New-York tribune., 1912-04-16
THE REPUBLICS SINKING
Jack Binns's Famous Wireless
&c q D" Made Him a Hero.

The only marine disaster since wireless
tele9raphys advent that, in the number OF
lives endangered. in the size Of ships and in
many other aspects. might be compared TO
| the catastrophe to the steamship Titanic
| was the sinking of the steamship Republic.
! also of the White Star Line, on January o.
1899. though only six lives were lost
The Republic. with $50 passengers and a
| large crew. ran into a dense fcg south ~
! Nantucket in the morning of January a.
| and AT $50 she was rammed amidships by
the steamship Florida. Most OF the pas
sengers We're still asleep. and the terrific
| impact Of the ships nearly created panic.
Captain Inman Sealby IN command Of tire
Republic. was on the bridge at the time In
a moment he had called his crew to quar-
ters, and the collision bulkheads were
closed down as rapidly az possible. cutting
the engine room from the rest Of the ship.
At the same time, before Captain Sealby's
order could reach him, Jack Binns, the
wireless operator on the Republic had be-
gun to fash the &C Q D. that, at the mo-
ment, seemed TO hold out the only hope 10
those on board.
The &c Q D." now famous all over the
world as a rescuer of life. meaning "An
ships: Danger was flashed again and
again by Binns, and then followed an ac-
count OF the Republics position. The
steamships Baltic and La Lorraine. the
Nantucket wireless station. Newport.
Woods Hole and Provincetown picked up
the message.
Each ship spoken turned In her course
and put on full speed toward the liner ~
distress The revenue cutters Acushnet
and Gresham were sent to the scene, and the
steamship Lucania. notified from the shore,
also proceeded TO the rescue.
Meanwhile It had become apparent ~
Captain Sealby that his ship would keep
afioat for a comparatively limited time
only But a short time after the collision
the Florida came out OF the fog again. and.
though badly damaged herself made ready
to take over the Republics passengers. In
the darkness of that January morning.
under difficulties of a disheartening nature.
over four hundred of the passengers OF the
Republic were taken on board OF the Flor.
ida.
OF the 1850 persons in danger. 20 per cent
were women and children. most OF whom
had 10 be helped down laboriously 10 the
lifeboats and again taken up 10 the Flor
ida. But in the course of the day the trans'
fer was accomplished. and all the passen-
gers were safely put on board OF the Flor
ida.
But the safety was far from real. Tne
passengers knew that the Florida herself
had been damaged, and that her first hold
was flooded. Toward evening the huge ano
reassuring Baltic loomed up from the fog'
and then all realized that the grave dan
ger was over. The captains OF the three
vessels conferred and they agreed that II
was better to leave the passengers over
night on the Florida and let her steam
toward New York. Should the Weather
conditions change TO a threatening nature
the Baltic stood by and was ready to begin
another transfer of the passengers.
The night passed quietly, but in tn'
morning Captain Ransom found indications
of a coming storm, and, fearing that
transshipment would become impossible II
the sea were whipped up by stirer blow
decided than the second transfer should be
made. This was accomplished more easib
than the first one, and the Baltic steamed
into the port of New York carrying the fs'
public's passengers safe aboard