The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-02-06
FAST ON THE ROCKS.
The Steamship Elder, of the North
German Line,

German Line,
Hard Aground In q Dangerous Portion
or the Isle of wIght-The Passen-
gers and Crew Rescued by
the Coast Guard.
LONDON, Feb. THE steamship
Elder. of the North German Lloyd
Steamship Co, Capt. Beuecke, which
left New York for Bremen on January
2S, went ashore during Sunday night
on the Atherfeld rocks, Q miles west of
Ventnor, Isle of Wight
A scene of wild confusion followed
the striking of the ship.
The coast guardsmen and life-saving
but Capt. Henecke at first refused to
let them go. thinking them safer on
the vessel for the present at least than
in the frail boats. He afterwards,
however, consented to the venture.
Most of the lady passengers feared to
take the risk of going off in the first
life-boat, and as there was plenty OF
room Capt. Heifiscke allowed some of
the male passengers to land in the first
boat taken ashore. This first boat
load included Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Ash
enden and son, of New York, and
Henry Rankin, of London. Four chill
dren were also slowed away in the bot
tom of the boat under the thwarts and
amid the legs of the life-boat crew.
The children, in order to give
them as much protection as pos
sible against the weather, were
covered over with tarpaulius,
but everybody in the boat was repeat
edly drenched to the skin by the seas
which swept into the small craft
When the life-boats reached the line of
the surf beating upon the shore, it was
with great difficulty that they escaped
being swamped. The boats were
finally ridden in, bows on to the break
ers, and when they reached a certain
point they were seized by coast guards
men and others who had ventured out
into the surf as far as possible, and
with a rush the boats were dragged,
amid cheers, up the beach, and the pas
sengers and crew landed in safety.
Mr.. and Mrs Fred Ashenden and their
son and Mr.. Henry Rankin started for
London as soon as they could obtain
dry clothing.
Those of the poor Danes. Norwe-
gians, Swedes and Germans who were
among the Elders steerage passengers
landed during the afternoon and even
ing, are compelled to remain lor the
present at Atherfield, where the agents
of the North German Lloyd Co. are do
ing everything possible for them. But
these poor people have in many cases
| lost their baggage and other property,
and there was so much weeping and
bewailing of the fate which had over
taken them that few of these people
seemed to have either the time or the
inclination to realize that they had
had a narrow escape from finding
death in a watery grave.
The coast-guardsmen and others who
We're present IN the boats and tugs
| about the Elder during the earlier part
of the day are unanimously of the
opinion that had the gale increased at
the rate it did increase during the early
part of the morning, it is possible that
there would have been a considerable
loss of life, for the life-boats, owing to
the rocks and the heavy seas which
were then sweeping over them, were
almost useless and would have been
dashed to pieces either against the
Elders side or against the rocks re-
ferred to. A sudden and unexpected
| Of ,-inA or1 alnne
seems to have saved the Elder from
much more serious damage.
The village of Atherfield is full oi
coast guardsmen and men in the e IN
ploy of the salvage and marine in
surance companies, who are engaged in
the rescue and assistance of the passen'
gers, or in salvaging the jettisoned
cargo of the Elder.
Fishermen's boats have swarmed &c
the vessel in the hope of earning ar
honest dollar in some way or another
Ats o'clock this evening the life.
boats had made thirteen trips and had
landed about 200 people. The work oi
rescuing was then continuing, and il
was hoped that all the passengers
would be safe ashore by 8 o'clock.
Toward nightfall it was seen that
there was still plenty of work for the
life-boats to do, and though their
crews had been continuously on duty
since about two hours before midnight,
they kept manfully at their oars. Be-
fore the boats commenced their night s
work, however, they were each fitted
with special lights and their crews
were strengthened by refreshments.
some of the more exhausted men being
replaced by coast guartsmen or life
boat men who had been working only
on shore. But, these cases of substi
tuition of life-savers were few in mum
Der as the men seemed to take ar
honest pride in sticking to their boats
in spite of the severe strain placed
upon them.
Shortly after sundown the wind and
sea began to rise again, and it looked
as If there was another gale brewing
This caused the life-savers to redoublt
their efforts in order to get through
with the work of life-saving before i
was interfered with again by wind ant
wave.
In an interview with Mr.. Georg'
Meyers, one of the Elders passenger
landed this afternoon, the latter sal,
that the steamship upto the time sh
grounded, had made an average o
about IS knots an hour from the tim
she left New York. According to Mr.
Meyers, Capt Heinecke, shortly befor
the Elder struck thought that he wa
about miles west of the Needles, an
as he bad not sighted the Needles o
st. Catharine's lights he kept the lea
line going continuously, the last repor
a moment or so before the Elder ra
ashore, showing IS fathoms of water
The quartermaster engaged in heavin
the lead had Just gathered up the lin
for another cast, when the Eide
grounded.
Mr.. Meyers, continuing, said tina
though there was naturally much alarI
| al H.,