it never caught fire and there were no injuries. However, smoke and the steam generated when the fire was put out forced the gaming floors to be cleared of people. The main electrical generator was shut down because the smoke was at first feared to be an electrical fire. "We were out of power for 45 minutes," he said. For more information Call the Millionaire's Casino at 236-2274 for ticket and time details. During that time, the gaming tables were frozen. Video gambling machines had battery back up so customers didn't lose any credits. But Monaghan and the Coast Guard disagree about the engines. Monaghan said the boat was "never without propulsion." Coast Guard Lt. Willie Pittman said the engines were shut down before the boat returned to port. "They were not allowed to go back out until they had their inspection done," he said. Late Friday, the Coast Guard was waiting on a report from the boat's own inspectors before it could go back out with another load of passengers. The incident continued a streak of hard luck for the boat. It has had legal problems with its planned dock-side redemption gaming. Moreover, parking plans at William's Seafood were scrapped by the Georgia Department of Transportation. And inspection troubles that kept the boat dockside. While passengers' gambling time was cut short because of the smoldering insulation, Monaghan dealt free passes to come aboard in the next 30 days.