The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-03
The Elder Pounding to Pieces.

The Elder Pounding to Pieces
LONDON, Feb. 20.-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 the
rocks at HertieId ledge, a place exposed to
the full force of the wind and sea and one
OF the most perilous points in the channel.
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 stayed by her.
The stern sank further, lifting the bow
higher. Should she slide off the ledge she
will sure go to the bottom. Marine men
Ihlnk she Will almost surely be lost. Cap
tain Helnecke sig aled the leak was gaining
rapidly on the pumps. The AthertieId life,
boat crew Is making preparations TO the
assistance of the crew.
At II a. N. the position Of the Elder be-
came most critical. The tide was rising.
and as 1t approached the flood, water poured
into the steamer. After the hold was full
II pulled the stern down, leaving the fore
hold perfectly dry. The sea is washing
over her quarterback, and it looks as
though she would slide off g any moment.
All hands are hastily leaving her.
The pumps on the Elder were kept work
ing at their full capacity all night, but the
sea kept slowly gaining, water pouring
through the hole in her side where the
rocks had torn the iron plates. AT day.
light signals were run up asking for help
Llfeboats were Immediately sent out and
after dangerous passage, everybody was
landed IN safety. A few bags Of mail and
217 passengers were taken to SOUTHAMPTON
where all destined for Bremen will he
transferred TO the steamer HaveI which
sri cd ot hor,
All the passengers concur in denying the
sensational reports that a panic prevailed
when the steamer struck or afterward.
a dispatch from Atherfield at this
evening stated that the lifeboats after an
exceedingly perilous voyage succeeded in
bringing everybody on the ship to shore in
safety. The tide went down and the storm
increased. The North German Lloyd
steamer Havel, to which the agents of the
company at Southampton intend to trans
fer all passengers of the Elder bound for
Bremen, was signalled off Sicily islands
this afternoon. The Elder has showed
through the terrible pounding she has re-
ceived that there was nothing faulty in her
construction. Hour after hour TO-DAY she
stood n battering from the sea that in the
case of weaker vessel would long before
have torn her to pieces. At the time the
lifeboats set out this afternoon to rescue
on the steamer the storm had gained ter
rible violence. The lifeboat's crew at
Atherteld made a tremendous struggle to
get their craft beyond the breakers that
were piling high up on the shore, and even
after they got past the breakers had O.
difficult task. Their course was directly
in the eye of the wind that was blowing 8
hurricane. Slowly but surely she forged
ahead. Sometimes she would appear on
the crest of high sea and then disappear
in trough and thus it continued until she
got under the lee of the Elder. A line was
taken from the steamer and dropping
alongside she took on board as many of the
crew as she could safely carry and headed
for the shore. The boats at Brightstone
and Lewes had similar ex perience
The captain of the Elder was the last
person to leave the vessel. The voyage
was Captain Haeneck's first one of the
Elder from New York. In an interview
one of the officers of the ship says the pas
sage was good one. They did not see
land until they sighted the Lizard, and it
was difficult to recognize points in the fog.
lish channel Sunday with sharp look ont.
for pilots. but none were seen. Neither
were the Needles nor Southampton lights
seen. The captain had personal charge of
the ship. At the time of the accident.
soundings were being taken every FIVE
minutes, and the vessel was going at the
slowest speed. "For a short time after we
struck, none of US realized the state of af
fairs. But presently the fog lifted some
what, revealing the ships position. close
to the cliffs and firmly Graded in the rocks
We still expected, however to float unin-
jured with the tide"