Jack Binns and the Wreck of the "Republic"
the "Republic" and began towing. By four o'clock the next day, however, the "Republic" had taken on so much water that Capt. Shelby directed most of the crew to abandon the ship and head for the "Gresham." The Capt. and a few remained on board with a lifeboat standing by. On the "Gresham," an axe was laid near the rope line; ready to sever it in case the "Republic" began to go down. Binns, himself, describes what happened next:
"At 8 o'clock a signal was sent up from the "Republic" and the Gresham's hawser was severed. The crew was in the lifeboat, and the searching was playing upon the spot almost before the rest of us, who were standing around, could realize it. We caught one fleeting glimpse of the poor "Republic's" bows, which were shown up by the searchlight. After that we saw no more of her."
Binns had been at his post for 36 hours helping direct the rescue operation and upon arrival at New York, found himself proclaimed, to his chagrin, a Hero. A song, short motion picture and a ticker tape parade was held in his honor. He was not amused. Binns sued the maker of the film for invasion of privacy and then testified before Congress on the need for constant Wireless monitoring aboard ship, to no avail. Disgusted, Binns returned to England and continued work as a wireless operator until 1912. After turning down a post on the "Titanic," Binns embarked on a second career as a journalist, beginning his new job the day before the "Titanic" sank. In 1957, Binns became Chairman of the Board of Hazeltine, Co. He died in 1959 at the age of 75.
In a way, Binns' experience with the "Republic" adversely influenced the shipping lines of the times. The "Republic" incident led the line owners to believe that a ship could stay afloat until help arrived. It was thought that lifeboats would only be used to transfer people from the stricken ship to her rescuers, just as the "Republic" transferred hers to the "Florida" and then to the "Baltic." As we know, this thinking led almost all liners of the day to sail without enough boats for all aboard, which led to the appalling loss of life with the "Titanic."
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