After James Logan pumped 25 gallons of gas into his 35-foot cabin cruiser The Unbearables at the Marina City marina on October 9, 1965, he couldn’t get the boat started. He used a 110-volt charger to turn over the engine and that’s when the boat exploded.

Lingering gas fumes were ignited by sparks from the charger. Logan and his two passengers, Sue Kauffman and Mary Fully, jumped into the river but only after they had been burned – Logan on his hands, face, and head, the two women on their legs. They were taken to Wesley Memorial Hospital.

The explosion also injured David Adler, who was in a boat next to The Unbearables. He was struck by flying glass. He said there was a powerful explosion in the engine compartment of Logan’s boat. He saw the sides of the boat disintegrate and the roof of the cabin lift into the air. He threw rescue lines to the three people in the water, then pushed the burning boat further out into the river.

While extinguishing the fire, which destroyed the entire top portion of the boat, two fire fighters were injured when a fire hose broke. Fireman Carl Liss suffered neck injuries. Lieutenant Ado Warren suffered injuries to his wrist and hand. Damage to the boat was estimated at $10,000.

Polyphony II

Austrian sculptor Egon Weiner (1906-1987) created Polyphony II to symbolize the rhythm and motion of a conductor’s baton as he directs an orchestra. Made of bronze, the 12-foot sculpture was dedicated November 1, 1965, on the plaza level of Marina City, just above the ice skating rink. About 20 people attended the dedication ceremony, including Weiner (left in photo), Rep. Frank Annunzio (1915-2001, right in photo), and city planning commissioner Ira Bach.

Richard Hauff, Marina City resident and a “friend of ours”

Richard Hauff (1935-2001) was an Iranian who struck it rich in Chicago. His line of work was scams. And he lived at Marina City.

His luck ran out on November 15, 1965, when he was arrested in Schiller Park, northwest of Chicago, by FBI agents. He was charged with trying to cheat would-be investors in a Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Hauff claimed he owned land on which the 14-million dollar hotel and casino would be built. He allegedly took $60,000 from investors, including a former assistant maitre d’ who was told he would manage the hotel in exchange for his investment of $19,000.

Chicago newspapers described Hauff as having longtime ties to organized crime. Handsome, suave, well-dressed, and often seen in the company of starlets like Zsa Zsa Gabor. He was born Hosang Torvan. After being orphaned, an American soldier found him wandering in the hills of Iran. He adopted the boy, then six years old, and brought him to Arlington Heights, a northwest suburb.

Now known as Richard Hauff, he had a knack for golf and worked as a caddie at Mount Prospect Country Club, a suburban club said to be frequented by local mobsters. Still in his 20s, Hauff was promoted from caddie to owner of the club.

Hauff was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on three swindling charges, plus income tax evasion. He was killed by a jealous husband in the kitchen of an Indiana restaurant he opened after getting out of prison.