The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-26
CAPTAIN SEALBY TELLS.
GRAPHIC STORY OF HIS
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE
Republic Was Sinking When He and Second Officer Williams efBat
tied Desperately With Roaring Seethng Mass Before Picked up
by Gresham Praises Passengers Officers and Crew and
Especially Operator Bnns-Appea for Crew Made

on his earnest protest, would the
crowd cease It's demonstration.
Few marine stories in recent years
Of marvellous escapes from the sea,
equal in dramatic intensity. that told
by Captain Sealby today of the escape
Of Second Officer Williams and himself
from the Republic. The captain would
not talk Of the collision with the
1T was about o'clock Sunday night
when the Republic was sinking and
only myself and Williams were on the
bridge. There was rumbling and
cracking at the after end of the boat.
The stern was settling very rapidly
and the sea was pretty bad. Then
said to Williams: We'll. we'll, what
+ do you think about It, Williams and
Williams answered, i don't think 1t
will be long race. Let us sprint for
IT. When you are ready. led her go.
| looked aft again and saw how fast
she was going and told Williams to
burn a blue light Then fred my re-
yolyer Ave times to let the boats
around me know that we were going on.
Turning to Williams, I said. Let us
take to the forward rigging and We
ran from the bridge TO the saloon deck.
burning our blue lights as we went
and carrying an ordinary lantern.
when we got to the saloon decks,
the water was coming in little aft of
where We stood AS we ran forward.
the stern was sinking so rapidly that
the incline was so steep that when We
got to the fore-rigging, we started to
slip back and could hardly keep on
deck The last | saw Of Williams. he
had crossed the port rail and was
hanging over the side. took to the
rigging and went up as high as the
mast head lights, a distance OF many
feet | rested there and took ont a
blue light 1t was wet and would not
go off and then fred the last shot
from my revolver. The water had now
caught up to me, coming up under my
great coat and I foated The revolver
and my binocle held my coat down.
acting as a sort of ballast. At this
time the water was a roaring. seething
mass all about me | was caught in a
whirlpool for some time and l was
churned around until ] came to the
surface. tried to pull off my coat,
but could not There was considerable
debris about me and / managed to
catch hold of some broken spars- Then
| caught a large hatch covering, and
l pulled myself out on 1t and lay on
'The searchlights had been playing
on the ship. and were now playing on
the spot where she went down. 1t
seemed an interminable time until
they did see me, but managed to load
NV revolver again and fred TO attract
their attention. The bullets had been
creased and they kept dry.
II was getting. weak, cold and mum.
just lay on the hatch and saved my
strength until the last, shouting at In
tervals Then the lights PLAYED on
me and waved a towel which | found
floating near me. and shortly after. the
boats from the revenue cutter Gresh-
am picked me up and carried me
aboard found Williams in that little
lift boat. / thought I had seen the
last of him
Captain Sealby praised in unmeasur-
ed terms the courage and pluck of the
Republics passengers, officers and
crew and Operator Binns, He will
make his report Of the accident TO the
officers of the White Star company
some time today
Second Officer Williams said that
when he found himself in the sea. ho
seized two pieces OF floating grating
and held himself UP between them un-
til picked up by the revenue cutters
boat.
Officer Williams said:
"They found ME before they picked
up Captain Sealby, and when the cap
tain was taken aboard the lifeboat. he
lay still for time: then he turned and
threw his arms around ME and said:
You were game to the last"