New-York tribune., 1909-01-27

got q gallery seat. williams / never was 30
close TO the skipper before. II was nne haFlhs
him Joking with me IN an intimate way hhe
that We got hungry. by and by and sald 10
him, Captain, IL you'll excuse me minute ii
go below and bring you some egss. and perhaps
| can rustic Up something else for meal and
broke couple Of eggs in a glass, with he'ie
water and we had couple apiece. and some
bread and rnarrnalade that ran across got
him some blankets to put around his knees, ana
| for my own, too. and we sat there, chunmy Ike
never was so close TO the skipper before, let me
| tell you
when the nose OF the steamer was pointing
| upward we knew she was going I don't beheve
any man can explain the sound of the water as
| II rushed In at that time. 1t was an a~fui roar
and had s vicious snarl TO II that said every
| thing except what pleasant 10 think about
The captain and started for tha bow, arm In
arm When felt the ship sink let go and feiI
into the water; II must have been forty feet
while 1 was swimming" Williams continued
"a hatch struck me and tried to get on H. out
| couldn't Then another came along. and got
between the two and supported myself that way
1 heard Captain Sealby fire. three shots, ana /
had been in the water about twenty minutes
when the Greshsm's boat picked me UP.
Having heard the shots was able 10 help
the boats crew in the search for the captain.
They found him at last, and he was shivering
when he was pulled in. He didn't know was
there at first. and I reached over and touched
his elbow He knew who II was. and threw his
arms around my neck.
Williams he said: game to the last
Jack" BINNs MODEST FELLOW.
Jack" Binns, the young wireless operator OF
the Republic. who had nerve enough to stick on
the steamship to the last. was ready to signal
&c O D" the moment that he was landed from
the revenue cutter Manhattan. He shared in
the demonstration; accorded Captain Sealby at
the White Star offices. He stood It fairly well,
keeping his courage up with q weak grin. until a
girl stenographer grabbed him and kissed HIM
That was the last straw, but before he could get
by the big negro porters who were wavins the
red house flags at the entrance he had been
kissed half a dozen times.
He got inside after struggling with his fair
sailants. Give q cigarette" he said This
is the worst yet
Offers from theatrical managers were waiting
for him before he got ashore. He waved them
all aside. None OF the cheap notoriety for me-
he said. IAN want is cigarette. long sleep
and a chance to get back to work"
When he landed he already had received
message telling him of the praise given to him
| on the floor of Congress by Representative Bou-
| tell That's nice" said Blnns but did not
| DO much"
Not from Binns. TO any degree, but from
others the story of his work on the sinking Re
| public was gathered. The dynamo out Of COM
| mission, he had TO rig up accumuiators after
| the collision, and the power in these. he knew.
| would be short lived. So he sent out his &c
| O. D." CALL telling all those he picked up that
| he would listen In" ali messages, but would
| not send more than absolutely necessary.
The roof OF his deckhouse had been torn away.
| and for ten hours he sat wrapped in blanket
with the receiving harness On his head. Then
| he got hungry for food and cigarettes. He had
| TO dive and swim into q galley. and found only
a dish of almonds and biscuit From then on
he did not take the wireless harness from his
ears until the order to abandon the ship was
| given.
SEALBy PRAISES BINNS-
During all the operations the wireless was in
| valuable" Captain Sealby. said. in giving en-
thusiastic praise TO the young fellow 1T is to
such operators as Mr.. Binns, who stuck to his
post to the last in spite Of the fact that most of
his operating room had been carried away, that
| We were able to maintain communication with
the various ships that came to our relief.
The praise hsaped upon Binns on his arrival
shook his composure but not his modesty. The
! White Star officials wanted him TO make his for
NAL report before he talked for publication. A
representative of the Marconi system also
warned him not 10 say anything yet about what
had occurred.
Binns is only about twenty-five years old, but
he has knocked about the world good bit,
having been at Jamaica at the time Of the
Kingston earthquake, and In a good many other
corners Of the world.
Efforts were made TO get Binns to talk the
moment he was inside the owners office. He
had nothing to say. he said, for he had not done
much of anything. All the credit in his opin-
ion. belonged TO Captain Seaiby. While efforts
10 get some part of his story out of Binns were
being made. James c. Douglas, steward OF the
Republic came along.
Here's a man you ought 10 write about" said
Binns; he saved lives. Last night was the first
that he has slept since the accident. He was
with me all the time. He carried my messages
back and forth and kept me supplied with food.
He did not desert once. and II II had not
heeu for him I would have had pretty hard