The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-02-06
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
THE WRECK OF THE ELBE IN THE
ENGLISH CHANNEL.
Only Twentv-one Survivors Out OF Three
Hundred and Eighty Persons on Board
the Steamsrip--Collided with an Tn


the Steamship--Collided with an Tn
known Steamer.
LONDON. Feb. 2.-The North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Elbe, bound
from Bremen for New York. was sunk
in collision with a small steamer fif-
ty miles off Lowestoft early Wednes-
day morning. She carried $50 souls.
Only twenty-one survivors have been
landed. but few others may be a1oat
in one of the ships small boats. At
10 o'clock that evening the number of
lives lost was given out as $50. The
survivors of the wreck were landed
at Lowestoft by the fishing smack
Wild Flower at 40 o'clock Wednes-
day evening. They are: Stollterg,
third officer: Neussel. first engineer;
Weser, paymaster; Schultheiss,
Linkmeyer and Sitting, assistant pay
masters; Furst. chief stoker; Viobe,
steward: Wenning, Singer and Sci
bert, sailors: Dreson and Batko, ordi-
rary seamen: Deharde. German pilot;
1reenham. English pilot: Hoffman,
Lucen. Schlegel, and Vevera, of
Cleveland, Ohio, saloon passengers;
Bolthen, steerage passenger, and
Miss Anna Buecker.
Hofman's home is in Nebraska.
His wife and boy went down with the
ship. All OF them were in a pitable
condition. The passengers were but
half clothed. Their few garments
were frozen stiff: their hair was coated
with ice and anxiety and effort had
exhausted them so completely that
they had to be helped ashore. The Of
fcers and sailors We're fully dressed,
but their clothes had been drenched
ard frozen and they had been almost
paralyzed with cold and fatigue. They
had been ashore three hours before
they had recovered sufficiently to tell
the story of the wreck.
THE STORY OF THE WRECK.
Their accounts agree'upon the fol-
lowing points The Elbe left Bremen
on Tuesday afternoon The few hours
of the voyage before the disaster were
uneventful. At o'clock Wednesday
morning the wind was blowing very
hard. and tremendous sea was run
ming. The morning was unusually
dark. Numerous lights were seen IN
all directions, showing that many YES
sells were nearby. The captain, there
fore, ordered that rockets should be
sent up at regular intervals to warn
the craft to keep out of the Elbe S
course
It was near to o'clock and the Elbe
was some fifty miles off Lowestoft,
east of Suffolk. when the lookout
man sighted steamer of about 800
tons approaching. He gave the word
and as a precaution the number Of
rockets was doubled and they We're
sent up at short intervals. The warn
| ing was without effect. The steamer
came on with unchecked speed and
before the Elbe could change her
course or reduce her speed noticeably
there was the terrible crash of the col
lision. The Elbe was hit abaft her en-
CINE room. When the small steamer
wrenched away an enormous hole was
left in the Elbe's side. The water
poured through and downinto the en-
CINE room in cataract The room
filled almost instantly. The engines
were still aud the big hull began to
settle.
\ PANIC IN THE STEERAGI.
The passengers were in bed. The
bitter cold and rough sea had prevent
any early rising, and none except the
officers and crew on duty was on deck
when the ship was struck. The shock
and crash reused everybody. The
steerage was in panic in a moment
and men. women and children, half
dressed or in their night clothes, came
crowding up the companionways.
They had heard the sound of the rush
ing water as the other steamer backed
off and had felt the Elbe lurch and
settle. They had grasped the fact
that it was then life or death with
them. and almost to man had sue
cumbed to their terror They clung
together in groups, facing the cold
and storm, and cried aloud for help
or prayed on their knees for deliver
ance.
The officers and crew were calm.
For few moments they went among
the terror stricken groups trying to
quiet them and encouraging them to
hope that the vessel might be saved.
It was soon apparent, however, that
the .Elbe was settling .teadily. The
officers were convinced that she was
about to founder and gave orders to
lower the boats. Iua short timeth
boats we're got alongside, but the seas
were breaking over the steamer with
great force and the first boat was
swamped before anybody could get
into it. The other two boats, lowered
at about the same time, were filled
quickly with members Of the crew
and some passengers. but the number
was small. as the boats held only
twenty persons each.
The boat carrying the twenty-one
persons. who were landed at Lowestoft,
put of in such haste from the sinking
steamer that nobody IN ii noticed what
become Of the othe: boat. The survl-
vors believe. howev>r that she got
away safely They Say nat they tossed
about in the neavy seas for several
hours before they sighted the Wild
Flower. The little smack bore down
onthem at once and took them aboard.
They were exhausted from excitement
| and exposure Several of them were
III state of collapse, and had to be
carried and dragged from one boat TO
the other
Hiss Anna Buecker. the only woman
! IN the party, was prostrated as soon as
they got clear OF tie ElDc She lay III
the bottom Of the boat for five hours
| with the seas breaking over her and
the water that had been shipped half
covering her body. Although her
physical strength was gone she show,
ed true pluck and did not uttera word
of complaint. and repeatedly urged
her companions not to mind her, but