The sun., 1909-01-24

had started TO the rescue. From Boston
came the report that the revenue cutter
Gresham had the news and was leaving
The Mohawk and Seneca, revenue cutters
cruising along the coast, told Gilman
that they had picked up his fash andwert
OF for Nantucket light. ..
THE NEWS SENT TO NEW YORK.
Before the wires over Ginmans head
had ceased their landward conversation
another message came from the Republic
This was from Capt. Sealby, her command
mander. and was addressed to the White
Star Offices in New York. 1t was simply
a duplicate OF the message that had come
to the Siasconset operator after the first
startling &C. q. D." This message was
put on the land wires to New York and
reached the White Star offices at Broad
way long before they we're opened
Later another message sifted in. This
read:
Baltic, 1l5 miles east OF Ambrose
Channel. going to assistance OF Republic.
! The message which was signed by
Capt. Ransom was put on the wires by
the Sasconset operator and messenger
boy ambled into the Whito Star Offices
W th II five minutes after Vice-President
P. A. s. Franklin OF the International
Mercantile Marine Com pany had received
tho telegram from the Republic.
| Soon again the hammock OF wires over
| the head Of the operator on the sand spit
began TO catch the code out Of tho air. The
dots and dashes that sang through the
magnetic detector and into the earpiece
clam ped to the side of Ginman's head
we're from Bnns on the Republic. What
over might have been happening on board
the sinking liner. Binns stuck to his seat
| in the wireless room. and whether he had
10 get his power from the energy gener-
ated by tho donkey engine or by reserve
storage batteries on the boat he was send
ing evenly. calmly. This message was
addressed to the White Star offices and
read
Able TO keep afioat-engine room fuli,
Somewhere out in the fog vas La Lor-
raine of the French Line, steaming west
ward. She had caught the alarm sent
out by the Republic. and again the warn
ing message from Siasconset. capt
Tournier sent wireless to the office
Of his company here: Am going to the
rescue Of the Republic. which Ia sinking
of Nantucket. Heavy fog. Cannot go
to her right away. as we have to take our
bearings
As the morning advanced and the
operator at Siasconset picked UP the mes
sages that were flying from the rescuing
boats to the Republic he could trace upon
his map the movements OF the various
liners away out there in the fog waste.
The I,icania, which was due in New York
this afternoon, was the last to swing into
line. At noon this message from Capt.
War; flashed from the ship to Sasconset
TO be put on the land wires for the Cunard
Offices. at "a State street:
WORD FROM THE LUCANIA.
"Sixty-fve miles east Of Nantucket.
Hope to reach Republic at tP. M
Once near the middle OF the morning
Gilman. who had been giving TO the
anxious folk on land news from the fog
outside, tried the call for the Republic.
-Ck-Ck-Ck- was the code summons he
tapped of on his key and there was no
answer. Finally he got the answering
call Binns was still at his key.
Power of, have to Use storage bat
teries-Ck.- was the word that came
down from the wires overhead. After
that there was a long silence. Here in
New York the people who know about
wireless gathered in little knot In the
Office Of the Marconi Company at 27 Wilt
lam street and tried to constructthe situa-
ton that had hamr cred the talking wires.
With the thrush OF water into the fire rooms
and the shutting of OF the power that
drove the ships dynamos, they said, the
only way that the Republic could keep
her wireless going was by starting up the
donkey engine on the forward deck and
thus supplying power 10 the dynamos
or by substituting storage batteries car
ried in reserve. Either Of these make
shifts would shorten the radius Of her
zone of communication by at least half.
Other ships near at hand might talk to
her after her wireless waves had failed
10 reach the land station ct Siasconset,
That the rescuing boats were rapidly
drawing near and that they themselves
we're able TO communicate with the Re-
public was proved at o clock in the after
noon, when Siasconset got fash from
the Baltic for transmission to the White
Star managers here, The message said
that the Baltic was nearly by the side
of the Republic, which still floated. and
that all Of the latter's passengers had
been removed in safety to the Italian
steamer Florida.
FIRST NEWS OF THE pLoRIDAs CONDITION.
The first rumor that the Italian steamer
Florida was herself damaged, whether
through collision with the Republic in
the morning or subsequent disaster,
came to the Marine Exchange from the
operator at Siasconset about o'clock
It had come from another boat, since
the Italian was not equipped with wire
less, and it was hazy and inoonclusive.
Then at GAS O'Clock came this to
the White Star Offices. which threw the
first light upon the situation out beyond
the fog curtains edge. The message
read:
Florida in bad shape; steering for