On 27th December, 1903 Republic II (commanded by Capt. McAuley) arrived in Boston (from Liverpool) at the end of her first White Star voyage, covered with ice and snow after sailing through a "furious storm" the entire trip. Conditions were so bad that the Queenstown tender could not come alongside the ship. As a result the pilot, William Owen and two passengers who intended to disembark there are still on the ship. They had to return to Ireland on Cedric when she sailed from New York the following week.

The New York Times, 25 January 1909

(Publication Date Unconfirmed)

REPUBLIC SUNK; 1,650 RESCUED HERE ON BALTIC

SIX KILLED IN COLLISION

The White Star liner Baltic, laden with the 1,650 passengers of the colliding steamers Republic of the White Star Line and the Lloyd-Itallano liner Florida, in addition to her own company, were lying outside Sandy Hook at midnight, waiting for the dawn, to come into harbor. The Baltic was invisible in the fog, but the Marconi wireless station at Sea Gate could catch her messages exchanged with a sister ship near by.

The Florida, in convoy of the American liner New York, was a few miles behind the Baltic. Both have slowly made their way here over the 220 miles between the harbor mouth and the scene of Saturday morning's collision, twenty-six miles southeast of the Nantucket Lightship, guardian beacon of the Nantucket Shoals.

Miles away from the Baltic, off the coast of No Man's Land, a small islet south of Martha's Vineyard, lies all that remains of the powerful Republic. She sank last night in forty-five fathoms of water, Capt. Sealby and the fifty men still left on her escaping just in time.

Republic Sank at 8:40 P. M.

The big steamer, which left this city on Friday, bound for Mediterranean ports, with 211 first-class passengers off on a pleasure tour of Southern Europe, and 250 steerage passengers, as well as supplies for the United States battleship fleet in the Mediterranean, gave up the fight at 8:40 o'clock, about forty hours after the Florida's sharp prow dealt her a deathblow. To the last Capt. William I. Sealby and his crew had stuck to the stricken steamer, assisting the revenue cutter Gresham and the Anchor liner Furnessia, which were trying to bring the wounded vessel back to this city.

Before the vessel sank Capt. Sealby and his crew escaped to the convoying revenue cutter, but a wireless dispatch seized out of the air by the instrument at the Sagaponack Station, near Bridgehampton, L. I., early last evening, brought the news that the body of Mrs. Eugene Lynch of Boston, the only woman among six victims of the accident, was believed to be aboard the sunken Republic.

Those who lost their lives, as told in yesterday's TIMES, have proved to be W. J. Mooney, a banker, of Langdon, S. D., and Mrs. E. Lynch of Boston, passengers on the Republic, and four seamen of the Florida, whose names are unknown. In addition Eugene Lynch, husband of Mrs. Lynch, and Mrs. M. M. Murphy, wife of the financial agent of the Union Central Life Insurance Company of Grand Forks, N. D., were injured, how badly is not known now.

Summary of the Result

This was the situation at midnight last night, when a summary of the meagre dispatches received by wireless during the day and night from the Baltic and the American liner New York, from the derelict destroyer Seneca, and from the revenue cutter Gresham, revealed that the collision off Nantucket in the fog had cost six lives, occasioned injuries to two persons, brought about the loss of one steamer with its valuable cargo and personal baggage of its passengers, and seriously crippled another steamer, the latter the Florida.

The Florida was reported by wireless last night to be slowly steaming toward this city under her own power, but in a bad way. Her bow and cutwater, the dispatches said, were smashed, and her two forward holds were filled with water. Still the liner floated, and freed of her passengers, who had been taken aboard the Baltic, she was struggling to reach safety here.

In the fog which prevailed over the Atlantic, between Nantucket and this port, none of the steamers creeping on their way hither dared attempt high speed. The Baltic, bringing the rescued between her decks, made the best time. That she would try to enter the harbor before daybreak was not believed, however, and the White Star officials made preparations to send out the steamer General Putnam at 4 o'clock this morning to meet her when she came up the bay.

The Transfer by Searchlight

The fog which held throughout yesterday had overhung the waters off Nantucket all through the previous night, yet it was at this time that the transfer of passengers from the Florida to the Baltic was made. The work began at 11:40 o'clock on Saturday night, with ten boats, each capable of carrying ten passengers in addition to the crews that manned them, doing the work. The vessels lay about a mile apart, and over the Intervening water played the rays of the searchlights on the Baltic.

There was a sea running at the time, and the little boats tossed and pitched as they wended their way backward and forward between the two vessels, now laden until their gunwales were almost under, now riding back after depositing their passengers, with the lightness of feathers.

All night long the work was kept up until 10 o'clock yesterday morning, when the last of the Republic's passengers and those of the Florida as well, numbering in all 1,650 souls, had been safely carried aboard the stanch liner.

