The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-01
SINKING OF THE ELBE.
Loss Of Life by the Ocean Coll
lision. Fully as Great as at
First Reported.
THE cRATHIE THE OTHER SHIP.
Only Twenty Minutes Elapsed
From the Collision Until
the Ship Sunk.

LOWENEOEfs GA1S.s GGu. t. AU uOk-
rible details of the loss of the North
German Lloyd steamship Elbe and her
human freight are being discussed here
by crowds of people gathered at diff
ferent places, where the survivors re-
main, although regular blizzard is
blowing, and, under ordinary circum-
stances, very few people would have
ventured out Of doors. The bitterly
cold weather prevailing and the lack
of news from any point along the coast
shows that there is little, il amy, hope
of any other survivors of the disaster
reaching land.
Lifeboat washed Ashore.
A lifeboat supposed to have belonged
TO the Elbe has been washed ashore near
Yarmouth. In the boat were a num-
Der Of life belts and oars, and it is be-
neved to be the boat from which the
fishing smack Wild Flower rescued the
few persons who escaped from the
steamer after the collision.
Everybody here is asking his neighbor
the same question How did it occur?''
.--and nobody seems able TO give salts
factory answer
Condemn the Unknown Ship.
A handful OF the survivors who were
gathered around hotel fire, indulged in
the most bitter criticisms Of the still un-
known ship which rammed and sunk the
Elbe. They all claim that she should
have stood by the Elbe, and that if she
had done SO great many lives would
have been saved. This, of course, is a
matter which cannot be decided until
all the facts of the case are brought to
light by the court of inquiry, which
viii inquire into the matter. The
agents OF the North German Lloyd
company at Southampton have been
in constant communication with the
German vice consul, who has been upon
the spot ever since short time after the
disaster became known. 1t is not yet
definitely established that the Crathie
was the offending steamer. There are
several interesting points in this distress
ing story which require definite explana-
tion before all the facts in the case will
become generally known.
Other ship May Have Foundered.
For instance, there ave people who be-
lieye that second steamer may have
foundered. They base their opinions ON
the fact that the Ramsgate lifeboat, put
to sea in answer to signals OF distress
supposed TO have come from steamer.
But the lifeboat has not returned, and
as she got away, in binding snow
storm, 1t Is believed that she is lost, and
that the steamer she attempted to assist
also went down.
Loss Of Life Was Very Great.
The first dispatches stated that there
had been $50 persons ON the Elbe and
that only 10 had been saved. the res
cued having been landed at Lowestoft
by fishing smacls. Later dispatches To-
the Exchange Telegraph company and
\ 10 Iloyds confirmed the report of the
loss Of the steamer, and still later it was
learned that the Crathie. the steamer
that sunk the Elbe. had put in 10 Mas
Luis, Holland, in b damaged condition.
She reported that she had been In col
lision with an unknown ocean steamer.
It was at first hoped that the reports
of the disaster had been exaggerated
and that most, il not all Of the passen-
gers and crew, had escaped, either by
means Of the ships boats or by being
picked mp by passing vessels But. as
time wore on, twas apparent that the
First Reports of tine sinking
of the steamer had mininized the hor-
rors of the disaster. Many dispatches
were forwarded to Mas Luis to the
commander of the Crathie asking him
il he had rescued any of the Elbe's pas
sengers Up to late hour, however,
no answers were received to these dis
patches and the belief grew that the
Crathie, after the accident, had rather
sought her own safety than to rescue
the people on the doomed Elbe.
From the survivors II ii learned that
as soon as the Crathie backed away
from the Elbe, that inrnshing water
flooded the aft OF the engineroom SO
quickly that nobody below decks in that
part of the ship had
An Opportunity 70 Escape.
The shock Of the collision was cornpara-
lively slight In view Of the damage
done, bnt thisSis explained BY the fact
that it was D direct cutting blow
Nearly all the passengers were asleep at
the time, bnt many Of them were awak-
ened by the shsck. slight as il was.
They could hear the rush of che rapid
in1owipg water, md With cries Of ter