The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-31
AT THE NEW YORK OFFICES.
Hundreds Scan the Passenger lists
What the Agents Say.

NEW YORK. Jan. 81. 1s95.-It was a
dismal night at the offices of the North
German Lloyds, at No. 2 Bowling Green.
From midnight to late this morning
countless inquiries were made by anxi-
Gus persons regarding the Inflated
steamer.
Throughout the long hours of the early
morning many women called, some for
husbands, others for fathers or lovers.
One poor woman, tear stained and pale.
called about daybreak She approached
the clerk in charge, and with voice
tremuIous with emotion asked for a
cabin passenger list. When it was hand
ed to her she scanned it eagerly and hur-
riedly. A sigh escaped her as she fin
ished the list without having seen the
name of the person whom she feared
might be among the unfortunates re-
ported lost. Before she reached the door,
however, her strength failed her, and
she had to be escorted TO- A car. The
only words she spoke were:-"The list,
please, of the Elbe; my husband sailed
on her. his name is Alfred Winners 2
At seven o'clock this morning the long
loolzed-for steerage list arrived at the
company's Office. 1t contains $50 names.
Ten minutes after it had reached the
list. They We're very pale and trembled
as they looked over the names. They be-
lieved their father had been aboard the
Inflated vessel, but his name was not
PITIFUL SCENES
There were pitiful scenes during the
night among those who called for in
formation concerning the wrecked steam
ship.
The North German Lloyds manage
ment placed every scrap cf news at the
disposal of the press and the. public, and
last night their European w.res We're
hot with inquiries for detailed account
of the deplorable catastrophe. Five
MIR. SCHWAB SPEAKS.
Gustave II. Scnwab did not leave the
office of the company until eight O'Clock
this morning, and then only to get break
fast. Regarding the accident he said
Most of my information has been re-
ceived through the United Press papers.
hope for the safety of the passengers
but fear that many of them have pos
sibly perished. According to report the
steamer had a heavy list to port i'm
nlediately after having been struck, and
that may account for the small number
of boats launched.
There may have been, and I sincerely
hope there was, a. greater number of
boats launched than has been reported,
and possibly they may have been picked
fishing smacks which are said to have
been numerous in the vicinity of the dis
aster
Even the very meagre accounts we
have; Of the accident SHOW that the en-
tire duck-Watch died at their posts like
heroes. Not man of them was saved,
although they knew Just what was going
to happen, and were therefore in a posi-
tion to act for themselves in a way
which the bewiIdered psople in the
btsIthgt berthg below .a GOULD 9rde, not d. seems
passengers that there was such meas
ure of discipline as made, all the women
on the. starboard side of the ship. That
the ship would heel SO far as to make
the starboard boats practically useless
could not have been foreseen by any one
1.-THE engine room compartment of an
nerable point. My idea is that the Elbe
was struck on the bulkhead between the
aft, and in that case two compartments
would have been flooded. The great size
Gus m Pc point, and DO not % Believe that hatASaa even
a longitudinal bulkhead would make 1t
less dangerous for, to fill one side with
water would probably make the vessel
There was no insurance on the vessel
on this ANAfona lias 5na lit5s e ths spsher
Fifty-one telegrams inquiring for steer
age passengersN on the Elbe have been
received. by the. company since eight
o'clock this morning. Most.of these were
from relatives or friends of those whose
names were on the list. The inquiries
came from cities in nearly every State in
the Union.
The invariable answer the company's
officials give to these is that the name is
or is not on the list, and that steamer
has been sent out to look for any other
of the survivors.
LOST POSTAL CLERKS
Much sorrow was felt and expressed
by the officials in the General Postoffice
today concerning the supposed loss of
Phillip ]. Hoffman and Hiram II. Hail.
the two clerks in the ocean service who
were in charge of the United States mails
on board the Inflated steamship Elbe
and who are numbered among the miss
ing. Hoffman was the pioneer in the
Postofi1ce ocean service. He lived atNo
325 East Houston street, with his wife
and family. Holtznan entered the SER
vice and was detailed to tie Foreign De-
partment in March, 1884, and was trans
ferred TO the ocean service in March,
1891. He was the first man to cross the
Atlantic in charge of the American mail.
on board the steamship Havel.e He was
80 years old.
There was a rumor this morning. in
the Postoffice building, that Hall had
been saved, but it could not be traced to
any reliable source. Hall was IS years
old and lived at Dennis. Mass, He was
married last summer to a young lady
from Boston. He only entered the postal
service last February. He was transfer
red from the railroad rnail service. and
had for long time been running in
Felganspanss --latest III Ale.