Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-26
ACCOUNT OF SURVIVOR
Passengers Aroused From
Sleep by Crash.
THlNLY-CLAD WOMEN Wall
Fears Revived With Order for Trans.
fer of Passengers.
TWICE ON SEA IN SMALL BOATS
Two Fall Overheard in Removal to
Baltic in Heavy Sea-Wounded
Man Remains on Florida.

NEW YORK. January .i.-As the
steamer Baltic. carrying passengers
from the steamers Republic and Flor,-
da. lay at anchor three miles east Of the
Ambrose channel Yesterday an Assoc
ciated Press tug ran along and sue
cedded in opening communication WIFI
Fl. j. Hover of Spokane. Wash. one of
the Republics passengers.
Mr.. Hover and wife had planned an
extended automobile trip abroad and
Were outward bound Oh the Republic
when she was rammed by the Florida
Saturday morning.
Through the megaphone Mr.. Hover
described the transfer of the passcH-
gers from the Republic and later from
the Florida to the Baltic.
The transfer of Scantily dressed aud
frightened men and women from tie
Florida lasted twelve hours. beginning
at $ o'clock Saturday night and ending
at O'Clock yesterday morning. Dur
ing the night the Searchlights of tie
Baltic Illuminated the sea. making A
weird picture as boatload after boat:oai
We're safely gotten on board the Balti'
Two of the Republic passengers
tumbled into the sea while being PLACED
In boat. They were promptly rcs-
cued.
Florida Got Away.
Mr.. Hover said the injury to the Re-
public was abaft midships on the port
side just forward of the center hatch.
Staterooms 81 and % were stove by the
bow of the Florida, which itildr@y
from the gap almost instantly and van
lshed In the mist aStern. leaving one -
her anchors in the wreckage of the de.
n n
The impact and withdra wal were SO
swift that no one aboard the Repubii,,
had chance to identity the steamship.
In half an hour. however, summoned by
the distress blasts of the Republic the
Florida picked her way through the
murk and came alongside.
Capt. Sealby had his own boats lowered.
In these and those Of the Florida all the
passengers Of the wounded liner were put
aboard the Florida This operation took
two hours in placid sea
Among the wounded put on the Italian
liner was Eugene Lynch. whose wife hal
peen killed in their stateroom on the Re-
pubic. Mr. Lynch'S leg was broken in
three places and he was otherwise in
Jured. AS it was considered unsafe to
transfer him to the Baltic he was left in
charge of the Florida's surgeon.
Mr.. Hover said there was little panic
aboard the Republic. although many cam.
on deck in their night clothes. The disci-
pine OF the crew was perfect.
All in Bed at Time.
The collision. he said. occurred between
3 and o'clock SATURDAY morning, when
every one was in bed 4 great many pas
sengers were thrown from their hunks by
the crash and many rushed wildly on
deck in their bare feet
With the return of tie Florida the trans
Ter or passengers began. Carrying out III.
rigid rule of the sea. the women were
hna fC in,
all We're safely on board the Florida.
That ship was terribly crowded, how
ever. At the conference between the cap
talns OF the Florida and the Baltic II Was
decided that another transfer of pas
senSers was necessary. Accordingly this
second hazardous undertaking was begun
While the sea had been smooth during
the transfer of passengers from the Re-
public to the Florida. the waters were
now rough. Tie operation was neces-
sarlly more dangerous and of longer dura-
ton.
Thinly dressed passengers crowded 10
the. Baltic $ rail and watched the work.
Those who remained on the Florida wait
ing for the next boatload saw their con-
panfons lifted safely to the new maven.
1t was during this that the two pas
sengers fell overheard. but were rescued
little the worse for their experience.
MI. Hover's Account.
Pieced out into a continuous story, the
account of the collision as related to the
reporters by Mr.. Hover was as follows:
THE shock came when all the passen.
gers of the Republic and most of her
crew were asleep. Mrs. Hover and /, like
most Of the RepublicS passengers. wee
awakened by being violently thrown
against the side OF Our hunks.
THE shock was terrific. Outside in the
passaseway ] could hear the sound OF
running feet From the deck above came
SlOntinc M
Il turned on the electric light Hastily
an OVerSarment over us. Mrs.
Hover and I made our way. bareheaded
and barefoo sed to the music room on the
promenade deck
Meanwhile the alarm songs were
all over the ship. Stewards We're
going from stateroom 10 stateroom.
arouSlng pasSe myers.
BY the time we got to the music ROOM
the place was full of men and women
some with nothing over them but the
clothes in which they had been asleep.
others wrapped i'm ships blankets and
with fear and shivering with the cold
The women huddled together some weep
ing, d few hysterical.
Getting Lifeboats Ready. :
Most of the mcn rushed out on deck
10 ascertain what the trouble was There.
we found the crew of the Republic taxi
ing the tarpaulins from the lifeboats and
standing by ready TO swing out the.
la wits.
There was no sign of any other ship
anywhere. The fog horn of the Republic
was Letting out shrill blasts, but there
was answering whistle.
Il don't know how long We were left to-
wonder what had happened. Finally the.
second officer informed us that there wase
no danger of the vessel going under. The
najority became composed upon hearing
this.
Some women were still beside them.
selves and refused to return to their state,
rooms to dress. Their clothes had to be-.
brought to them from their cabins. In.
ess than half hour. however, mostly.
every one had managed to get clothed.
After little We heard an answering
whistle. The Florida came up, looming.
out of the fog on our starbOard quarter.
There was an exchange of questions
and answers between the two captains,
rhe injury to the Republic having been:
discovered more serious than was at first
were told We were to be-
to the Florida.
This announcement caused more terror
han had the shock of the collision event.
)ut after a while comparative calm was