The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-02-14
NARROWING TALE.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE RLBE
DISASTER.
AS Told By Two of the Survivors-"God
May Help Us Yet" Were a Wife's
Last Words to Her Husband.

May Help Us Yet" Were a Wife's
Last Words to Her Husband.
New York, Feb. 10.-On board the I'm
bria were three survivors of the steamer
Elbe-Eugene Schleget, of Fuerst, Ger
many, on his way to this country for the
first time, with his sister, who was lost
with the ship; Jan Vevera of Cleveland
Ohio, and Carl Hoffman of Grand Island
Nebraska, whose wife and child were
among the lost
A reporter of the Associated Press
boarded the Umbria at Quarantine and
found Messrs. Hoffman and Veyera in the
main saloon reading letters from their
relatives in the West which had been
handed them at quarantine. Mr. Veyera,
after he had looked over his letters, one
of which came from Cleveland, made the
Following statement concerning his ex-
perience: The night before the disaster oc-
CURED l went into the smoking room in
company with Mr.. Charles Mix and DR..
DIETRICH: On going down into my state
room l found it so very cold that l de-
cided to sleep on lounge in the smoking
room, and accordingly lay down fully
dressed, but failed to sleep well. At 3
O'Clock rose, and on looking outside found
that the night was clear. Off toward the
i1h6ilSh SOuSl TIE llSulS OIL SeVGr1l uS0lnS
smacks were to be seen.
"As near as l can reckon it was about
$40 when | felt slight shock, accom-
panied by crashing sound that seemed
to me to come from the engine room. The
shock was slight, and not like l should
have expected from q collision. / ran for
ward to the engine room, and in the pas
sage met the mail clerk, whom l asked
what was the matter. Nothing, he said.
I or &c 1h4
along, and ON asking them the same ques-
ton received q similar reply. Just then
one officer, with his face white with anX-
iety, made the same answer to my query
as to what was the trouble. The timbers
began to crack and bulge inward. Without
going any further rushed to my state
room and exchanged the heavy ulster l
had on for Macintosh and a soft cap
that | could pull over my ears. | took the
life preserver out of my berth for myself
and from the unoccupied birth above mine
| took life preserver for my niece.
On going on the deck the ship had list
ed over and there was so much confu-
sion and noise that l had very little
idea of anything except getting into the
boat from which | was picked up by the
Wildfower. l saw nothing of the steam
er that collided with us, but the sight
the Elbe presented as she rolled back
began to settle down by the stern is one
that l will never forget. l would have
given every thing ever possessed to
have escaped the spectacle of the people
struggling in the water around the ship,
and those on the Elbe swarming on the
decks as the Elbe settled down. 1t
could not have been more than % minutes
before the ship sank after the collision,
and those minutes seemed longer to me
hoo Ill e e.
when we picked up Miss Anna
Blocker, she was swimming along brave
ly, and was dressed with the exception
of having no shoes on. She was very,
very cool, and sat in the boat with water
up to her waist until we were picked up
by the fishing smack, and never uttered
complaint When the Wildhower
picked us up l had my left leg crushed
between the bow and the smack, and my
right thumb was badly mashed. The
people at Lowestoft treated us splendid
ly.'
Mr.. Hoffman refused, while on the UNI
bria, to make any statement for publ
cation. Since the Elbe disaster he has
been in an eXcitable state of mind. He
declared that he had not slept for four
nights, and intended to get some rest be-
fore anything else. He said in addition
that he intended to confer with German
Lloyd officers here at an early date.
Mr.. Hoffman, however, was met at the
dock by three men, one of whom said he
was brother of the man, Frank, who
was lost on the Elbe, and together with
them and Vevera, Hoffman entered a
carriage and drove to the Broadway Cen
trail hotel. After lunch he told the fol-
lowing story to the reporter:
My wife, my boy and myself had a
state room on the starhoard way aft, in
the section between SO and 100. Early
on the morning of the collision had gone
out on deck and then rang to our state
room, where 1 told my wife how the
weather was and also put another
blanket over the boy who was in the
upper berth, for it was very cold. Sud-
denly heard crash and the ship trem-
bled violently. l rushed outside to see
what was the trouble was and us did SO |
l met Mr.. Scheligit's sister who was run
ming to the gangway. None of the crew
could give me any information as to |
what had happened, and l ran back to |
my cabin and told my wife to dress her
self and the boy as quickly as possible. |
/ took the child in my arms and went for |
ward to the saloon where l found a
crowd of passengers endeavoring to get |
on deck. With my boy in my arms and
supporting my wife at the same time, l |
olditcu UP LhC ouSl
then some one gave the order for every |
body to go below, and in the rush that |
ensued l was carried down the steps |
again. l went upon the deck again re- |
CARELESS of the order, and started to the |
gangway opposite the boat on the port |
side, the one eventually got into. |
Then the boats were lowered. The last
one on the port side was the first to be
lowered and into it number of pas
sengers jumped but were promptly or
dered out again. No one got into the
second boat, which was next on the prot
side to this, and then the one directly
opposite where we were standing was
lowered, and into this threw my valise.
Taking my boy in my arms | turned and
kissed my wife who said God may
help us vet. and then / jumped into the
boat, which had not yet been lowered.
Just then the order was given for all
women and children to go to the star
board side and my wife obeyed the order.
Nuezzle. the officer of the boat, caught
my boy out of my arms in obedience to
the order and that was the last | saw of
either of them"
Mr.. Hoffman complained that he was
compelled to assist in the management
of thp shiD'S boat, and declares that |