Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-02-03

New York Ctty.-Captain William
!. Sealby, of the wrecked White Star
liner Republic, told the story of the
disaEtcr. One thing he did not tell
was why he had elected to stay with
his ship until it sank. Being an Off
Ger of the Royal Naval Reserve and
a. commander for the White Star,
Captain Sealby presupposed that this
act needed no explanation.
Before s o'clock on Sunday night
we knew that the Republic would
never live to reach Martha's Vine
yard" was the way Captain Sealby
began his tale. "By Z o'clock she
was way down in the stern, and wal
lowing with long, painful rolls, that
meant there was very little more life
left in her. Williams (R. ]. Will
Jams. the second offcer) and l stood
on the bridge and kept our eyes
ahead on the lights Of the Gresham
and Seneca. which were towing. The
ship was so low in the stern that the
waves were breaking over her at that
Point and the water was swashing
clear up to the ladder of the saloon
deck aft.
"I think 1t must have been just
about s o'clock when we both saw
that she was going to drop under US
within very few minutes. First
thing we did was to prepare Holmes
distress light, which burns when 1t
touches water. This we left on the
bridge with us SO that when we went
down the men on the revenue cutters
could be directed to the spot where
the Republic went down. While we
were working over the light Will
Jams, who has bit Of sporting blood
In him. joked about our situation.
"'What do.syou make of 1t, Will
iams?' I had asked him.
"I don't think 1t will be long
race 10 the bottom he laughed.
When you4are ready let her so and
we'll make a spriEt of it,.
Before we had finished with the
Holmes light we began to- hear roar
ing and cracking Of the deck seams
back of us. It was the air driving
ont ahead of the advancing water.
That is the last call Of a sinking ship.
7 directed Williams to burn two blue
lights, the signal to the revenue cut
tiers that we were going down and Tor
them to cast off. Then I let loose
five shots with my revolver.
eve were going down steadily
then and pretty fast I yelled at
Williams to make for the fore rig
ging. We both dropped down the
ladder 10 the saloon deck. each carry-
ing blue light in one hand. by the
time our feet touched the saloon deck
it was at an angle of nearly thirty
degrees. wet and slippery. Wn could
not keep our feet. so we grabbed the
rail and crawled. The water was
rushing up OH Us from behind and
the explosions and rending of tic tim
bers from 'midships told us that al
ready the stern was under water.
eve had reached the forecastle
head when Williams slipped to the
deck and grabbed post of the rail
with his elbow. That was the last l
saw of him until after It was over. l
managed to get forward to the fore
mast and to climb the rigging as far
as the forward running light, about
100 feet up.i, Below me about half
of the ship was visible and she was
tipped up like a rocking chair about
to 20 over backward.
"My blue light would not burn be-
cause it had become wet. I fred one
more shot from my revolver, the last.
Then everything dropped and I was
in the water with the foremast slih-
ping down beside me like an ele7ator
plunger.
"There was boiling. yeasty mass
of water about me and great roar
ing. went under, but came up
again, for the air had gathered un-
der my greatcoat and buoyed me up,
] guess l went around spinning for
time: then hit spar. From the
spar managed to get toa hatch cover.
Things were flying around in the vat
er and came near being bndly
banged up before | managed to pull
my body up on the hatch cover and
lie there ali spread out with nothing
but my head and shoulders above the
waves.