Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-01-29
CAPTAIN SWEPT
INTO WHIRL POOL
SEALBY AND FIRST OFFICER WILL
LIAMS REMAINED ON BOARD UN-
TIL REPUBLIC SANK.
BIG I OVATION FOR BINNS.
Heroic Wireless Operator and Captain
Carried on Shoulders of Crowd
at Pier.
TELLS OF THRILLING EXPERIENCES

NEW YORK, Jan. 26-Capt. Sealby
and his officers and most Of the crew of
The wrecked steamship Republic, were
given a remarkable demonstration today
when they landed at the pier of the
White Star liner from the revenue cutter
Manhattan, which transferred them to
the revenue cutter Seneca.
Garry Captain Aloft.
A great throng of officers and seamen
of the steamships of the White Star line
in dock together with 300 to 400 specta-
tors were on the pier when Capt. Sealby
and his ship wrecked crew stepped down
the gang plank. Officers and seamen
alike made rush for Capt. Sealby and
lifting him to their shoulders carried him
the whole length of the pier to the street
while the crowd yelled itself hoarse and
stewards on the steamships blew trum-
pets.
Behind the captain the crowd carried
aloft the brave BinnS, the wireless tele-
graph operator. Capt. Sealby was car
ried from the street to the offices of the
steamship on the second floor of the pier,
where only on his earnest protest would
the crowd cease it's demonstration. Few
marine stories in recent years of mar
velous escapes from the sea equal in
dramatic intensity the narrative that
Capt. Sealby told today of the escape of
Second Officer Williams and himself
from the Republic.
Tells of Ships Sinking.
The captain would not talk of the col
lision with the steamer Florida. Capt.
Sealby said:
TT was about 8 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 I said to Will
liams:
"'Well, what do you think about it?
and Williams answered: L don't think ii
will be a long race. Let us sprint for
it. When you are ready, let her CO.
looked aft again and saw how fast she
was going and | told Williams to burn
blue light Then | fired my revolver five
times to let the boats around me know
that we were going off. Turning to
Williams l said: Let us take to the for
ward 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 a 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 l saw of Williams he had
crossed the port rail and was hanging
over the side.
Takes to Rigging.
81 took to the rigging and went up
as high as the mast head lights, a dis
lance of many feet. | rested there and
! took out a blue light 1t was wet and
would not go off and l then fired the
last shot from my revolver. The water
had now caught up to me, coming up I'M
der my great coat, and l t1oated. At
this time the water was a roaring, seeth-
ing mass all about me.
Il was caught in whirlpool fo1
sometime and l was churned around ur
til | came to the surface. | tried to pull
off my coat but could not. There was
considerable debris about me and man.
aged to catch hold of some broken spars
| Then l caught a large hatch covering
and pulled myself out on the hatch and
lay on it spread eagle fashion.
II was getting weak, cold and numb
| just lay on the hatch and saved my
strength until the last, shouting at in
tervals. Then when the lights played
on me l waved a towel which [ had
| found floating near me, and shortly aft
er the boats from the revenue cutter
Gresham picked me up and carried me
aboard. l found Williams in that little
| lifeboat | thought | had seen the last
of him."
Capt. Sealby praised in unmeasured
| terms the courage and pluck of the Re-
! public's passengers, officers and crew and
Operator Binns. He will make his re-
port of the accident to the officers of the
! White Star company some time today.
License Is Revoked.
A White Star line official said today
that one result of the accident was the
immediate revocation of the license of
| Capt. Sealby of the Republican. Capt.
| Sealby will remain in New York for sew
! cray days, perhaps week, and then will
| proceed to Liverpool There he will be
cited to appear before the board of trade
for examination as to the cause of the
sinking of the Republic. If, as result
! of the examination, the board of trade
exonerates the captain from responsible
| ty for the collision his licence will at
| once be restored.