The Washington herald., 1909-01-24
CRASH IN FOG.
Continued from Page One.

thrilling story that Ieaped through the
darkness and the fog. before the sun lii
up the seas: a tale that was told in dots
and dashes
Other Steamers Lend Aid.
All through the day until late tonight
the wireless kept whispering more and
more Of what was going on away out in
the fog of Nantucket; OF how the Flor
ida drove her steel bow into the star
board plates Of the Republic; how the
passengers scrambled aboard the Italian
as best they could; how the Republic.
terribly crushed. settled lower and lower
in the water: how her captain and Off
GERS stayed on board; how the wireless
operator. Binns. glued himself 20 his key
and soUnder. receiving and sending,
catching every tiny whisper OF hope and
encouragement that foated out Of the
fog; how the big liners came up one by
one, searching through the gray void for
the two troubled ships. how the little
revenue cutters and a black snake OF q
torpedo boat drawn by the wireless from
the coast Of Newfoundland, slipped
through the fog walls and called cheenly
that they were about Uncle Sans bust
ness.
And written between these messages
for the imagination to seize upon and
make clear were volumes as thrilling as
any sea story ever written
The Republic, comparatively a new
steamship. though not q particularly fast
one, dropped away from the White Star
pier in the North River at O'Clock on
Friday afternoon. on d winter cruise in
the Mediterranean She had 81 passen-
gers in her first cabin, people from New
York City, Boston. Baltimore, Philadel-
phia. and other Eastern cities, and from
the West, who we're booked for the pleas
ure voyage, very gay in the prospect AZ
forded by weeks OF sailing in the warm
Mediterranean.
Prominent People Aboard.
Gen. Brayton Ives. former president Of
The New York stock Exchange: James
B Connolly, writer OF sea tales; Prof
John u. Coulter. OF the University OF
Chicago: Mrs Alice Morse Earl. the
author; Samuel Cupples, a rich merchant
OF St. Louis: James Cockroft. an author
and publisher OF this city, and Mrs Her
bert L. GTiggs. the wife Of q New York
banker. were a few OF the first cabin
passengers IN the steerage the Republic
carried 81. OF whom 80 were hoHewaTd-
bound Italians whose relatives had sUf-
fered from the earthquake. They were
going TO Sicily and Calabris-
The first port Of call for the Republic
was Ponta Delgada. IN the Azores, where
she was due on January 2. She would
have reached Gibraltar on February ?.
where 800 tons Of naval stores for the
use Of the battle feet we're 10 have been
unloaGed. Later she would have touched
az Genoa Naples. and Alexandria. Egypt
The cruise was scheduled for two months
The Republic. once outside the Hook.
took the common road OF the liners-the
course that swings them around 10 the
southeast OF the Nantucket lightship and
starts them on the long stretch across
the Atlantic
Il was about I O'Clock in the morning.
when the vessel was of Nantucket light
snip. that the Republic suffered the
crushing blow that all but sank her. The
bow Of a great ship. blurred by the mist.
lifted itself out Of nothing and came down
like a trip-hammer on the starboard side
OF the Republic. There was not half &
minutes warning OF the danger that the
fog concealed The wireless told that
much Of the story In two words
Capt. Sealby gave the call 10 quarters.
and II was Obeyed with the discipline Of
a man-of-war. Every man. from the
first officer 10 the Italian stewards.
jumped 10 HIS place The boats were
lowered and men were told of 10 guard
them officers and stewards took I'D the
task OF getting the passengers out Of
their cabins and assembling them on
deck with the least possible delay and
confusion OF how frightened the pas
sengers were. or Of how much OF a panic