The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-24
STAR STEAMER RAMMED AT SEA Thrilling Escape of Pas
 sengers. TIE VESSEL IS ABANDONED
 s-- Crew Stood by the Boat to the
 End. < -----s-- Struck 3. A. U.k.ew. vs=se,scs Ns.- tucket Islaaa and Mnny Craft ! weat Te Her Aia.
TIE VESSEL IS ABANDONED

-e--~~~----~- 5-
 Boston, Mass. Jan. 2s-The White Star Line steamer Republic. bound from New York to the Mediterranean, hay ing on board 7sl persons, of whom 2s0 were -Ameriean cabin passengers. was rammed during a thick fog at SEQ q. m. today by an unknown vessel of Nam tucke Island, and only escaped imnie- diate sinking by the prompt closing of her water-tight compartments.
 All of her passengers. including 211 In the steerage. were transferred three hours after the accident to the Italian steamer Florida, bound from Naples to New York, but the officefs and crew of the Republic refused to leave the ship so long as there was q chance of keep ing her afioat. sk a
 Wireless tsfegraphy played an im- portant part in the, accident to the Re- public, for 1t summoned about hersin . few hours a fleet of three large ocean iiners--La Lorraine, of the French Line; The Baltic, of the White Star Line, and the Cunarder, Lucania. It is apparent that the Florida must have been between thirty or forty miles or her course in being anywhere near ;, the Republic. as the eastbound and west bound steamer lanes here, are this dis tance apart. Calls For Aid. As soon as the Republic had been struck and the extent of the damage had become known. wireless calls for assistance were sent broadcast over the Atlantic. All vessels within range of the mysterious pulsations were asked to hasten to the scene.
 The call for help which the Repub- -1itc has been. sending into space was first recorded on land at the Charlestown Navy Yard at 8 o'cioc kthis morning It said:s gro Revenue Cutter Gresham. Boston: "SteAfner Republic. in distress and sinking, Latitude 70 IT, longitude TO, twenty-six miles southeast of Nan The~ Gresham was not at the navy yard but Intercepted the aflp cal n ErQY- incetown harber. sne started ttnmedl- ately for Nsntucket- Other wireless aIs- 1nd 'in d short time the cutter Acuenet was on her way out ffefn Woods Hole: the Mohawk. another revenue cutter, had starte dffoni New Bedford and the Seneca. had been ordered out from New london. Conn - ses7ls4 The Mohawk soon ran aground, Wn'ls &the Acusnet did not get outside of vine. yard Sound and later came back to as. vist another vessel in distress f5 Tn the meantime, the Baltic ana La Lorraine. both of which had passed the Republic few hours earlier and were speeding Into. New York. needed the call for assistance and put about.
 The Lucania. which was to the east ward of Nantucket Hghtship. also catching the message out of the air. hit up her speed and pressed on, to the as. sistance of the Republic.
 The collision being -arnidships al most immediately flooded the engine Al. M a~ nR rendered her absolutely helpless. For tunateiy her Wireless equipment was we'll suplied with storage batteries. ond these were used for more than six hours. until they gradually became exhausted. After that recourse to sig nalling by means of submarine bells waH adopted.
 Transfer Of PassenEers.
 Tn the middle of the forenoon tke transfer of passengers to the Florida was made and although the fog was very dense. unusually calm weather North Atlantic enabled the transfer to be made without accident. Only hu- man beings were taken in the hte- boats which made the passage between the two vessels. all baggage being left on board the Republic.
 : 1v noon the Baltic and La Lorraine were close to the scene of the col- lision but owing to the dense fog were unable to locate the Republic, al- though the submarine bells could be heard frequently.
 thousands of friends of the passen- gers on board. many of whom had be- sieRed the ofiices of the White Star Line, were somewhat allayed by the re- ceipt of more reassuring message from the captain which read as lfoi- "steamship Republic. of Nantucket. when twenty1six miles south of Nan tuclxet lIghtship this morning, was run into by an unknown vessel Engine room full 0; water. Can remain afioat' No danger. No lives lost.
 Ieigned.1 "Sealby, Captain"
 After this came the still more en- couraging report that the Florida had taken of the passengers without ac- cident. The Florida Is about two thirds the size of the Republic and four years old.
 The Republics passengers found 900 returning Italians. many of them sur Vfvors of the earthquake. on board the Florida, which left Naples on Jan uary 3.
 the prompt closing of her watertight commandments which kept her afoat and undoubtedly saved the lives of many of those on board. Late in the afternoon 1t was learned from the Bal fiC that these GOluPAtiAhcAta were Stltl hoidinE the sesg%, above water, but that the bulkheads and compartment doors were under a fearful strain and were likely to give way at any mo- ment.
 Notwithstanding this the crew clung bv the ship In the hope that the Baltic or the Lucania, and perhaps the La Lorraine would come alongside and take them of.
 The Republic was launched as the Co., lumbus from the Harlan and Wolff yards at Belfast, Ireland ,early in 1903. and made her first trip across the At lantic. the following October. The steamer's name was changed to the Republic at the time she became one of the White star fleet, when that com pany acquired the Boston business and ships of the Dominion Line, five years ago.
 feet beam, and had a draft of twenty four feet. She registered 15s37S tons gross and is equipped with twin screws, giving her a speed of sixteen knots.
 Pansengers Transferred.
 Nantucket, Mass, Jan. 2S.--The pas sengers of the White Star liner Re-