The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-27
HE<OES GIVEN FARM WELCOME Shipwrecked Officers
 Reach Port. MADE MARVELLOUS ESCAPE Captain Sealby and Officer Williams Relate Experiences. Captain seaIsy Praised |. Uameasured Terms the Courage and Pluck
 of Passengers. omcers
 and Crew.

uay m the aftermath of the Nantucket collision which resulted in the loss of the White Star liner Republic, the se- rious damaging of the Italian liner Eiorida, the death of six persons and lhe inaury of several others, were the honors extended to Captain I. Sealby and Wireless Operator Jack Binns, of the Republic. and a statement by the tiorida's people as to how the collis- Ion occurred
 The White Star people promise their version of the causes of the collision tomorrow
 Today the landing at the White Star Pier of Captain SeaIby and Operator Binns big crowd awaited them and cheered the men heartily while @ score of enthusiastic admirers tossed the men to Sheir shoulders and thus carried them to the steamship offices on the floor above. Here the Captain and Binns held a reception, receiving the congratulations of scores of call CTS and here Captain Sealby modestly told the story of how he stood by his ship until she sank beneath him. Lat CT. Captain Sealby and Operator Binns. accompanied by Captain Ransom. of the Baltic. went to the White Star of other great crSwd met them and the ovation waS repeated
 On thg< Brooklyn waterfront at Bush street the Florida was the scene of much activity. Her seamen were Fcleaning away the debr;s and making g her shipshape, so that she might so into dry dock for repairs.
 Charges Blamed to Republic.
 Captain Respin declined to make any statement as to the cause of the col- lIsion. but after a conference wi.h rep FAM n tive nf ahut tesqu G- his agents, and Archibald Thatcher an admiralty lawyer. Richards & Co. gave out statement regarding the circuTn- stances of the collision Its feature was the direct charge that the Repub- lie was running at high rate of speed through the fog. It also refuted re- ports that the auartermaster of the Fioriia was to blame. and that tRa captain stfuak the man.
 The statement concludes.
 'sTho statements which have appear cd in some of the papers to the effect that there was any misunderstanding of orders on the bridge of the Florida is not true. The orders given by the captain were promptly and properly executed"
 The Produce Exchange. at a specisi meeting here today adopted a reso- lution heartily favoring such interna'  passenger steamers to be equipped with wireless telegraphy.
 great throng of officers and sea- men of the steamships of the White Star Line in dock. together with 300 or 400 spectators. were on the dock when Captain Sealby and his ship wrecked crew stepped down the gang plank. Officers and seamen alike made a rush for Captain Sealby and lifting him to their shoulders, carried him the whole length of the dock to the street, while the crowd yelled itself hoarse and stewards on the steamships blew trumpets. Behind the captain the crowd carried aloft the brave Binns, the wireless telegraph operator.
 Captain Sealby was carried from the street to the offices of the steam ship company on the second floor of the pier, where only On his earnest protest would the crowd cease It's de- monstrations. Few marine stories In recent years of marvellous escapes from the sea equalled in dramatic intensity the narrative that Captain Sealby told of the escape of Second Officer Will Hams and himself from the Republic. The Captain would not talk of the col- lfison with the steamer Florida. Cap tain Sealby said:
 Tt was about 8 o'clock Sunday night when the Republic was sinking and only myself and Williams were on the bridge. There was a rumbling and cracking at the after end of the boat. The stern was settling very rapidly and the sea was pretty bad. Then said to Williams, Well. what do you think about 1t, WiliamsT and Will Hams answered, I don't think 1t will be a long race. Let us sprint for 1t. When you are ready. let her go.' l looked aft again and saw how fast told WtllfQ fn burn blue lights. Then I fired my re- yolver five times to let the boats around me know we were going off. Turning to Williams. I said, Let us take to the forward rigging. and we ran from the bridge to the saloon deck, burning our blue lights as we went and car rying an ordinary lantern
 Roaring, Soothing Mass.
 "When we got to the saloon decks the water was coming in little aft of where we stood. As we ran forward the stern was sinking rapidly. The incline was so steep that when we got to the fore rigging we started to slip back and could hardly keep on deck. The last I saw of Williams he had crossed the port rail and was ranging over the side. I took to the rigging and went up as high as the masthead lights, a distance of many feet. l rested there and took out blue light. It was wet and would not go on. ana I then fired the last shot from my re- yolyer, The water had now caught up to me. coming up under my great coat. and I foated. The revolver and my binocular held my coat down. act ing as a sort of ballast. At this time the water was roaring, seething mass all about me.
 q was caught in a whirlpool for some time and was churned around until I came to the surface. I tried to pull off my coat but could not. There was considerable debris about me and managed to catch hold of broken spars. Then I caught a large hatch covering and I pulled myself out on the hatch. and lay on 1t. spread -agle fashion.
 "The searchlights had been playing on the ship and were now playing on the spot where she went down. It seemed an interminabIe time until they say me but I managed to load my revolver again and fired 1t to at- tract their attention.
 1T was getting weak, cold and numb. just lay on the hatch and saved my strength until the last, shouting at intervals. Then when the lights play ed on me, I waved a towel which had found floating near me and shortly af- ter the boats from the revenue cutter Gresham picked me up and carried me aboard found Williams in my little