The record-union., 1895-02-01


hour. She is besieged with visitors anxi-
GUS to provide her with money and cloth
Ing. In conversation with the CORE
spondent of the Associated Press this
afternoon she said:
II cannot remem ber feeling afraid after
the collision. What l felt when l came
on deck was the terrible cold. | and an
other lady kept on the port side of the
ship, which was the lee side. The ma
Jorlty OF the passengers crowded to the
starboard side, however, while a high
wind was raging. l do not know who
ordered them there. l did not hear the
Captain give any such order. But the Of
hcers did their best to reassure US, saying
that there was plenty OF room for every
one In the boats"
The Captain of the Wildfiower, which
picked up the survivors, said III an inter-
view: The Wildtiower was east south
east OF Lowestott, with our trawling gear
DOWN, at IL A. NJ. on Wednesday, when
we sighted ships boat with something
nuttering from it's masts. l could see
water breaking into the boat. When we
got near enough we threw them a ropes
ehd, but the men in the boat were SO
numb with cold that they could not hold
on to it. We finally made fast to them
ana hauled the boat up to The smack.
When half OF the persons rescued had
jumped on board the rope parted and the
remainder Of them were again adrift in
the heavy sea. After much difficulty
another line was made fast to the boat
and all on board of her were taken on
board the Nitdt1Ower. There was
woman lying III the bottom of the boat
with long coat on and no shoes on her
1eet. She had no dress underneath the
coat and was terribly cold. | am sure
that In another hour several of the per-
sons we rescued would have been frozen
stiff.
The Wildflower is not distinguishable
from the thousands OF smacks belonging
10 the herring fleet OF which she is No.
81. She has the usual two masts Of the
North Sea traWlers, carries immense nets
and has steam engine with which to
haul them III. Her cabin, in which the
rescued passengers ana crew of the Elbe
were cared for, is only about four feet
long by four feet broad. The Wildflower's S
cook was the first person to sight the
masts OF the Elbe's boat, and he called the
attention OF the Smack's skipper to it.
When the smack rode on the crest of the
next wave the boat was clearly seen
about mile away. The skipper of the
WlldI1ower Immediately ordered the lub-
Der hauled up and hot chocolate to be
prepared, as he had no doubt but that the
boat contained shipwrecked people. He
could see that the lifeboats head was be-
ing Kept to the sea in such manner that
the NlIdIOWer would be able to save
those on hoard Of her. This handling,
which undoubtedly saved the lives OF ali
those who were taken from the boat, was
owing TO the fact that the English Trinity
pilot was on board of her, and, it is added,
that no one but such a man accustomed TO
the handling Of small boats IN heavy
weather could have enabled her to live
through such sea.
when the WiIdhower got alongside
the liteboat, four men were dragged on
board the smack, leaving the woman,
Miss BOecker, and some of the Others
stl!i IN the boat. Skipper Wright of the
NlId1oWer, seeing Miss BOecker lying
IN the bottom OF the boat, partly covered
with water, shouted to the Trinity pilot:
: on are an EngIishman; help thewoman
out This was done, and the others fol-
lowed. The other occupants OF the EIDe's
Ilteboat were evidently in the last ex-
tremlty, and were hardly able to control
the small craft, as they were stiff with
cold.'
Some idea of the weather experienced
by the shipwrecked people may be gath
cred when it is added that salt water had
frozen as IL sprayed on board, and there
was foot OF ice III the weather gunwale.
The rescued officers of the Elbe started
for London at J:4O Before they left the
correspondent of the Associated Press
showed them the statement OF Captain
Gordon OF the Crathie. Third officer
Stollberg promptly denied that no signals
OF distress were made from the Elbe. He
| ADDED that red, white and blue rockets
were fired after the collision, and they
shot up SO high In the air that it was i'm
possible for the Crathie not to see or to
not understand them.
y dispatch from Ramsgate this after
noon announces that the missing life
boat of that place had returned after
qaving been fifteen hours at sea looking
for survivors OF the Elbe. No trace of
either the missing lifeboat or wreckage
was found, and people here believe that
The rockets seen by the Ramsgate life
savers were thrown up by the EIDe.
STATEMENTS OF THE CRATHIE'S OFF,
GERS.
ROTTERDAM, Jan. 3I.-An interview
had here this afternoon with Captain
Gordon of the steamer Crathie and with
the second officer OF that vessel leaves
no doubt that it was that steamship which
ran into and sank the Elbe. Captain
| Gordon said the Crathie at 5:30 A. NJ. was
about thirty-tive miles from the water
way. The wind was north by west, half
west. 1t was very dark, and the sea and
wind were strong. 81 stood at the bottom
OF the cabin staircase" be said, land was
going on deck, when there was a heavy
| shock. There was crack and the water
began pouring into our deck. ! ran on
| deck and saw large strange ship across
! the bows of the Crathie. \ fter the colll-
sion we returned to the spot where it oc-
Cured, or as near as we could make out.
but we were unable to see any steamer
and we thought she had proceeded on her
voyage. We followed after her some
time, but lost all sight Of her. We waited
two hours aud then proceeded to Mas
luis. We reached there yesterday, and
! came here TOR repairs. which will take
! tive weeks"
The Second Officer of the Crathie said:
''There was no fog, but it was dark. 1t
was my watch on deck and l suddenly
! saw ahead of US three lights, and made
| outa steamer, of light color and two
smokestacks, also painted light color,
coming toward us. 1t was impossible to
escape the collision, although ten or a
dozen yards more would have cleared us.
After we struck it was impossible for
some time to disengage the two ships and
our gear had to be cut. We heard no
cries and there was no commotion on
board the steamer as far as we knew.
Immediately after the collision the
other vessel showed blue and red lights.
| We returned the same signals, under
standing that 1t meant that neither of US
needed assistance. Our Captain was
below at the time we ighted the steamer.
"a stoker, VINO was asleep, had his
right ear torn off by an iron plate which
was driven through the side of the
| Crathie. L don't believe the ship we col
| lided with was the Elbe, but did not see
her name. The Crathie's bow was COM
pletely stove in and was not tit to proceed
in high sea-"
The surviving passengers of the Elbe
Will go to southampton Tomorrow and
there embark for New York on the next
steamer. The crew will go to London.
after having made their statements to the
German Nice-Consul. They will then be
shipped to Bremen.
Tugs are searching for the missing boat
from the E,lha huT