The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-02-04
CAPTAIN TELLS OF THE WRFCk
Ship Sank Under Him and He Was Rescued From the Sea
Williams, the Second Officer, With Him to the End
fshed From the Water First He Directed the Search
For the Captain-Praise For All the Ships Men,

New York City.-Captain William
Y. Seaiby, of the wrecked White Star
liner Republic. told the story of the
disaster One thing he did not tell
was why he had elected to stay with
his ship until it sank Being an OIL
Ger OF the Royal Naval Reserve and
a com ander for the White Star,
CaptaiL Sealby presupposed that this
act needed no explanation.
Before 6 o'clock on Sunday night
we KEW that the Republic would
never live to reach Martha's Vine
yard" was the way Captain Sealby
began his tale. ''By 7 o'clock she
was way down in the stern, and wal
lowing with long. painful rolls, that
meant there was very little more life
left in her. Williams (R. ]. WILL
Jams. the second officer) and I stood
on the bridge and kept our ewes
ahead on the lights of the Gresham
and Seneca. which were towing. The
ship was so low in the stern that the
waves were breaking over her at that
point and the water was smashing
clear up to the ladder of the saloon
deck aft
"I think 1t must have been just
about s o'clock when we both saw
that she was going to drop under US
within very few minutes. First
thing we did was to prepare a Holmes
distress light, which burns when 1t
touches water This we left on the
bridge with us so that when we went
down the men on the revenue cutters
could be directed to the spot where
the Republic went down. Will" we
were working over the light Will
Jams. who has n bit of sporting blood
In him. joked about our situation.
What do YOU make Of 1t, Will
iams?' had asked him.
L don't think it will be a long
race 10 the bottom he laughed.
When you are ready let her go and
we'n make sprint of it.
Before we had finished with the
Holmes light we began to hear a roar
ing and cracking of the deck seams
back of us. 1t was the air driving
out ahead Of the advancing water.
That Is the last call Of a sinking shin.
I directed Williams to burn two blue
lights. the signal to the revenue cut
ters that we were going down and for
them TO cast OF. Then let loose
fivs. shots with my revolver.
1--WE were going down steadily
then and pretty fast. yelled at
Williams to make for the fore rig
ging. We both dropped down the
ladder to the saloon deck. each carry
ing blue light in one hand. BY tile
time our feet touched the saloon deck
1T was at an angle OF nearly thirty
degrees. wet and slippery. We could
not keen our feet. so we grabbed the
rail and crawled. The water. was
the explosions and rending of the tim
bers from 'midships told us that al
ready the stern was under water.
We had reached the forecastle
head when Williams slipped to the
deck and grabbed a post of the rail
with his elbow. That was the last /
saw Of him until after It was over. /
managed to get forward to the fore
mast and to climb the rigging as far
as the forward running light, about
100 feet up. Below me about half
OF the ship was visible and she was
tipped up like rocking chair about
to go over backward.
my blue light would not burn be-
cause 1t had become wet. Cred one
more shot from INV revolver, the last.
Then everything dropped and was
In the water with the foremast sli5-
ping down beside me like an ele7alor
plunger.
mere was Doiling, yeasty mass
OF water about me and a great roar
Ing. ] went under. but came up
again, for the air had gathered un-
der my greatcoat and buoyed mo up.
guess l went around spinning for a
time: then / hit spar. From the
Spar managed to get to hatch cover.
Things were flying around in tho wat
er and I came near being badly
banged up before I managed to pull
my body up on the hatch cover and
lie there all spread ont with nothing
but my head and shoulders above the
waves.
ut was very rold. saw the