The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-25
Italian Passengers on the Steam.
er Florida Made Trouble
When Transfer to the Steamer
Baltic Began.
THEY WERE SCARED.
Thought Their Vessel Was
About to Sink.
They Wanted to Be First i'm the
Life Boats.

New York, Jan. 25.-The drau1afic
sea story Of the wrecking of the white
star liner Republic by the steamer
FLORIDA Of the LIoyds Italiana line. in
which six lives were lost and four peo-
PIE injured, came to a close today.
Wnen the big steamship Baltic OF the
White Star line came into port bearing
on board more than I.6O0 passengers
OF the sunken Republic and the erin
pied Florida Stories told by the RE-
puoic's Passengers show that the
transfer Of passengers from the Flar-
ia 10 the Baltic in the dark hours ~
sunday night. came perilously near re-
suiung IN a riot OF the 500 Italian
seserage passengers on the FIorida.
VINO believed that their vessel was in
imminent danger of sinking. Only the
erorts Of the officers aided BY several
OF the Republics Passengers quiered
the frightened men who sought to be
the first to board the life boats.
The officers of the Baltic report the
deaIns OF Mrs Eugene Lynch Of Bos-
ton and w J. Mooney of Langdor. n
D,- together with four negro sailors.
w nose names are not known The
bodies Of Mrs Lynch and Mr.. Mooney
dere placed in hermeticaIly seoiaf
caSkets. which sank with the steamer
Republic off Nantucket
DIT. J. Marsh, physician on board
I
account Of the accident
Dr. Marsh said. II was in my cabin
and hearing three short whistles knew
that something was wrong and turned
out mad hardly got to my feet
when the crash came. There was one
heavy thud and then the engines stop-
ped Half a minute later the elecrri.
lights went out and when I opened my
stateroom door found myself in dark
ness
The saloon rapidly filed with women
and children half dressed but every
body did as he was told and there was
no panic. Let me say now they were
thoroughly AngIo-American people for
pluck I went on deck and saw the
lights of the Florida through the fog
Captain SeaIby gave orders to get the
hfsboars ready and IN the meanwhsls
all the passengers came Up on the up
per deck 1t was then Captain Sealby
said to tI1em:
IT do not think the boat Will sink
It will go to a certain point and hang
there, =
The women and children and men
gave three cheers for the captain and
then with few exceptions went to
their state rooms to get their clothes
Mr. Lynch is on board the Florida He
is broken hearted over the loss of his
wife His leg is fractured Mrs NJ
j. Murphy of Grand Forks, N. D..
sustained a severe injury to her right
limb and there is a steward on board
sustained a fracture at the base of the
skull Mrs. GrigEs who was injured
had a miraculous escape. She was
found under a pile of debris and for
a time it was believed she was lost"
The transfer Of passengers from the
Republic to the Florida was effected
without incident, but when il was
found that the Florida had INSULT
cient accommodations for the large
number on board and that she would
make slow time to New York the
order to retransfer all passengers to
the Baltic which had arrived several
hours before, was given.
The night was dark and the fog hung
thick over the troubled sea Twenty
life boats were used to carry the pas
sengers from the Florida, which Law at
distances varying 200 to 800 yards from
the Baltic.
The Florida passed in by Sandy
Hook about 2:20 p. m. with a tug
astern to assist in steering her The
FIorida's bow was badly stove in and
she was down by the head as though
her forward compartment was filed
with water.