Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-26
PASSENGERS OF
SUNkEN VESSEL
SAFE in HAVEN
THREE DEAD, TWO INJURED, is
LIST OF CASUALTIES
1850 PERSONS FROM TWO SHIPS
CARRIED BY BALTIC
Survivor of Tragedy at Sea Gives &
Graphic Account of Fearful Coli
Iision Which Sank $1,5oo,o00
Liner
IBy Associated Press.l

nj EW YORK, Jan. 25.-The White
Star liner Baltic, bearing 1850
~ passengers from the steamships
Republic and Florida, which were in
collision off Nantucket last Saturday,
reached Quarantine station at 1923
lis morning. Three dead and two in
jured is apparently the total of casual
ties, but the Republic having sunk will
either be total loss or heavily dam
aged.
The Florida, which rammed the Re-
public, is en- voyage also to this port.
Capt. Sealby and fifty members of
the crew of the Republic were trans
ferred to the derelict destroyer Seneca,
of the Vineyard Sound lightship, at
o'clock a. m. today, and an hour later
L e Seneca started for New York.
The captain of the Gresham states
that the Republic sank last night in
about forty fathomS of water. None
of the officers or crew was injured.
The Gresham, after transferring the
Republics survivors to the Seneca,
started for Woodshole, Mass.
As the steamer Baltic, carrying pas
sengers from the steamers Republic
and Florida, anchored three miles east
of the Ambresse channel early today
an Associated Press tug ran alongside
and succeeded in opening communica-
tion with II. J. Hover of Spokane,
Wash, one of the Republics passen-
gers.
Talk Through Megaphone
Through the megaphone Mr.. Hover
described the transfer of the passen-
gers from the Republic and later from
the Florida to the Baltic.
The transfer of scantily dressed and
frightened men and women from the
vessels lasted twelve hours, beginning
at 8 o'clock Saturday night and end
ing at 8 o'clock yesterday morning.
During the night the searchlights of
the Baltic Illuminated the sea. Two
of the Republics passengers tumbled
into the sea while being placed in a
boat, but were promptly rescued.
Mr.. Hover said the injury to the Re
public was about midship of the port
side just forward of the center hatch.
State rooms "a and 90 were stove in
b. the bow of the Florida, which with
drew from gap almost instantly and
vanished in the mist astern, leaving
one of her anchors in the wreckage of
the demolished stateroom of the Re-
public.
The impact and withdrawal were so
swift that no one aboard the Repub-
lie had a chance to identify the steam
ship.
Returns to Assist
by the distress blasts of the Republic,
the Florida picked her way through
-he murk and came alongside.
Capt. Sealby had his own boats low
cred and in these, with those of the
Florida, all passengers of the damaged
liner were put aboard the Florida.
This operation 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
stateroom on the Republic. Mr..
Lynch's leg was broken in three places
and he was otherwise injured.
AS it was considered unsafe to trans
fer him to the Baltic, he was left in
charge Of the Florida's surgeons
Mr.. Hover said there was very lit
tie lanic aboard the Republic, al
though many were on the deck in
their night clothes and that the disci-
pline of the crew was perfect.
The collision, he said, Occurred be-
tween and 4 o'clock Saturday morn
ing, when everyone was in bed. A
great many passengers We're thrown
from their hunks by the crash and
many rushed wildly on deck in their
bare feet.
Passengers Transferred
With the return of the Florida the
transfer of passengers began. Carry
ing out the rigid rule of the sea, Wo-
men were placed in the boats first
The Florida was terribly crowded,
however, and at the conference. be-
tween the captains of the Florida and
the Baltic it was decided another
transfer Of passengers was necessary.
Accordingly, this second hazardous
undertaking was begun. The waters
were now rough and every move was
necessarily more dangerous.
Thinly clad passengers crowded to
the Baltic's rail and watched the work
while those who remained on the
lorida waiting for the next boatload
saw their companions lifted safely to
. new haven. 1t was during this that
the two passengers fell overheard, but
were rescued.
Whe'e Vessel Went Down
According to the log of the revenue
cutter Gresham, the Republic sank at
$40 p. m. Sunday, fifteen miles west
southwest of Nantucket shoals light,
in thirty-eight fathoms of water
1t developed late this afternoon from
further information of the collision that
Saraf1no Ramolo, quartermaster on the
Florida, was ordered by the comman-
der of the Florida, when the collision
threatened, it is said, to put the wheel
to the starboard. Instead he put it to