Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-02-03
Binns, the Wireless Hero.
Binns thus described the collision:


The shock threw me out of my bunk A
crunching, ripping noise followed as the
Florida's bows crumple6 up on our side.
The panels and side of our cabin fell in.
one panel being smashed to splinters, but
fortunately the wireless apparatus was
unhurt and remained standing. In five
minutes all the lights went out and the
dynamos stopped. | tried to grope my
way to the bridge in order to report to
the captain that my gear was all right:
but, unable to make my way through the
wreckage, returned TO my wrecked cab
| in and Immediately sounded the &C Q d.
signal, which announced TO surrounding
ships the peril OF our position. The cap
| tains steward plloted me through the de-
bris to the captain: then 1 returned and
| flashed this message to our station at
| Siasconsett, on Nantucket island:
THE Republic. We are shipwrecked.
| Stand by for captains message"
| This was the answer that Immediately
| flashed back to US:
| ''All right. old man. Where are your"
| 1t was very dark, but l worked on.
| Later the ships came.
Binns blushed when a young man
who knew him rushed up, wrung his
hand and congratulated him in extrav-
agant terms.
| Why. didn't do anything. 1t was Cap
tain Sealby. Anybody got a cigarette?
/
| Henry j. Tattersall, one of the wire
less operators on the Baltic, was the
man who flashed this pathetic mes
sage:
1 can send no more. I have been con-
stantly at the key without sleep for fifty
| two hours
Yet when asked if he had grown ex-
cited during the ordeal Tattersall re-
Piled:
Excited? Why, no. 1 hadn't time to
| get excited, and even If 1 had don't be-
lieve' there was anything in those mes
sages to excite a wireless operator.
He hadn't slept for days and said he
| felt as though he would never be able
to sleep again.
/ 1 have just got out of the habit of sleep
ing. Maybe will be able to learn again,
but certainly not for awhile yet
Engineers Daring Deed.
But the heroes were not all captains
and wireless operators. The stokers
and engineers had their part. 1t was
imperative to draw the fires to pre-
vent an explosion that would have
sent all to the bottom. Said one Of
the men below:
Now, Fourth Engineer Lagg performed
the most daring act. After the crash he
rushed into the boiler room to his waist
in water and opened all the main feed
checks on the boilers. thus preventing an
explosion. We sprang for the ladders.
There are 16O rungs up through the well
to the boat deck. We climbed these lad
ders to the top deck.
''The American women are magnifi-
cent In their courage cried Henry
Savage Lander, the Englishman who
has travelled much and studied many
peoples and who was a passenger on
the Republic. When gray haired wo.
men and beautiful girls were lifted
from the boats to the Baltic there was
not tear in the eyes of any Of them.
They came aboard with hope and
courage shining In their faces.
i So much for the tragedy. There was
also the humorous side, as there al
ways is where Americans gather.
| Handed Her Big "Rat."
! A woman who had hurried to the
| upper deck of the Republic clad only
in thin wrapper implored the first
man she met to go to her stateroom
: and bring her additional clothing. 1t
= was with a grim smile that she told
2 how the messenger returned to her a
:, few minutes later and handed her z
9. large rat" used In her pompadour.
HE had no idea.' she said, what
! he was offering me, but had simply
grasped In the dark for an article-and
| got it."
y, George F. Merritt Of Boston WAS in