The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-02
THE ELDER STRANDED.
Tho Big German Lloyd Steamship
Is Almost Wrecked.
FORTUNATELY NO LIVES LOST,
But tho Passengers Badly Frightened
nnd Beg to 10 Sent hshore--Two
Hundred OF Them Safely Landed in
Lifc-Eonts.-Thc Vessel Has Ter.
riblc Expcricncc-.An Attcmpt Being
Made to Pull Hcr On..Thc Lifc.Sav.
ing Service Docs Great Work.

plHNc ~ luil ilCr oA-'lHc hllC.ouV-
ing Service Does Great Work.
LONDON, Fob. 1.-Two hundred pas
sengcrs have boon landed from tho Cor.
man Lloyd steamer Elder, which
stranded Mt st. Catherino's Point, tho
southern extremity OF tho Islo OF
Wight, at 10 o'clock last night.
A heavy fog prevailed at the time tho
steamer struck, but it is not yet known
how sho came to be so far of her course
or how sho took bottom before tho oili.
GERS found she was Swallowing. water.
Tho Elder was built by John Elder &
Co., OF Glasgow, in 1888 sho is o FOUR
masted, iron screw steamer OF $500
gross tons, and has compound engines
Of 1000 horse po#eh Sho is 100 feot s
inches long. II feet beam, u feet
inches deep, and has seven collision
bulkhcads.
Athortield ledge is out Of the line OF
direct telegraph communication, and it
requires some time to learn tho details.
1t is believed the Elder had no pilot on
board, and that Captain IIeineckc lost
his reckoning by not seeing tho Needles
light, which was obscurcd by the fog.
The North German Lloyd agent at
Southampton dispatched three tugs
from that place to take off tho Elders
passengers. Government tugs have
also been sent by tho admiralty from
Portsmouth, and they will endcavor to
get the steamer of.
TO THE RESCUE.
This afternoon it was learned that
when tho steam ship ran on the rocks
at 10 o'clock last night. The passengers
were panic-striclien and rushed on dock
in their night clothes, they were pre-
vailed upon to return to their cabins
and make preparations to abandon the
ship, should such a course DO found
necessary. The Athcrlcld lifeboat
managed to reach the side OF the steam.
er, although heavy sea was rolling
and 4 gale had sprung up, forcing the
steamer more and more upon the rocks
and considerably lcssening the chances
OF getting oil. When tho life savers
reached the Elder they offered to take
off the passengers, but Capt. Heneclro
decliiicd to allow them to leave tho
ship, expressing himself confident OF
providing for their safety. Finally the
passengers became SO alarmed and
pleaded socarnestly with Capt. Hcneckc
to be allowed to 80 ashore that the cap
tain allowed some OF them to do so, and
cd at Atherfcld after passing through
an experience anon. the waves off
shore that they arc not likely to forgot
for the remainder OF their lives. The
drenchcd and half-drowncd passengers
and life savers were heartily cheered
upon landing and received every dssis-
tancc from those gathered to welcome
them. r5
IN GREAT DANGER.
Three moro liieboats, by the time the
first twelve passengers were landed,
had made for the Elder, and several
tugs were also steaming up to her, but
the latter we're unable to approach near
enough to her to bc OF any assistance
owing to tho fact that the steamship
was cradlcd in spot surrounded OH all
sides by dangerous rocks, which were
SO close together that even the light
draught lifcboats experienced the ut
most difficulty in getting near enough
to the distressed vessel to permit the
passengers and mail bags to be swung
off into them.
TIE FIRST ALARM.
The coast guardsmcn noticed the log
whistle OF q big steamship blowing dur
ing the night, but as there are SO many
vessels passing up and down the chan.
mel 10 danger was anticipated, until
suddenly rockets were seen to flare up
ward through the night mist and log,
ana then steamships whistle was
heard blowing tho long uninterrupted
note OF distress. The entire coast guard
was Immediately summoned, and the
neighborins stations were promptly no.
titled to send reinforccments TO the
spot. The liicboat OF tho coast guard
station near Athcrfcld' Rocks was then
manned and run out through the surf.
By this time rocket after rocket was
being sent up by the steamship in dis
tross, thus guiding the the coast guard
lifeboat to the spot where she was
ashore. A tremendous sea was run
ming as tho liicboat put to sea, and, in
addition to it being bitterly cold, the
wind freezing the water on tho life
savers boat, oars and oilsl,ins. AS tho
log began to clear away carly this
morning the lifeboat was seen stitl gal
lantly struggling 10 reach the Elder,
over which vessel the foam OF heavy
seas was breaking.
The spot where tho Elder went ashore
is not far from where in the autumn OF
1878, on calm Sunday afternoon, II.
NJ. S. Eurydicc, British government
training ship. while returning from q
cruise III the Pacific and West Indies,
capsized i'll q sudden sQuall and
drowned 200 men. The Eurydice when
the sQuall struck her had her portfolios
open on account OF tho fine weather,
and was SO close 10 land, to use sen
mans phrase, that zone could chuck a
biscuit oshorc;' yet nearly every soul
on board the ship was drowned
It is evident that thcEider missed the
Needles ligh. while making for tho So
lent, or water between tho Isle Of Wight
and the mainland OF England. The
Elder being bound for Southampton,
directly behind or inside tho Isle OF
Wight, she would iirstmakc the Needles
light, oil the wcstcrn extremity of the
Isle OF Wight, and would then leave it