New-York tribune., 1909-01-26

r
big Republic had almost stopped Her propel-
hers were revolving slowly as the engines
could turn them without stopping altogether.
condition which would make it impossible tor
rre helnlsrnan to steer. The blast Of the Florida
eEain was heard on the bridge of the Republic
and again It was answered. That was all that
occurred before the crash
Up out Of the fog the port side aft loomed
Che sharp stem of the Florida. Captain sealby
was looking for the mysterious ship from the
bridge but she came up from astern and struck
his ship terrific blow from astern.
All the power that was bottled up in the en-
gines Of the Florida could not have kept her
from the Republic Had she reversed her en-
Kines full speed astern they could not have with
held the blow. 1t was even too late for the
rudder TO dc its part. The fate Of the Republic
was sealed fully three minutes before the Ital-
ians bow came up out Of the fog. The man at
the wheel might have sent her around so that
the direct smash might have been turned into
side wipe. but the fog forestalled such
rouvre
FLORIDA OUT OF COURSE.
The Florida. which was too far to the north
ward from the she should have taken,
came on with overwhelming force, and her
hard steel stem plunged into the Republic
sbaft amidships on the port side forward of the
~fter hatch. The smashing of thick steel plates
~as heard on both ships. and every one almost
simultaneously jumped to his feet and rushed
for the alleyways and companionways. clad In
his nightclothes. The Florida's bow twisted
snd cracked as IL penetrated the Republic, and
.she stout steel plates in the wound of the latter
Irrumpled and fell inward.
II was at these points Of contact that lives
were sacrificed on both steamers. Three sail
prs who, after an exhausting thirty-six hours.
had turned in in the forecastle OF the Florida,
were ground into bits They passed instantly
from sleep to death and their shattered bodies
were taken from the wrecked stem of the Flor
3da yesterday when she docked in South Brook
iyn Other Italian sailors the victims were
hurled from their hunks and bruised, but they
escaped the grinding between the ragged steel
plates.
Two Of the Republics passengers whose state
rooms were splintered into a shapeless mass
shared the fate of the three Italian sailormen.
and like them. were killed instantly Mr. and
Eugene
stateroom No. "a. were in their nightclothes
when the big steel intruder crashed in upon
! them. Mr. Lynch, who was lying in a berth.
saw mis- wife lifted from the sofa which she
was reclining and literally pushed through the
stout partitions that shut their staferoom on
from the alleyway. Jagged steel and broken
etanchions fell upon Mr. Lynch, who Is well
over seventy. and broke his legs. He was in his
bed and saw the Fforida's bow hack out into
tho rvia hOdV of
wife in what had once been the doorway Of his
stateroom
In stateroom No. 2S the other ill-fated room.
were Mr.. and Mrs William j. Mooney, Of Lang
don. N D. They were repcsins just as the
Lynches were. but in this instance Mr- Mooney,
who occupied the berth, crushed to death
while his wife who occupied the couch escaped
.he FToricas bow by hairs breadth.
LOUD REPORT WHEN CRASH CAME,
The coming together OF the liners made a
sound like the report of a cannon fired at some
short disfance. 1t heard throughout the
Republic from stem to stern and the vibration
OF the big steel hulk left doubt in the minds
OF the passengers concerning what had hap
pened. Her force spent. the Florida, whose
identity was not yet known, bounded back into
the murk as mysteriously she had
The beginning of the great ordeal for Captain
Sealby and his crew came when the Florida
backed off and Seaby. with never q tremor OF
voice or limb, took the situation into his own
hands and the Anslo-Saxon sailormen. whose
reputation for coolness and judgment is known
the world over showed that critical moment
that they could live up it. The dead had died
without nurnur. and the injured too
faint to moan. there little in the way
OF screams of pain anguish 10 start panic.
Captain Sealby knew that he had been hit
hard. hut he had faith in his watertight COM
partments, which shut during the fog
there and give assurance to the passengers that
We are in no danger snd will keep afoat.'
The word was passed along, and all the stew
ards and sailors were in their places They
were there by instinct before they had been
the passengers
Don: be alarmed. We all right. Captain
seaihy reports that there is not the slightest
danger. Keep cool, for are all right"
The stewards had barely uttered their reas-
surance when the food of the sea had found it's
way TO the engine room and the freroom and
the fres went out. The dynamos. which had fed
the lights in the staterooms, aIleyways and
conapanionWays. stopped with the engines but
the momentum they had had spun them around
FOR few seconds. and gradually the incan-
descent lights grew fainter and fainter and
1akAy the redhot wires in the globes suddenly
6Beppeared- The ship was then in total dark
end the hearts Of the naturally
courageous ones felt suggestion OF fear.
Up on the bridge the undaunted Sealby stood
giving orders The kissing of steam and the
pounding Of the seas Into the gap in the port