The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-02-11
SURVIVORS, TALE
Further Details Of the Awful
North Sea Disaster.
Passengers Saved Because They
Were Unable to Sleep.

NkW YORK. rcD. ii.-oh po~tu "'e
Cunarder Umhsia, which arrived at this
port yesterday, were three survivors OF the
steamship Elbe, which was lost Jan. 30
last of Lowestoft by coming into collision
with the steamer Crathie The three sur
vivors were Eugene Schlcgel OF Furst,
on his way to this coUntry for the mrs,
time with his sister Emma, who was iost
with the ship; Jan vevera Of Cleveland
and Carl Hofmann of Grand Island, Neb,
whose wife and child were among the lost
A reporter boarded the Umbria at quar-
Rntine from the revenue cutter and founo
Messrs. Hofmann and Vevera In the main
saloon reading letters from their relatives
In the west, which had been handed them
at the quarantine. Mr.. Vevera made the
following statement to the reporter con-
cerning his experiences at the time the
Elbe was losts
'Tho night before the disaster occurredl
spent In the smoking room In company
with Charles Wix and DR.. Dietrich. On
going down into my stateroom found II
SO very cold that I decided to sleep on
lounge in the smoking room, and accord
ingly lay down. fully dressed, but failed
to sleep we'll. / got up at two o'clock In
the morning but for fear Of disturbing my
companions laid down again.
AT o'clock arose, and on looking
outside found that the night was quite
clear. The stars were visible, but occa.
sionally clouds would sweep across the sky.
on toward the English coast the lights OF
several fishing smacks were to be seen.
My movements aroused my companions
who protested against getting up and who
told me to lie down again. But WAS rest
less for some unknown reason and could
not 60 to sleep.
'As near as can reckon, 1t was about
$40 when I felt a slight shoco accom-
panied by q crashing sound, that seemed
to me to come from the engine room. Tho
shock wns very slight. and not at all what
should have expected from such colli-
sion. / Immediately ran forward toward
the engine rooms, and in the passage met
the mail clerk, whom asked what was the
matter.
A Scene OF Horror.
s1Nothing" he said. ''Then / met three
Of the crew running along, and on asking
them the same question received q simi.
lar reply. Just then, az an officer with his
face white with anxiety made the Same
answer to my question as to what was the
fronhle. the timbers and partitions Of the
ship by the postoffice began to crack and
bulge inward. Without going any far
thor. rushed back to my stateroom and
exchanged the heavy ulster had on for q
macintosh and . soft cap that / could
null over my ears; I took the life proserver
ont Of my berth for myself, and from tho
unoccupied berth above mine / took q life
prescrver for my niece.
ION going on deck, however, the ship
had listed over to port to such an extent,
and there was such confusion and noise,
that I have very little idea of anything
except of getting into tho boat, from which
I was picked up by tho Wild Flower.
saw nothing of the steamer that collided
with us. But the sight the Elbe pre-.
sented e she rolled back from port to
starboard, and then slowly began to settle
down by the stern, is one that will never
forget.
Il would have given everything I ever
possessed TO have escaped the spectacle OF
the people struggling In the water around
the ship and Of those on the Elbe swarm
inR upon the decks toward the bow as the
Elbe settled down into the sea. IL could
not have been more than 20 minutes from
the time the collision occurred until the
ship sank from sight. And those minutes
and the ensuing five hours seem longer to
me than all the rest Of the years of my
life put together.
s'When we picked up Miss Anna Boecker
she was swimming along bravely and was
fully dressed, with the exception Of having
no shoes on. She was very cold and sat In
the bottom Of the ships boat in water up
to her waist until we were picked up by
the fishing smack, and never uttered q
complaint. The people at Lowestoft
treated US splendidly."
Hofmann's Story.
Mr. Hofmann's statement was made in
: very disconnected fashion. and was lib.
erally intersposscd with threats Of prose
cutting the North German Lloyds, and fro
quent outbursts Of tears
my wifo and boy and myself had q
stateroom on the starboard side. away aft
awoke carly on the morning OF the COLI
sion and had gone out on deck and then