Evening star., 1909-01-25
Republic Goes to Bottom
in Deep Water for All Time

NEW YORK, January 2J.-The palatial
ocean steamship Republic of the White
Star line, which was in collision with the
Italian liner Florida early Saturday
morning off Nantucket, Mass. went down
at $50 o'clock last night
NO one was lost Her passengers. taken
on many hours before. are on the steam
ship Baltic. which was off Sandy Hook
AT late hour making for this port
The Republic was in tow of the revenue
cutter Gresham and the derelict DESTROYER
Seneca. proceeding to New York when
she sank. On board her almost to the
last moment was Capt Sealby with a
volunteer detail of fifty of her crew
She had been towed but a short dis
tance when she began to settle rapidly
Seeing no hope of saving the ship. Capt
Sealby gave order 20 abandon ship
The crew was taken off by the Gresham
which cast loose from the crippled liner
and stood by until she sank beneath the
waves The Gresham and the Seneca
then headed for the Massachusetts coast
and will land Capt Sealby and mis- crew
at Gayhead.
Sinks Off No Mans Land.
The point where the Republic went
down is described in brief wireless mes
sages received as off No Mans Land. a
small island south of Martha Vineyard
Island, off the Massachusetts coast
The Italian liner Florida, which crashed
into the Republic in the dense fog and
gave her her deathblow, slowly steamed
toward New York. conveyed by the Amer
lean liner New York. Her passengers also
are on the Baltic. having been transferred
in the early hours of the morning along
with those of the Republic
The Baltic, which was called by wire
less telegraph to the aid of the Republic
Saturday and transferred from the Flor
ida not only that steamers 800 and more
passengers, but the 442 passengers and
part of the crew of the Republic pro-
ceeded to the harbor of New York,
That there was loss of life attending the
collision was not known until an early
hour Sunday morning. Then the wireless,
which has had its first great trial and
proved its utility. brought the news that
Mrs. Eugene Lynch of Boston and W. J
Mooney, banker of Langdon. n. D., had
been killed. and Mrs. NJ. NJ. Murphy wife
of the financial agent of the Union Cen
trail Life Insurance Company of Grand
Forks, n. D.. and Eugene Lynch of Bos-
ton injured.
In addition to these casualties among
the passengers on the Republic. it was re-
ported that four members of the Florida 8
crew had met death. The bodies of the
dead and the injured persons were trans
ferred to the Baltic
Nature of Accident Explained.
As d result of the news that two pas
sengers were killed and two injured and
their identity established the White Star
officials were enabled to figure just where
the Republic was struck Mr.. and Mrs.
Eugene Lynch of Boston occupied state
room No. 34 on the port side of the saloon
deck, just aft of amidships Mr. and Mrs
Mooney the adjoining stateroom. No. 81
and Mr.. and Mrs. Murphy stateroom
No. 2S- Stateroom No. 80 was occupied
by Mrs. Herbert l.. Griggs wife of the
president of the Bank of New York
That the killed and injured We're all in
this group of persons showed that the
Republic had been struck by the Florida
on the port or left-hand side and would
seem to indicate that the Florida which
had strayed in the fog some thirty miles
from her regular course, was crossing the
path of the outward bound steamers in an
endeavor to reach the inward bound lane
Never in the annals of sea lore so far
as known here. have so many passengers
been transferred on the high seas as in
this Nantucket drama Seven hum
dred persons. in round numbers were
transferred from the Republic to the
Florida, and then 1850 from the last
named vessel to the Baltic.
That this transfer Of nearly 300 per-
sons was effected without the loss of a
single life is considered a marvellous per
formance. though the fortunate occur
renee of a placid sea and mild. almost
springlike weather was an important
factor in this work
The Republic is sunk in 100 feet of
water off No Mans Land and is gone
forever Efforts to raise her from this
depth would be useless.
Sailors Go Overheard
SIASCONSETT. Mass. January %
Wireless dispatches tell in brief the story
Of the sinking of the Republic
The fl-fated steamer went down about
6 NM while the revenue cutter Gresham,
and the dereiict destroyer Seneca had
her in tow. The ships had reached a
point about ten miles south of Nantucket
when the Republic was seen to be rapidly
sinking
Small boats were instantly lowered to