Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-03
LEFT TO HER FATE.
The Elders Crew Forced to
Abandon. Her.
All Safely Taken Off the Dis
abled Ship.
The Vessel Lying In Very Danger
GUS Position.
She sustains a Terrible Battering From
Waves and Rocks-Her Total
Loss Believed to Be
Inevitable.
Associated Press pispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
LONDON, Feb. "A gale set in last
night causing heavy sea to run in the
channel, which added to the dangerous
position of the steamer Elder on Ather-
field ledge. The place is exposed to the
full force of the wind and sea and is one
of the most perilous points in the chan
mel. The wind continued to freshen
throughout the night. The position of
the Elder grew worse and worse. She
pounded quite hard upon the rocks, but
the crew staid by her. The stern sunk
further, lifting the bows higher. Should
she slide off the ledge che will surely 60
to the bottom. Marine men think she
will almost surely be lost. Captain
Heinecke signalled that the leak was
gaining rapidly on the pumps.
At ii am. the position of the Elder
became most critical. The tide was
rising, and as it approached the flood
the water poured into the steamer. The
afterhold becoming full, pulled the
stern down, leaving the forehold per-
fectly dry. The sea was at the Quarter
decks, and it looked as though she
would slide off at any moment.
The pumps ON the Elder were kept
working at their full capacity all night,
but the sea kept slowly gaining, the
water pouring through a hole in her
side where the rocks had torn the iron
plates. Life boats were Immediately
sent out, and after a dangerous
passage everybody was landed in
safety. A few bags of mail and
277 passengers were taken to Southamp-
ton, where all destined for Bremen will
be transferred to the steamer Havel,
which was expected to arrive at South
ampton this afternoon. All the passen-
gers concur in denying the sensational
report that a panic prevailed when the
steamer struck or afterward.
A dispatch from Atherfield at Z O'Clock
this evening stated that the life boats,
after exceedingly perilous voyages, sue
ceeded in bringing everybody from the
ship to the shore in safety. AS the tide
went down the storm increased in vio-
lence.
A dispatch from Atherfeld timed s 40
p. M, stated that the storm had greatly
increased in severity, and that the life
boats were launched and are battling
their way through the heavy seas in the
direction of the steamer to save the
members of the ships company that
are still aboard the vessel, and whose
position had become very precarious,
owing to the increased severity of the
| gale.
The North German Lloyd steamer
Havel, to which the agents of the COM
pany at Southampton intend to transfer
all the passengers of the Elder bound for
Bremen, was signaled off the Scilly
islands this afternoon.
The Elder has showed through the
terrible pounding she has received that
there was nothing faulty in her construc-
ton. Hour after hour today she stood
a battering from the sea and rocks, that
in the case of weaker vessel would
long before have torn her to pieces.
At the time the life boats set out this
afternoon to rescue the remainder of
the crew remaining on the steamer, the
storm had gained terrible violence.
The life boat crew at Atherfeld had q
tremendous struggle to get their craft
beyond the breakers that were
piling high upon the shore, and even
even after they got past the breakers
they had difficult task. Their course
was directly in the eye of the wind, and
there was now blowing hurricane, but
slowly but surely the boat forged ahead.
Sometimes she would appear on the
crest of a high sea and then
disappear in the trough, and
thus it continued until she
got under the lee of the Elder. A
lire was taken from the steamer and
dropped alongside. She took on board
as many of the crew as she could safely
carry, and headed for the shore.
The boats of Brightstone and Lewis
had similar experiences.