New-York tribune., 1909-01-26
THE FLORIDA LIMPS In
Flags 1T HALF MIST
FOB DEAD ON BO4RD.
Officers Stopped from Telling Of
ColIisiou-Eugene Lynch Taken
10 Hospital.

Pokng what was left Of her shattered stem
tesn into the water. with thirty feet of her bow
.o,e completely. and the gaping wound covered
rrf not concealed by q sail the Italian Lloyd
liner Florida. which sent the Republic to the
ho+ton7. crawled into this harbor yesterday af-
,.rnoon. and finally. helped by two tugs after
her perilous voyage from Nantucket made fast
10 her pier
Her flags were At half mast. for among the
twisted and tangled mass of wreckage in her
so-ereak were the rnangled bodies of two OF
nor Eea1ren who had been crushed 70 death in
,be collision with the Republic while another
lsv dead in cabin. end Eugene Lynch. who
escaped instant death in his stateroorn on the
Rspublic when his wife was killed, lay in agony
on cot in the little hospital amidships
IRON the revenue cutter that had been looking
srxious,y for her all day. the first sight Of the
florida down by the head, with her stern lifted
high IN the water, inspired wonder to how
,he had made port at all Her whole bow
tom OF. and even the unpractised eye Of
ir,5s-nsu coulG see that she sorely
stricken ship. The deck tirnbers were pushed
upward and sprung where they had been spln-
tered and smashed. and every bit Of steel work
hsd peen twisted and torn beyond recognition
Probably thirty feet Of the Floridss bow had
neen tor7 swsv and an idea OF the force Of the
ses+-ovi7E blow came when saw the first
three letters of her name. Flo" with the CO.
cut of incomplete. The wreck had stopped just
,ho-t OF 3 steel buIkhead. and had that gone the
Italian inevitably would have gone down
CAPTAINS SECOND VOYAGE.
F1perts who saw the Florida limp UP the bay
ssid that only calm weather had made her
-ovaxe from Nantucket possible, and that Cap
tain Ruspini had accomplished a wonderful feat
IN getting her here at all under the conditions
Ee is young man, and this was his second
VOYAGE in command of the Florida Twenty
rine is his exact age and every one on the
Florida spoke of him in terms of the highest
praise
The Florida carried only one Of the Republics
,azsersers Eugene Lynch. who had suffered so
rnuch IN the first transshipment from the Re
,,,,hIjc 10 the Florida that he begged TO be al
lowed 10 remain on the Italian vessel until she
reached port rather than undergo the ordeal
srain So he made the journey in the dark
title he.pital of the Florida in the care Of the
Ttalia., doctor TO be met by a party Of friends
4, south Brooklyn and taken TO the Long Island
College Hospital
Nj Lynch saw his wife swept through the
raI. Of their stateroom and crushed by the
--ovr of the Florida He stayed for four hours
q, >hs 1-reckage OF his stateroon, and was then
xInne oyer the side Of the Republic and ferried
.r-oss 10 the Italian vessel in a small boat His
le~ and thigh were broken, and he was suffering
from paiuful internal injuries.
stiII he remained wholly conscious. and about
the hrst request he made Of the friends who hur-
red m hoard the Florida TO help him was for
them to see that none Of the men who had cared
,o- bir, were forgotten A man could hardly
hare Pore through q more terrible experience,
50 -. far, that he was still alive amazed all
who saw him
After the Florida docked there was long de-
lay ii getting Mr.. Lynch TO a hospital where ne
could receive proper treatment An ambulance
from The Norwegian Hospital which is near By,
Was st the pier about as soon as the Florida
hrt NJ I1-nch's friends and relatives ordered
r-1vat. ambulance which did not come for more
shsn ,n hour Then Mr. Lynch was taken To
the Long Island College Hospital. the surgeons
from the Norwegian having gone away in the
mean tine explaining that no one seemed 10
know what he wanted n have done with Mr.
Lynch
OFFICERS LIPS SEALED
CAPTAIN Ruspini had begun to give reporters
-ho boarded his ship account Of the col
Hsfon. but was interrupted by representatives Of
the line who apparently forbade him TO con-