The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-02-10

New York City.-Captatn William
I. Sealby, of the wrecked White Star
liner Republic, told the story of the
disaster. One thing he did not tell
was why he had elected to stay with
his ship until it sank. Being an off,
Ger of the Royal Naval Reserve and
a commander for the White Star,
Captain Sealby presupposed that this
act needed no explanation.
Before 6 o'clock on Sunday night
we knew that the Republic would
never live to reach Martha's Vine
yard" was the way Captain Sealby
began his tale. by 7 o'clock she
was way down in the stern, and wal
lowing with long, painful rolls, that
meant there was very little more life
left in her. Williams (R. J. Will
Jams, the second of1cer) and I stood
on the bridge and kept our eyes
ahead on the lights Of the Gresham
and Seneca, which were towing. The
ship was so low in the stern that the
waves were breaking over her at that
point and the water vas smashing
clear I'D to the ladder of the saloon
deck aft.
"I think it must have been just
about s o'clock when we both saw
that she was going to drop under US
within a very few minutes. First
thing we did was to prepare a Holmes
distress light, which burns when it
touches water. This we left on the
bridge with US so that when we went
down the men On the revenue cutters
could be directed to the spot where
the Republic went down. While we
were working over the light Will
Jams, who has a bit Of sporting blood
in him. joked about u situation.
"'What do you make of 1t, Will
iams?' I had asked him.
"I don't think it will be a long
race to the bottom he laughed.
When you are ready let her so and
we'll make a sprint Of it.
Before we had finished with the
Holmes light we began to hear a a
ing and cracking Of the deck seams
back of us. 1t was the air driving
out ahead Of the advancing water.
That is the last call Of a sinking ship.
I directed Williams to burn two blue
lights. the signal to the revenue cut
tiers that we were going down and for
them to cast off. Then I let loose
five shots with my revolver.
1--WE were going down steadily
then and pretty fast. I yelled at
Williams to make foI the fore rig
ging. We both dropped down the
ladder to the saloon deck, each carry
ing a blue light in n hand. BY the
time our feet touched the saloon deck
1t was at an angle Of nearly thirty
degrees, wet and slippery. We could
not keep Jul feet, so we grabbed the
rail and crawled. The water was
rushing up on us from behind and
the explosions and rending of the tim
bers from 'midships told US that al
ready the stern was under water.
I'VE had reached the forecastle
head when Williams slipped to the
deck and grabbed a post of the rail
with his elbow. That was the last l.
saw of him until after it was over. l
managed to get forward to the fore
mast and! to climb the rigging as far
as the forward running light, about
100 feet up. Below me about nalf
of the ship was visible and she was
tipped up like a rocking chair about
to go over backward.
my blue light would not burn be-
cause it had become wet. I fred one
more shot from my revolver, the last.
Then everything dropped and [ YVES
in the water with the foremost slt-
ping down beside me like an elevator
plunger.
There was a boiling, yeasty mass
of water about me and a great
ing. I went under, but came up
again, for the air had gathered un-
der my greatcoat and buoyed me ZIP.
I guess I went around spinning for a
timet then I hit a spar. FROM the
spar I managed to get to hatch cover.
Things were flying around in the wat
er and I came near being badly
banged up before I managed to pull
my body up on the hatch cover and
lie there all spread out with nothing
but my head and shoulders above the
waves.
'sJt was very cold. I saw the