across the decks. And tons of frigid water
began pouring into the engine room.
Sealby quickly fired two emergency
rockets and slammed shut the watertight
bulkheads that separated the flooding engine
room from the rest of the ship. Then he
ordered the 461 passengers into life jackets.
By now, the colliding ship had pulled
away and disappeared into the fog. But the
Republic wasn’t going anywhere but down: she
had already sunk at least a foot. Sealby knew
his ship was doomed. But he still had one last
chance to save his passengers.
“Get Jack Binns,” Sealby ordered his
steward.
Binns was the Republic’s wireless opera-
tor. Sealby hoped that Binns and his wireless
would also be the Republic’s savior.
The wireless telegraph machine had been
introduced in 1896 by Guglielmo Marconi,
a young Italian inventor. Binns had taught
himself to use the wireless when he was four-
teen years old. At about age twenty-one, he
became an official Marconi man, working for
the British Marconi Company aboard several
ships. A few short years later, he was assigned
to the Republic.
The Republic was one of the most
luxurious ships afloat. It had all the latest
amenities—fancy restaurants, a barbershop.
And even a wireless. In fact, the Republic was
one of less than 100 ships in the world to
have a wireless at that time.
Most shipowners thought that the wireless
was too costly to install and use. To them it
was just an expensive toy that allowed wealthy
passengers to follow the latest news onshore
and keep in touch with friends. But Binns
thought his wireless was a lot more than a
toy: it was a lifesaving safety device.
Binns and other wireless operators sus-
pected the wireless might one day be needed
to send out an emergency broadcast. For
years, they had practiced for just such a situ-
ation, developing a special signal to be used
only in a life-threatening emergency. Now
Binns put his practice to the test.
As soon as Binns felt the Republic crash,
he snapped into action. The collision had
knocked him out of his bunk. He hoped that
it hadn’t knocked down the antenna to his
wireless machine, too.
Binns picked his way through his smashed
cabin and flicked on the wireless in the next
room. It was working perfectly. But just as
he was about to tap out a message, the ship
plunged into darkness. The power had gone out.
He fumbled in the dark, trying to find
a candle. Then he heard an ominous snap!
Binns had broken the transmitting key off the
wireless. But he wasn’t fazed.
Binns sloshed through frigid, knee-deep
water several decks below and found the
backup storage batteries for the wireless. Then
he made his way back to the radio cabin and
rigged his machine with the batteries. Now
the wireless could send just a feeble signal that
traveled about 50 miles. His only hope was
to reach the wireless station at Saisconsett, on
the tip of Nantucket. That was 47 miles away.
Binns held the broken key together with one
hand and flashed out a message with the other.AMENITIES ARE LOVELY
COMFORTS AND LUXURIES. MEWY NICE!