New-York tribune., 1909-01-26
STEEL MANS STORY
Three Sides Of Stateroom Fell on
Him-Life Saued by Beams.

Reuben Miller. vice-president of the C'rucibIe
oteei Company Of America his wife daughter and
paughter~in-law. who were on the Republic went
directly TO the Waldorf yesterday afternoon and
'@uFea ror much needed rest. Mr. Miller talked
WIN Tribune reporter in his room there last
night telling of the collision as he saw it.
ore Of Mr. Milier's first acts on reaching the
aloorf was te send a telegram Congressman
francis j. Burke, of Pittsburg. urging him 10 in
'roduce a bill in Congress for an interrla tional
agreement TO compel every seagong vessel carry
ing passengers 10 be fitted with wireless apparatus.
MI Miller said he would see Senator Knox whom
ne hopes TO interest in this movement.
MY family and myself going to Italy to
spend the winter said M Miller with our
party were J. R Mellon. the Mellon National
Bank, Of Pittsburg and his family My wife
daughter and daughter-in-law were IN Cabin p
and was in No IS. I asleep in the lower
berth of my cabin when I awakened by the
terrific crash, and found myself completely covered
with debris.
THE three sides of my stateroon had been
knocked down and the upper berth had fallen on
me Only through the lucky intervention of some
beams think I would have been crushed TO death.
I shouted 20 my wife and daughter in the next
stateroom, and got a reply from them that they
not injured
4 heard IN the next stateroon1 on the
other side groaning that he seriously hurt
and that he could find his wife. afterward
learned that It Mr.. Mooney. A steward came
pile Of wreckage- 1 found my slippers twenty-five
feet from where I had placed them when I went
to bed One of my first acts was to send the stew
ard to ascertain If the boat sinking He told
that there immediate danger.
Mr.. Mellon and his family then made their way
to the deck The of the vessel seemed very
cool and collected. They gave coffee and
later told TO he transferred TO another
ship, but that could take our baggage
with US.
forced 10 sit on the deck. as the ship already
loaded down with her passengers Tire stew
ards OF the Republic managed to get out something
TO eat. bu: our position rendered more uuCom-
Portable when the discovery was made that the
Florida also badly battered and that We
might expect TO go under any minute.
Il said TO my wife, We going down. but
there's getting excited Most Of the Anleri-
cans seemed 70 take things calmly The Italians
were little more excited. While on the Florida
one o. our party overheard two seamen talking
about getting at the liquor stores We Immediately
informed OF. the officers and this plan was
nipped in the bud.
The sweetest song ever heard in my life and
the sweetest that I hope 10 hear long.
low toot which came through the fog and which
We knew ship coming to rescue us from our
position OF extreme peril. This the Baltic. and
as the sound came and nearer IT IS impossi-
BILE for 10 describe the of Joy and excite
ment.
II can truthfully say that the Americans were
toleraby calm during the transfer, but the Italians
from the steerage of the Florida were greatly eX-
cited They wanted TO be taken aboard the Baltic
before the Americans. and made much ado
about IT that the officers had to maintain severe
discipline 10 control them ! personally overheard
one of the officers tell excited Italian that he
had loaded revolver IN his pocket and that he
would shoot him dead If he did not keep quiet l
did not however. any weapons drawn
Mr.. Miller spoke in praise Of the engineers who
worked he said. in the engine room up 10 their
,l-r -afufT rf
Binns the wireless operator the Republic Mr.
Miller intir1ated that the passengers would get
together and present some testimonial 20 Mr.
Binns-