Connecticut western news., 1883-01-31
The Cimbria Disaster.

with the British steamer Sultan on Friday morning of Borkum and quickly sank. A boat which has arrived at Cuxhaven landed thirty nine persons. Six steamers were at once sent out to search for the other boats of the Cimbria Over four hundred persons are believed to have perished, although 1t is hoped that many of the passengers and crew have been picked up by steam CTS or escaped by boats.
 A survivor from the Cimbria makes the following statement: "The weather was clear up to :15 o'clock on Friday morn ing, but fog then set in, which con- tinued, and also increased in density The engines of the Cimbria were kept at full speed until 80 o'clock, then at half speed until 2 o'clock, after which they were kept at slow speed. About ten minutes past o'clock the whistle of another steamer was heard, and the en- zines of the Cimbria were stopped in. stantly. The Sultan's green light was, owing to the fog, not observed until she was only 150 feet off from the Cimbria. She struck the Cimbria abaft the first collision bulkhead, on the port side, and the Cimbria. keeled over to starboard, and speedily sank"
 Details of the disaster show that the loss of life must have been fearful. The Cimbria sustained such severe injuries that it at once became apparent she must sink almost immediately. The officers therefore did all in their power to save lives. Without moments loss of time life belts were distributed among the passengers, and an order was given to lower the boats. This, how ever, in consequence of the vessels keek ing over on her side, was found to be very difficult on one side and absolutely impossible on the other. As the second officer was still engaged ill cutting the spars loose, 80 that there should be as much driftwood as possible for the people to cling to when the inevitable laundering occurred, the vessel went down under his feet. He seized spar, but as several other per sons clung to it, was obliged to let go, and he swam to boat This boat was subsequently picked up by the Theta. The second officer steered the Theta to Cuxhaven.
 According to accounts published in Berlin, the women and children on board the Cimbria were placed first in the UOhGS. DOdUo NUS. l Sbuu SOb OA Ct6bl, but No. 5 was so overcrowded that it capsized. The first officer held burning torches while the passengers were en- third and fourth officers and the second engineer were saved.
 The survivors of the Cimbria describe the moment of her sinking as terrible one. The air was filled with the cries of 1S ubo ing short time until benumbed by the icy water. In few minutes all was over The Frankfurter Journal says that the officers of the steamer Sultan have been placed in jail.
 by the police. Her captain asserts that he waited at the scene of the disaster twelve hours after the collision.
 WHAT THE sULTAN's CAPTAIN SAYS.
 The Hamburger Nuc1trichten says that the Captain of the Sultan, in his official statement says that before the fog set in he had been going nine knots an hour, and during the fog he reduced the speed to four knots, which is the lowest rate of speed consistent with keeping steering way on the vessel. He neither heard nor saw any kind of signals until suddenly, at distance of little more than two ships lengths, the Cimbria's green light appeared He immediately, in accord ance with the rules of the road, en- deavored to give way. He thought he should be able to get clear, when some incorrect steering occurred aboard the Cimbria, and suddenly he saw the red | light of another steamer. Almost simultaneously with the appearance of the red light he felt the shock.
 During the time the leak of his vessel was repairing he constantly gave signals by blue lights and blowing the steam whistle. When the repairs had been ef- fected he approached as nearly to the scene of the collision as he could without endangering his own vessel. Owing to the dense fog, he. saw nothing. He waited about until eight o'clock Friday morning. As proof of the correctness of his statement, he points to the lateness of the time at which he arrived at Cux- haven. It is considered that the great point in the official investigation will be to prove the accuracy of this statement. According to the statement of persons in- timately acquainted with the captain of the Sultan, both he and his first officer are thoroughly competent and careful sailors, and are specially noted for the maintenance of strict discipline.