New-York tribune., 1909-01-25
LINES OFFICE BESIEGED.
4ppeaIs for Nesrs from All Ouer
the COuntrU.

the Country.
1x,i.bor+.s,een for twenty-four hours. practi-
oa1Iv tbe entire office staff OF the White Star
Limo was on duty yesterday morning. Night
found them exhausted but still working, recelV-
ing wireless messages from all along the Ne"
England coast and answering the appears ol
friends and relatives Of the Republics passen-
gers for news.
scrsn by SCRAP the news reached the office,
first that the Republic might be saved; theh tne
story of the arrival of the Baltic and the fleet
of salvage tugs. the revenue cutters and tne
transatlantic liners. Almost mile by mile the
progress of the Republic she sought the
smoother and shallower waters of the Sound was
recorded, until at last she sank one cheertui
note was in the last message, however, as the
pluckv master of the vessel and his crew, that
had so ably seconded him, had been saved.
BY noon yesterday q hundred more mes
| senger boys had rushed to the offices with teie-
grams from all over the country demanding the
fate of relatives and friends. The telephone op-
orators had become exhausted by the demands
made upon them. and one young woman had to
be taken home overcome.
To all of them-or nearly all-reessuring mes
sages were sent, but r. H. Smiley one OF the
officers Of the company. had to go to the Hotel
Breslin to tell the two sisters OF Mrs. Eugene
Lynch that she had been killed. They were Mrs
O'Brfen and Mrs. Finnegan, who had come on
from Boston when they heard of the disaster to
inquire about their sister. They were pros
trated by the news and a physician had to be
called.
J. H. whiting. c. Chicago, whose wife and
daughter Miss Jean Whiting on board the
Republic received better news. He caught the
first train out OF Chicago after hearing Of the
collision. AS he heard that both were
safe he hurried to send wireless messages to
them saying he would meet them at the pier
when the Baltic docked.
Based the early optimistic reports of the
Republics condition, the company made several
plans for her reception. At first 1t was decided
TO have her brought to this port and met at the
Hook by two OF the big Merritt-Chapman
wreckng tugs. It was thought then that she
would be able to get into the Hook by to-nnor-
morning and would be taken 10 the Erie
Basin for repairs.
On later wireless reports, following from
the Furnessia. that the Republic in good
towing condition, the line began to doubt the
wisdom OF bringing her in alongside the south
shore OF Long Island. Then the Minneapolis
was reported to be in touch with the cutters
and willing to tow her III For a while it looked
as if this offer would be accepted but the COM
manders of the two revenue cutters decided on
bringing the Republic in through the Sound
By keeping her close in shore. it looked to them
as If the company would have far better op-
portunity to wreck and salve her if she sank
than It would IL she went down on the outside
route.
The first report that the Republic had sunk
reached the Office OF the company long before
she really did go down This false dispatch was
counterbalanced by one apparently sent at about
the same time saying that all was well. 1t
not until nearly IL o'clock that the company got
its dispatch from Captain Sealby saying that
the Republic had gone down, but that all hands
had been saved.
The news Of the sinking of the boat had
reached the city through news channels some
time before, but the company was loath to be-
lieve it. The officials said that the City Of
Memphis, Of the first sources of the news,
equipped with different wireless system
from that of the shore stations, and SO could not
have sent the news Moreover, they could not
believe that she sufficiently the Re
public to know anything about it.
Scattered about New York and New Jersey
they said. were a dozen or more boys and others
who experimenting with wireless systems,
and they tried to believe that the report the
prank of some maliciously inclined mischief
maker. But Captain Sealbyts dispatch, sent
just after 10 o'clock. robbed them OF that last
hope
Waiting for news in the Offices of the COM
pany were dozen sUperannuated sailorrnen who
had sailed for years on the White Star fleet
The reports through the day had been so cheer
full that all had become fully convinced that
with the sea calm boat fine and well
founded the Republic to reach port
in safety When the first report came that she
had made the port OF missing ships they
laughed When this was corroborated by Cap
tain Sealby's dispatch they sat astounded Half
of them were in the uniform of their rank when
they retired They md
through the Offices. stunned and grieving as
though the news meant personal loss to them
One old officer whose last trip on blue water
had been made on the Republic sat down and
cried like child when the message from Can.
tain Sealby was read
The Republic, according to the officials Of tbe
company was valued at more than S1.5000o0.