Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-25
PALATIAL LINER
REPUBLIC SINKS
Off NANTUCKET
MAGNIFICENT VESSEL GOES
DOWN IN DEEP SEA
MANY TRAGIC FEATURES CHAR
ACTERIZE LAST SCENES
Passengers Safe on Steamer Baltic,
Which Now Carries 2272 Per-
sons-SeVen Ships Aid in
Rescue
NJ EW YORK, Jan. 24-The palatial
ocean ship Republic of the White

ocean snip ft0puDllC OIL TIE w IlIS
- Star line, which was in collision
with the Italian liner Florida early
Saturday morning off Nantucket, Mass,
went down at $50 tonight.
Six lives were lost. Her passengers,
taken off many hours before, are on
the Baltic, which was off Sandy Hook
at late hour, making for this port.
The Republic was in tow of the rev.
enue cutter Gresham, and the derelict
destroyer Seneca, proceeding to New
York, when she sank.
On board was Captain Sealby, with a
volunteer detail Of the crew They
had towed but a short distance when
she began to settle rapidly.
Seeing no hope of saving the ship
Captain Sealby gave the order to aban-
Don the ship, and the crew was taken
off by the Gresham. which cast loose
from the crippled liner and stood by
Until she sank beneath the waves.
The drama of the sea, which for more
than twenty-four hours has held the
attention Of the world, and has not
been without tragic features, ran
through its last sensational scenes with
the coming of a Sundays dawn, and
tonight had it's fortunate-though not
bappy-ending
The ramming of the White Sar liner
Republic early Saturday emorning by
the Italian liner Florida off Nantucket,
Mass, has been followed by a series of
events constituting one of the most re-
markable ocean mishaps on record.
Seven Liners Aid
Not fewer than seven ocean liners
the Baltic, New York, Furnessia, La
Lorraine and Lucania, and the two
crippled steamers Florida and Repub-
lic-fgure in the stirring story.
Some 442 passengers and members of
the crew of the Republic have under
gone two transfers on the open sea,
first to the crippled Florida early Sat-
urday morning and early today to the
more commodious Baltic, which is
bringing also the 300 and more pas
sengers from the disabled Florida.
With this great cargo of rescued
human beings, besides her own $50
passengers, the Baltic will soon ar
rive off Sandy Hook
The Florida, her bow bent from the
terrific impact with the Republic, is
slowly steering, under her own steam,
for this port, conveyed by the Ameri-
can liner New York.
Until an early hour today it was
believed no one was killed or injured,
but shortly after midnight the wire
less telegraph-that mysterious force
which had apprised the world of the
Il0puUl1C QISlIGSS-lldSIlSu Lie NEWS
that two passengers on the Republic
d been killed and two injured.
Late in the day another wireless mes
sage told of four deaths on board the
Flori ;, either of members Of the crew
or of steerage passengers. The iden-
-ity of these was not given.
Those Who Were Killed
The message from Capt Ransom of
the Baltic to the White Star company
in this city gave the names of the dead
passengers as Mrs. Eugene Lynch of
Boston and w. J. Mooney, a banker
of Langdon, N. D.
The injured were Mrs. M. M. Murphy
wife Of the financial agent of the Union
Central Life Insurance company OF
Grand Forks, n. D., and Eugene Lynch
of Boston.
How the passengers of the Republic
were killed, or the nature of the in
juries to Mrs. Murphy and Mrs Lynch,
is not known by officials of the White
Star line, who have communicated with
relatives of the dead and injured.
Mr.. Mooney and his wife were with
Mr.. and Mrs. Murphy, bound on a
pleasure trip from the west to the Med
iterranean, and occupied state rooms on
the port side.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lynch occupied an ad-
joining state room. The company can
not understand how the passengers
were killed or injured in that part OF
the Republic, which, it is understood,
was struck amidShips.
Fitful news of the disaster comes
from numerous wireless stations along
the New, England coast line.
The story, though brief, in potent
measures told how the passengers of
the Republic and Florida spent many
anxious and uncomfortable hours fol-
1OI1r inc hn and
o'clock this morning, when all were safe
on the Baltic, did they have a feeling
of security.
After the transfer Of the passengers
from the Republic to the Florida,
which had no accommodations for the
400 and more additional to her already
heavy list. Captain VoItolin fthe Ital-
ian ship gave orders to stand by until
further help arrived.
Effects of Collision
An examination of the Florida
showed that her cutwater and bow had
been crumbled as if she had crashed
into a stone wall, and her two forward
compartments were filled with water.
The Florida. however, showed no
signs of sinking. though she was slight
ly down at the head.
It was deemed best at a late hour
to transfer not only the Republics
passengers, but all those on board tho
Florida.
Shortly before midnight the retrans-
fer of the passengers from the Florida
to the Baltic was begun. Fortunately
the sea was placid.
Meanwhile the Republic drifted away
in the murk and was lost to the sight
Of those on board the Baltic and Flor
ida
The French steamer La Lorraina,
the first of the many ships that par
ticipated in this stirring sea incident,
arrived in port today.
She was 120 miles from the scene
when her officers were informed of the
Republics plight by the Marconi op-
orator at Siasconset, Mass, early Sat-
urday.
&C. @. d. the ominous letters Of
the international sea code, indicating
distress, had aroused the sleepy oper-
ator in his room on the French steamer.
and a few minutes later came the
words:
Republic wrecked; wants assis-
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