Marconi 159 



time. The collision was so violent that the roof and one 

 wall of the Republic's wireless cabin were ripped away, 

 while the shock put the dynamo out of order and plunged 

 the whole place into darkness. The captain, who realized 

 how badly his ship was holed, sent a message to the wire- 

 less operator asking him, if possible, to call for help. The 

 wireless operator, a smart young fellow named Jack 

 Binns, set to work at once. With the ship slowly sinking 

 under him, he managed somehow to rig up an apparatus 

 which would dispatch messages, and, having done so, sat 

 down with the telephone receiver on his head and a 

 blanket around his shoulders and began sending out the 

 C.Q.D., which in those days was the call for help. 



An answer came, and presently he was able to send 

 word that the great Baltic was racing to the assistance of 

 the threatened ship. Three other ships heard, but all were 

 too far away to arrive in time. 



Water was pouring into the holds of the Republic. The 

 Florida was standing by, and though badly injured herself 

 she had more chance of floating than the Republic, so the 

 whole of the Republic's passengers and crew were taken 

 aboard her. For ten hours on end young Binns went on 

 sending out his appeal ; then the batteries which he had 

 been using in place of the wrecked dynamo gave out. 

 But he had done his work. Up came the Baltic and took 

 off no fewer than one thousand two hundred and forty- 

 two passengers from the crowded Florida ; then she took 

 the Republic in tow. It was too late, however, to save the 

 Republic, which shortly sank. Yet not a life was lost, and 

 every newspaper in the world was full of the story. 



We do not know whether there has ever been made any 

 close calculation of the number of lives saved from ship- 

 wreck through the use of wireless, but we are safe in 

 saying that no single invention has ever been the means of 

 saving a greater number, and every year that passes sees 

 that number increased. 



