The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-01
THEWRECK OF THE ELBE
The Twenty Landed at Lowestoft
Probably the Only Survivors.
WHY. so MANY SAILORS ESCAPED.

They Crowded Into the Rescued Boat Only
Two Minutes Before the steamer Went
Down, and Too Late to Rescue Women
and Children. .. .
LowEsroFT, Eng, Feb. 1.-The horrible
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 different places
where the survivors remain, although
regular blizzard is blowing at present,
and under ordinary circumstances very
few people would have yentured out OF
doors.
, A handful of the survivors, who were
clustered around hotel fire, INDUCED In
tho most bitter criticism of the ship which
rammed and sunk the Elbe. They all
claim that she should have stood by tho
Elbe, and that il she had done SO great
many lives would have been saved. This,
of course, Is Il matter which cannot be de-
cldcd until all the facts in the case are
brought to light by the court of inquiry
which will inquire into the matter.
. The explanation given by the surviving
officers as to tho proportion of the crew
saved to the number of passengers saved
is as follows These orders were given by
the officers of the Elbc: The children were
to be saved first and then the women, and
they were TO be placed in the boats on the
starboard side where the women and chill
dren were told to gather. But almost I'M
mcdiately after these orders had been
obeyed the Elbe listed heavily to star
board, and the seas swept over the prone
made deck so that the starboard boats were
rendered useless
The boat which brought the survivors
away was one of the port boats and was
the last to leave the ship. Acting upon
the orders of Captain Van Goessel, Third
Officer Stullberg and the purser, who were
in charge of this boat, took their seats in
side of her and then, when the water was
creeping over the deck, it was n rush for
the boat and anybody who could get into
it did so.
The following statement of the disaster
was officially given to the Associated
Press correspondent by the German vice
consul, Herr Bradbcer, and was corrected
by him. The statement was made after
questioning the officers and crew:
1.-The collision occurred forty five miles
from Mcrschelling llghtship. Though both
the Elbe and the colliding steamer were
going full steam ahead, the conclusion
was very slight Immediately after the
collision the Elbe began to settle down
stern first, her bow mounting high into
the air and rendering it impossible to
reach some of the boats. As everybody
crowded up on deck Immediately after the
shock and in state of great alarm, u
was impossible for the orders of the cap
tain, who was standing on the bridge,
that the women and children should be
saved first could be obeyed.
IA rush was made for the boats that
were accessible. The first boat to touch the
water was Immediately swamped, and the
passengers who had crowded into it were
drowned. The second boat launched was
lost sight Of in the high sea which was
running; but it is feared that she cap
sized.
Into the third boat, at the last moment,
when the water was up to the promenade
deck, the vessel sinking under their feet,
and two minutes before she disappeared,
there crowded nineteen men, the women
and children having rushed to the other
side, owing, it is said, to the command
that they should get into the boats there.
| This third boat pulled awny from the
| ship, and In SO doing soon afterwards
| passed woman passenger, Miss Anna
| Buecker, who chung to the gunwale or side
of the lifeboat. Some time elapsed before
she could be pulled into the boat.
'After the collision an unknown steamer
passed under tho stern of the Elbe, and
| proceeded OH her course without paying
any heed to tho shrieks of the people on
board the sinking steamer"
Inquiries were telegraphed to all the
coast stations between Cromer and East
Bourne rs to whether any wreekage from
the Elbe had been seen. Replies have been
received from all the stations, and they
are of the same unyarying tenor. Moth
ing has been discovered Fifteen fishing
smacks, which sailed over the scene of the
disaster, have returned. They report that
they saw nothing to indicate that steamer
| had been lost.
ROTTERDAM, Feb. Captain Gordon,
of the steamer Crathie, which ran down
the Elbc, said in an interview: after the
collision we returned to the spot where it
occurred, or as near as We could make out,
but we were unable to sec any signs of the
steamer, which we thought had proceeded
on her voyage. We waited for two hours,
and then proceeded to Maasluis. y