But in the excitement of the work the Republic had been lost to sight. With her engine fires out and her engine room swept by the tons of water which washed into it through the gaping hole in her side, the stricken steamer was at the mercy of the winds and waves, drifting hither and thither in a fog which rendered objects invisible when only yards away.

Republic Found Again

Capt. Ransom of the Baltic set his wireless to work, reported to the office here the safe transfer of the surviving passengers and crew, and announced that he was going in search of the Republic. He had started on what appeared a hopeless task when the fog suddenly lifted a bit. It was only a little, just enough to show the Republic lying some distance away, but still apparently safe and in no danger of sinking.

The lifting of the fog revealed, too, that a fleet of salvage tugs had arrived at the scene, and that the New York had taken a position near the Florida, while the Furnessia, which had come in the night, was also lying by ready to offer assistance.

With this help at hand, Capt. Ranson obeyed the next message which reached him from the White Star office here, ordering him to start for this city if he could safely leave the Republic, and the Baltic steamed off on her homeward journey, leaving the Furnessia to care for the Republic, and the New York to convoy the Florida, whose Captain declined further assistance, saying that he could make this port under his own steam.

Lorraine's Fruitless Search

Meanwhile another big ocean liner had been playing a strange game of hide and seek throughout the night. It was the French liner Lorraine. Picking up the Republic's first call for help the liner had started for the stricken vessel, although she was then 200 miles away. She reached the vicinity of the Republic at nightfall, when darkness added to the impenetrability of the fog.

She heard the sound of the Republic's submarine bell. On the other hand sounded that of the Baltic. Apparently the two steamers were close at hand, yet the Lorarine [sic] could not locate them. Here and there she cruised, calling continually with her wireless for word from the Republic, and urging Capt. Sealby to make what noise aboard he could in order that the Lorraine might follow it.

The game proved unending, however. Never did the boats come together, and at last the Lorraine abandoned the search, when a wireless from the Baltic brought word that she would stand by the Republic, and begged the Lorraine to follow the Florida, then already starting on the trip to this city. The Lorraine tried to follow instructions.

"The Florida is blowing four whistles," was the word from the Baltic. The Lorraine could hear them, and she tried to follow, but presently the whistling ceased and after another fruitless search through the murk the Lorraine set out on the journey for this port, which she reached yesterday afternoon.

Trying To Save the Republic

Meantime, back in the waters south of Martha's Vineyard, the island lying a few miles south of the Massachusetts coast off Wood's Hole, the Republic and the Florida were struggling on their way hither. With the Florida steamed the New York, while the Republic was in the care of the Gresham and the Furnessia. The revenue cutter had made lines fast to the bow of the stricken vessel and the Furnessia had hawsers stretched from her own bow to the stern of the Republic.

Thus the Gresham hauled and the Furnessia steered the wreck ahead by bending her weight upon the hawsers. All day long the trio made slow progress in this way, making only a knot or two an hour, but moving nevertheless. Every effort was made to get the Republic near land and into shoal water. It was tacitly agreed by the officers of the Gresham and Furnessia and Capt. Sealby that the latter's craft could not keep afloat much longer. The question was, Could she reach shoal water in which she might find a soft resting place before her decks and upper rigging sank beneath the waves? In such a place the vessel might be salvaged and something saved from the wreckage. In deep water the Republic would be lost, should she sink.

The derelict destroyer Seneca had come up and joined in the work of towing. With her help better time was made and there seemed some hope that the Republic might be saved after all. At 8:45 o'clock last night a wireless was received from the destroyer announcing that the wounded Republic was nine miles south by east of the Nantucket Lightship, approximately six miles north of the position she was in on Saturday night.

End of a Noble Liner

The effort to save the Republic was not to avail, however. At 8:30 o'clock the vessel, already deep in the water, was seen to be settling. Aboard the craft still remained Capt. Sealby and his crew. The settling of the Republic threw the Gresham into a fever of activity. Hurried orders rang out from the bridge, and almost before the last word had been spoken, boat crews were tumbling over the side. With rapid strokes they pulled back through the choppy sea to the side of the Republic. The latter's gunwales were almost under water. From the end of a rope the Republic's crew tumbled into the small boat, Capt. Sealby, standing by until the last of his men were safely in the stern sheets of the Gresham's cutter, was almost too late. He had to jump into the water, and was picked up clinging to some wreckage.

The Gresham's seamen pulled with full speed toward their own boat Already ready the lines connecting her with the Republic had been cast off. Yards astern the Furnessia's men were working at a similar task. The ropes had scarcely dropped into the water and the Gresham's small boat was still near the stricken Republic when the big steamer's stern plunged down, her bow rose quivering in the air, and then shot downward. Then the waves closed over the spot where, but a moment since, the Republic had floated.

