The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-01

at the last moment to go from Bremen
| to Southampton direct, and were not
| on the Elbe when she sank
| On behalf of the board of trade this
afternoon preliminary inquiry was
| held here into the sinking Of the Elbe.
| The surviving officer said in substance:
The El'be was proceeding on q south
southwest course, down the channel,
Steaming about fifteen knots. When
| about forty-fiye miles off the Ter5chel-
| ling lightShip, a vessel was seen ap-
preaching two and a half points off the
port bow. This vessels course was ap-
parently WIN W. According 10 the rule
| OF road at sea, the vessel at sea should
| have ported her helm and passed under
| the Elbe's stern. Both vessels, how
ever, kept their courses and struck.
The shock of the conclusion was very
slight.
Third Officer stollberg denies the
statement of Captain Gordon, of the
Grathie, that no signals Of distress were
made from the Elbe. He says rockets
were fired after the collision.
The Ramsgate life savers returned
| to the station today, having found no
trace of the missing life boat. It is be-
| lieVed the rockets seen were those of
the Elbe.
When questioned as to the action of
Il
man said that he might have given
| more orders, but in the confusion which,
| followed the disaster it was impossi-
| bic to hear orders, even If they had
| been given, at such a distance from the
bridge.
Three Hundred and Seventy-Four.
The agent of the North German
| Lloyd Steamship company this morn
| S,,-- ~,
the scene of the disaster. but owing to
| the bad weather prevailing the men
| on board the tug were unable to see
anything. In addition the messages of
| inquiry have been sent to all places
| along the coast asking if they have had
| any news of the missing craft, and it
IS hoped that the last of the fishing
smacks, which are expected to make
! this harbor this afternoon, may bring
some news.
As far as can be ascertained, 374 pas
sengers and crew of the Elbe are miss
ing. 4 strong northeast gale blew
Throughout the night, accompanied by
a severe frost, but this did not deter
the coast guards and customs officers
from keeping up an active watch all
night long for any signs of other sur
ViVOrS of the Elbe. The majority of
people here have abandoned all hope
of hearing of the rescue Of any more
OF the Elbe'S passengers or crew, as
many of the Yarmouth and Isowestoft
| fishing Smacks are known to have been
plying near the scene Of the disaster,
and they have not yet returned, which
they certainly would have done had
they picked up any survivors. Al
though it is generally believed that the
| Elbe sank almost Immediately after the
collision, some of the survivors assert
| that they did not see her go down and
they express the hope that she may
still be afioat.
/ The agent of the North Lloyd Ger
man company here announces that the
emperor and empress of Germany have
| telegraphed their coincidence to the
company and asked to be promptly in
formed if any more of the passengers
or crew of the Inflated Elbe are
rescued.
CowardIy Work.
Mr. Carl Hoffman, one of the cabin
passengers of the Elbe who was res
Icued from the life boat Of that vessel,
says that had the vessel which had
cOiided with the Elbe stood by the lat
ter steamer, the majority Of the passen-
gers and crew might have been saved
for. he says, the Elbe remained per-
fectly steady for many minutes after
the collision before the volume of water
ipoured into her and caused her tC
lurch. Then all became confusion
When the survivors were informed that
the Crathie was supposed to be the
vessel which sank the Elbe they
strongly denounced her crew for theil
apparent inhumanity in not making ar
effort to assist the disabled vessel oil
to rescue her crew. Mr.. Hoffman, this
morning, speaking of the disaster said
Those who were drowned suffered
less than we who were saved Sobs
shook the strong frame of the man as
he made the statement He is a Ger
man-American, about So years old, Of
the type common in the western part
of the United States. His face was
streamed with tears, which had wet his
Sleepless pillow all night Continuing
Mr.. Hoffman said:
There was no confusion among the
passengers. They behVed well and the
, only confusion was with the crew, whC
tried to save themselves.
1T seems strange. sir, but to see tina
| those here are 50 few, out of the small
number saved, there are fifteen mem
might have been saved. Oh God, m,
wife, my boy. Both are dead and
cannot go to their graves
Life Belts Useless.
Here the unfortunate man burst int
tears. After few minutes he con
tinued:
Yes. many of the passengers hac
| life belts. but they were useless. Tn
noise Of the collision sounded no loude
! in my Stateroom than the single bea
of big drum. But Wnen I rushed ol
deck l found the passengers crowdin,
about the boats and the crew runnin!
here and there and cutting the rope
about the tackles with which the,
are lowered. They were too proud o.
that ship, painting ropes that shoul'
: have been oiled, then they woul0 hav
been limper.
Were you married in Germany"
mo, in America. My wife was Oni.
| q years of age. Oh God, she was
good woman, sir. She was born il
Nebraska of German parents. He
mother is now at Grand Island.
III was all so sudden. We had al
been SO happy the night before. Whe
the boat got away with a great deal o
trouble the Elbe being right on top o
/. US at first. we had hardly got a hun
dred yards from the ship, when ! say
a woman floating in the water 1 tre
: 10 throw something to her, but some
body shouted: No, save ourselves
t Il could not do that, sir Finall
, they got the boat UP to her and wit
{ the help Of another man I drew her int
the boat.
I'VE made new flag with our hand
kerchiefs and an undershirt whic.
somebody pulled off. I held them u
, against the mast and we eventual
: sighted the Wilddower, but a long ter
rib1e hour elapsed before we were take
: aboard. She had her nets out and j
was difficult to approach her on ac
count of the heavy seas. After five c
the persons in our boat had been trans
ferred TO the smack the life boat seem
5 ed TO slide back into the water and
l approached as if the others must b