Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-25
WRECK SURVIVORS
REACH PORT SAFELY
Steamer Baltic Arrives in New
York With Passengers Of
Republic and Florida
FLORIDA BROUGHT TO HARBoR
Passengers Twice Transferred at Sea-
Six Killed and Several Hurt When
Crash came-Passenser Tells Graph
ic Story of Collision and Rescue -
Telegraph Operator a Hero.

/ ~ 0SOIy W SS'ioiSb 0s'o VSSSAS
Telegraph Operator a Hero.
| New York. Jan. 25.-The fog hating
lifted, the Baltic, bearing 1850 passen-
! gers from the steamships Republic and
Florida, which were in collision Sat
urday, proceeded up the bay at 1:40
| this morning. AT the hour the steamer
New York, which conveyed the Florida.
was outside the bar. but the Flor3da
was not in sight. This occasioned no
! uneasness. as she necessarily is pro-
crossing slowly owing to the fog and
! her crippled condition.
! The captain and crew of the Repub-
| lie. on board the revenle cutter Gres-
| ham. arrived safely off Vineyard Hav-
1 en-, Mass. early today. Later they were
| transferred to the derelict destroyer
Seneca and started for New York The
captain OF the Gresham stated that the
Republic sank last night nine miles
south by east of Nantucket llghtship.
in about forty fathonls Of water. None
of the officers or crew were injured
! in abandoning the vessel
Twelve Hours Making Transfer.
The Baltic reached the quarantine
station at 1890. AS the Baltic came to
anchor in Ambrose channel early today
| the Associated Press tug ran alongside
and succeeded in opening communlca-
! ton thru megaphone with III. ].
Hover, of Spokane, Wash, one of the
Republics passengers. Hover described
the transfer of passenger from the Re-
fpublic and later from the Florida to
the Baltic. The transfer of the scant-
lily dressed frightened men and wom-
en- from the Florida lasted twelve
hours, beginning at o'clock Saturday
night and ending yesterday morning.
During the night the searchlight of the
Baltic Illuminated the sea, inakin6 a
weird picture as boat load after. boat
load was safely gotten on board the
! Baltic. Two Of the Republic passengers
tumbled into the sea while being placed
in boat. but were promptly rescued.
Republic Hit Amidship.
| Hover said the injury to the Repub-
lie was abaft midship on the port side,
| lust forward of the center hatch Two
state rooms were stove by the bows OF
the Florida, which withdrew from the
gap almost instantly and vanished IN
the mist astern, leaving one of her
anchors in the wreckage of the demol-
ished state roms of the Republic.
Florida Takes OFF Passengers.
The impact and withdrawal were so
swift that no one aboard the Republic
had a chance to identify the steamship.
In nalf hour, however, summoned by
the distress blasts of the Republic the
Florida picked her way thru the murk
and came alongside. Boats
from the Republic and Florida were
| lowered and all passengers of the form
er were put aboard the Florida; The op-
GRAFTON took two hours in a placid sea.
Among the wounded who were put
on the italian liner was Eugene Lynch,
whose wife had been killed In their
state room on the Republic.
Little Panic Aboard.
Hover said there was very little
panic aboard the Republic. altho many
came on deck in their night clothes.
and that the discipline Of the crew was
perfect. The collision, he said, occurred
between s and Saturday morning.
when every one was in bed. A great
many of the passengers were thrown
from their hunks by the crash ana
many rushed wildly on deck In bara
feet. With the return Of the Florida
the transfer began. Carrying out the
rigid rule of the sea, the women were
placed in the boats first. In two hours
all were safely on board the Florida
Transferred to Baltic.
That ship was terribly crowded,
however. and at a conference between
the captains Of the Florida and Baltic
it was decided that another transfer OF
messengers was necessary. Accordingly
this second hazardous undertaking was
begun The waters were now rough
and the operation was necessarily
more dangerous and of longer duration
than the former transfer, but all were
safely placed aboard the Baltic.
Hover's Graphic Story.
Pieced out into a continuous story
the account of the collision as related
| to the reporters by Hover follows:
"The shock came when the pas
sengers of the Republic and most OF her
crew were asleep. Mrs. Hover and l,
like most Of the Republics passengers,
were awakened by being violently
thrown against the side Of our hunks.
The shock was terrific. Outside in the
passage way could hear the sound OF
running feet From the deck above
came cries and the shouting of orders.
turned on the electric light and has
tily throwing an overgarment over us,
Mrs Hover and l made our way bare
| headed and barefooted to the music
room on the promenade deck.
"The alarm gongs Were sounding all
over the ship and the stewards were,
going from stateroom to stateroom
arousing the passengers.
/ Women Grow Hysterical.
"By the time We got to the music
room, the place was full of men and
women, some with nothing over them
but the clothes in which they had been
asleep, others wrapped in ships blan-
kets and steamer rugs. and all more or
t.