Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-01-28
LINERS CRASH IN
DENSE FOG AT SEA
Wireless Message Brings Help
Quickly and Great Catas=
tro,s1e Is Averted.
STEAMER REPUBLIC GOES DOWN
Gored Vessel Sinks While Being Towed
In-N0rth Dakota Man Killed
in Accident.

New York, Jan. 26. - The palatial
ocean steamship Republic of the
White Star line, which was in COLI
sion with the Italian liner Florida
early Saturday morning off Nantucket,
Mass, went down at $3.50 last night.
No one was lost. Her passengers,
taken off many hours before, are on
the steamship Baltic, which was off
Sandy Hook at late hour, making
for this port.
The Republic was in tow Of the rev.
nue. cutter Gresham and the derelict
destroyer Seneca, proceeding to New
York, when she sank.
Gored Ship Goes Down.
On board her was Capt. Sealby,
with volunteer detail of fifty of her
crew. She had been towed but short
distance when she began to settle
rapidly. Seeing no hope of saving the
ship, Capt. Sealby gave the order to
abandon 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 italian liner Florida, which
crashed into the Republic in the
dense fog off Nantucket, Mass, early
Saturday morning and gave her her
death blow, is slowly steaming to-
wards New York, conveyed by the
American liner New York. Her pas
sengers also are on the Baltic, having
been transferred in the early hours of
the morning along with those of the
Republic.
Stirring Sea Tragedy.
The Baltic, which was called by
wireless telegraph to the aid of the
Republic, transferred from the Florida
not only that steamers 900 or more
passengers, but the 442 passengers
and part of the crew of the Republic,
was nearing the harbor of New York
late last night.
This, is brief was the situation
late last night in the stirring story
of the sea, following the first wireless
flash of the collision of the two big
ships in the early dawn of Saturday
morning off Nantucket, Mass. For
thirty-six hours the suspense of the
public was unal1ayed, for almost
every hour since the first flash of the
mishap came from the Republics
wireless operator has brought conflict
ing reports from many points, all Civ
ing a different phase to the shifting
scenes and tending to confuse the sit
uation.
North Dakota Man Killed.
That there was loss of life attend
ing the collision was not known until
an early hour yesterday morning.
Then the wireless, which had it's first
great trial and proved it's utility,
brought the news that Mrs. Eugene
Lynch of Boston and w. J. Mooney,
a banker of Langdon, N. D., had been
killed, and Mrs. M. Murphy, wife of
the financial agent of the Union Cen
trail Life Insurance company of Grand
Forks, N. D., and Eugene Lynch of
Boston we're injured. In addition to
those casualties among the passen-
gers on the Republic, it was reported
that four members of the Florida's
crew had met death. The bodies of
the dead and injured were transfer
red to the Baltic.
Spent Many Anxious Moments.
Details Of the collision at sea in
the dense fog came ftfully by wire
less yesterday from many receiving
stations along the New England
coast line. The story, though in
brief but potent messages, told how
the passengers of the Republic and
the Florida spent many anxious and
uncomfortable hours following the
wreck, and not until s o'clock yester-
day morning, when all were safe and
sound on the Baltic, did they have a
feeling Of security.
An examination of the Florida
showed that her cut water and bow
had been crippled as If she had crash
ed into stone wall and her two for
ward compartments were filled witt,
water. The Florida, however, showed
no signs of sinking, though she was
slightly down by the head. It was
deemed best, therefore, at late
hour, to transfer not only the Repub
lies passengers, but all those on
board the Florida as we'll.
All night long the transfer of mas
sengers to the Baltic was in progress
No less than seven ocean liners-the
Baltic, New York, Furnessia, Lor
raine and Lucania, and the two GRIN
pied ships, Florida and Republic-fg
ured in the stirring story.