Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-02-08
THE LOSS OF THE ELBE.
A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT DIS
ASTER.


southeast coast of England, early We'd
nesday morning of last week. The
latest reports show that the total num-
Der of people on board the Elbe was
354, made up as follows:
Cabin passengers for New York. 80. a
Cabin passengers for Southampton. 6
Storage passengers for New York l39
Steerage passengers for Southamp-
ton ............... III
Officers and crew, including captain
and three stewardesses .... LID
Postal clerks 1.-TWO German, two
American) OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 4
Pilots German and English) ........ 2
lOIHI ODf
oaNeu'' ''''' ~
Lost. .054
The survivors of the wreck were land
ed at Lowestoft by fishing smack Wild
flower on Wednesday evening. They
are: Stollberg, third officer: Neussell,
first engineer; Weser, paymaster;
Schutheiss, Linkmeyer and Sitting. as
sistant pavmasters; Furst, chief stoker !;
Vioeba. steward; Wenning, Singer and
Zeibert, sailors; Dreson and BOlko, or
binary seamen; Deharde, German pilot ;
Greenham. English pilot; Hoffman, of
Nebraska; Lugen Schlegel of Cleveland,
/ o.; Veyera, Bolthen and Miss Anna
/ Buscher, passengers. Hoflmann's wife
and boy went down with the ship.
All of the rescued were in Il pitable
condition.
The passengers were but half-clothed.
Their few garments we're frozen stiff.
their hair was coated with ice, and anX-
iety, and effort had exhausted them 80
completely that they had to be helped
ashore. The officers and sailors were
fully dressed, but their clothes had been
drenched and frozen, and they had been
almost paralyzed with cold and fatigue.
They had been ashore three hours be
fore they had recovered sufficiently tC
tell theil story. Their accounts agree
upon the following points -
The Elbe left Bremen on Tuesday
afternoon. The few hours of the voy
aye before the disaster were uneventful
At O'Clock Wednesday morning tho
wind was blowing very hard and II tire
mendous sea was running. The morn
ing was unusually dark. Numerous
lights were seen IN all directions, show
ing that many vessels were near by
The captain ordered, therefore. tina
rockets should be sent up at regular in
tervals to warn the craft to keep out o
the Elbe's course.
1t was near to six o'clock and tn,
Elbe was about 20 miles off Lowestoft
coast of Suffolk, when the lookout MAJ
sighted Il steamer Of about 1900 tons APP
preaching. He gave the word. and as
precaution the number of rockets wa
doubled and they were sent up at shor
intervals.
The warning was without effect. TIL
steamer came on with unchecked speed
and before the Elbe could change he
course or reduce her speed. notably
there was the terrific crash of the COLI
, sion. The Elbe was hit abaft her en-
CINE room.
When the smaller steamer wrenchel
: away an enormous hole was left in tin
Elbe's side. The water poured through
and down INTO the engine room in
+ cataract. The room filled almost in
. stantly.N The engines were still and tn
big hulk began to settle.
t The passengers ere in bed. The bit
ter cold and rough sea had prevente,
any early rising and only the officer
and crew on duty were on deck whe
. the ship was struck. The shock ant
crash reused everybody. The steerag
was in panic in Il moment and men AN
women half-dressed or in their nigh
clothes came crowding up the compan
ionways. They had heard the sound o
the rushing water as the other steame
. backed of, and felt the Elbe lurch AM
, settle. They had grasped the fact tina
it was then life or death with them, ant
almost to man.had succumbed to thei
terror. They clung together in groups
J facing the cold and storm, and cre
aloud for help or prayed on their knee
for deliverance.
The officers and crew were calm. Fo
few moments they welt among tn
, terror-stricken groups, trying to quie
and encourage them to hope the vesse
could be saved.
1t was soon apparent, however, tina
the Elbe was settling steadily. The of
ficers were convinced that she wa
about to founder and gave orders t
lower boats. In a short time the tire
boats were got alongside, but the sea
3 were breaking over the steamer wit
great force and the first boat wa
swamped almost before 1t left tn
steamers side.
The other two boats lowered at abou
the same time were filled quickly wit
members of the crew and some passen