Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-02-05
The Ocean Steamer Elder Ashore on
. the Atherfield Rocks off the
Isle of Wight.
A Furious Gale Blowing and it is
Impossible for the Life Boats
to Reach Her.
She is Grinding to Pieces on the
Rocks, and the Passengers
in Great Danger.
A Steamship in Distress,

LONDON, Feb. 2.-The steamer r,uer,
Of the North German Lloyd Steamship
company, Captain Heinriecke, which
left New York for Bremen on Jan. 25,
went ashore during the night on the
Atherfeld rocks, nine miles west of
Ventnor, Isle of Wight. The Elder lies
in pretty comfortable position, in close
proximity to the coast guard station.
The coast guardsmen noticed the fog
whistle Of big steamship blowing dur
Ing the night, but there are so many
vessels passing up and down the chan
mel, no danger was anticipated until
suddenly rockets were seen to fare up
ward through the night mist and fog,
and then the steamships whistle was
heard blowing the long uninterrupted
note of distress. The entire coast guard
crew was summoned and neighboring
stations were promptly notified to send
reinforcements to the spot. The life
boat of the coast guard station near
Atherfeld rocks was then manned and
run out through the surf. By this time
rocket after rocket was being sent up by
the steamship in distress, thus guiding
the coast guard life boat to the spot
where she was ashore. A tremendous
sea was running as the life boat put to
sea, and, in addition, it was bitterly
cold, the wind freezing the water upon
the life savers, boat, oars and oil SKINS
The sea was so heavy, that, as this dis
patch is sent. the life boat has not sue
ceeded in reaching the steamship. AS
the fog began to clear away the life
boat was seen still gallantly struggling
to reach the Elder, over which vessel the
foam of heavy seas was breaking It
is believed, however, that the life savers
will be able to rescue all the crew and
passengers, even if the steamship is
unable to get off.
1t is impossible at this cabling, 10
form any definite idea of the amount of
damage done. Nor can the situation be
more accurately summed up than to say
that Elder is ashore on dangerous
coast and that everything possible will
be done to assist her.
~ Believe Passengers are Safe.
LONDON, Feb. 1.-As this cable mes
sage is forwarded the gale is increasing
in violence and heavy seas are continu-
ally breaking over the Elder. Several
tugs and life boats from Ventnor, Var
mouth, Chale, st. GATHERINGS and other
places have managed to reach her and
are doing everything possible to assist
the steamer, but her situation is becom-
ing more critical every hour. The tugs
and lie boats have managed to take off
the mails and have landed them at
#Atherfield. From this fact it is believed
that the passengers are all safe
The Elder is 1850 tons and 8, 200 horse
power, and was built at Glasgow in
1883 by John Elder & Co., and is con-
sidered in every way to to be first
class ocean passenger vessel.
81 Whero the Eurydics Was Wrecked.
The spot where the Elder is ashore is
not far from where in the autumn of
1878, on calm Sunday afternoon H. M.
g. Eurydice,a "a British government train
ing ship, while returning from cruise
in the Pacific and West Indies. capsized
in q sudden squall, and drowned 400
men. The Eurydice, when the squall
struck her, had her port holes opened
on accent of fine weather, and was so
close to land, to use g seaman's phrase,
that you f'could chuck biscuit ashore"
Yet nearly every soul on board the ship
was drowned,