Capt. Sealby and his crew were hauled aboard the Gresham and this dispatch was sent to this city:

Republic sunk. All hands saved. Making Gay Head on the Gresham.

SEALBY

The Final Scene

A description of the last moments of the liner reached THE TIMES by wireless from the Gresham last night by way of the Marconi station at Siasconsett. Here it is:

"At 8 P. M., while the revenue cutters Seneca and Gresham were slowly towing the Republic about ten miles south of Nantucket, the Republic was seen to be rapidly sinking. Boats were instantly lowered to rescue the crew. All were picked up. The Captain and mate were found clinging to a grating, the Captain almost exhausted.

"It was a brilliant piece of rescue work by the boat crew of the Gresham. The Republic sank rapidly, going down stern first.

"The Seneca and Gresham steamed slowly away. One plan is that the Seneca shall take off the surviving crew at daybreak from the Gresham and proceed to New York. The Captain and Mate are being cared for in the wardroom on board the Gresham and seem to be doing well."

Messages to the Rescued

While the Republic had been making her fight for life, the Baltic, with her heavy cargo of passengers, had been steaming slowly up the Long Island coast, running through dense fog at reduced speed, yet hopeful of landing her passengers in this city this morning.

Her wireless apparatus was kept at work, and late yesterday afternoon the station at Sagaponack, near Bridgehampton, L. I., picked up a message. It was from one of the passengers to friends on shore, and simply told of the well-being of those aboard the Baltic. From then on a constant stream of messages flew through the air from the Baltic's masthead to the receiving tower ashore.

In the little beach station the operator had more than 300 messages containing congratulations and urgent invitations to come immediately to the homes of friends here on the arrival of the Baltic in port. But he had no chance to send them. Some he did get off, but the majority were relayed to the wireless station at Sea Gate.

There a throng of interested person crowded the little room on the second floor of the Sea Gate Association's Lodge, less than a quarter of a mile from the end of Norton's Point, where the wireless instrument is installed. The difficulties at Sagaponack were known there.

At 5:30 o'clock the delicate instrument had caught one of the messages on its way from the Baltic to the far-distant station on the Long Island beach.

For some time the instrument continued to catch these messages, but after a time communication ceased, and it was not until 11 o'clock when the next message came, the Baltic telling that she had passed Fire Island at 9:18 o'clock and was proceeding slowly through a dense fog.

The weather was so heavy that even at this hour the observation station at Fire Island reported that they were unable to sight the steamer.

Rescued Here This Morning, Sure

The distance from Fire Island to Sandy Hook is about thirty miles, a distance usually made by vessels of the Baltic class in two hours. But under the conditions existing last night it was not believed by the White Star officials that the vessel would try to enter the harbor. They said that they expected her to lie off the Hook till daybreak, and to reach her pier about 9 o'clock this morning. The Cunarder Lucania, a vessel probably three knots faster than the Baltic, passed Fire Island at 6 o'clock last night, and at midnight had not been reported at the Hook, indicating that she was anchored there in the fog to wait for daylight before making the passage through the lower bay. It is believed that the Baltic will adopt the same precautionary measures.

This decision on the part of the Baltic's officers was sad news to the hundreds of relatives and friends of the Republic's passengers who had besieged the White Star office all day with inquiries as to the safety or whereabouts of the Republic's survivors. Many of these inquiries were made over the telephone, but hundreds of people visited the offices, which had been kept open all through the preceding night, seeking assurances of the safety of their friends, and clamoring for the hoped-for announcement that the Baltic would soon be in.

Baltic and New York Both Off the Hook

At midnight the wireless instrument at Sea Gate picked up a series of messages which, it was learned, were passing between the American liner New York and the Baltic. The messages were some which the Baltic had failed to receive from Sagaponack and which the New York, receiving later, was relaying to her. From the sound of the messages as they were received at Sea Gate, Harry Williams, the operator, estimated that the New York was not more than fifteen miles distant from the Baltic.

No mention was made in the messages of the crippled steamer Florida, but as the New York was conveying her into this port, there is no doubt that the Florida must be close up to the New York, and perhaps anchored near her.

An effort was made by the Sea Gate operator to break in on the conversation between the Baltic and the New York to ascertain the whereabouts of the Florida, but he was unable to establish communication. The Florida herself is not equipped with wireless.

REPUBLIC SANK AT 8:40 P. M.

So Said a Message from a Savannah Liner Near the Scene

The United Wireless Telegraph Company announced last night that it had received from the Savannah liner City of Memphis, en route from Savannah---which uses the De Forest wireless system---this message:

Republic went down at 8:40 All crew saved, and on board the United States revenue cutter Gresham, off No Man's Land.