The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-02-09

it is alleged, was trying to cut across
the Elbe's bows. This light evidently
belonged to the Crathie.
A dispatch to Lloyds from Rotter-
dam SAYS the Crathie left Mas Luis at
10 o'clock on the night of January %
for Aberdeen, and returned to Mas
Luis at 1:25.p. H., January 80 damaged.
She reported having been in collision
with a large unknown steamer, which
her officers thought was probably an
American liner. The Crathie's stem
was completely gone above the water
line, having been carried away to the
third frame,
L SHE WAS PERFECTLY TIGHT
and had made no water. The collision,
according to the officers of the Crathie,
occurred beween ) and 6 o'clock on the
morning of January 80. One of the
crew of the Crathie was injured by the
collision.
The name of the tug which has
any possible survivors of the Elbe is
the Dispatch. The search will be made
in the vicinity of the Hook of Holland.
\ blizZard-likc snow-storm is prevail
ing this forenoon off Lowestoft and
Yarmouth, rendering the sea invisible
! from the shore. Coasting traffic is
wholly suspended.
UNAvAILING SEARCH.
LONDON, Jan. 31.-The life boat of the
life-saving station at Ramgate has re-
turned after being out fifteen hours
searching for possible survivors of the
Elbe, but found no trace of either
boat or w~reckage. The Broadstairs
life boat has also returned. Upon
nearing the station the boat was blown
ashore by a violent gale and the crew
were dashed into the surf. Several of
them were injured. A binding snow
storm is raging at the mouth of the
Thames and navigation is suspended.
DRIVEN BACK BY A BLINDING STORM
The tremendous wind and heavy sea
and binding snow-storm drove the tug
Dispatch back to Lowestoft after she
had proceeded only Il short distance on
her way to search for survivors of the
Elbe. The storm moderated somewhat
after her return. and in the afternoon
she started again.
Additional dispatches from Rotter-
dam say hat the officers of the Crathie
report that the ship with which the
Crathie was in collision was a large
steamer with two tunnels.
PILOT GREENHAM's STORY.
Capt. Greenham. the English pilot Oh
the Elbe, who was one of the survivors,
said in the course of an interview:
"When l came on deck of the Elbe
the captain was in charge. The first
order given was: Swing the boats out;
don't lower The next was: Every
body on deck; crew to their stations
This vas followed by: Women and
children to the starboard boats, to be
saved first"
These orders were given by the
captain himself, and were repeated by
the chief officer. The next order was
Lower the boats!' There was no
confusion whatever among the crew or
in the giving of orders, nor was there
a panic among the passengers. Ahigh
sea vas running and there was 4
strong east-southeast wind. There
had been an average of 10 degrees be-
low the freezing point since the morn
ing. The lanyards of the boat grips
were frozen and were chopped away
in order to save time. The ship went
down two minutes after we left her."
SKIPPER WRIGHT OF II wILDFLowER.
William Wright, the skipper of the
fishing smack Wildfower, says: 1--WE
were east-southeast of Lowestoft with
our TRAVELLING gear down when, about
II o'clock yesterday morning, | saw n
ships life-boat a mile away. The
boats mast was naked, but | saw some
thing fluttering from her stern. The
water was breaking over her bows. l
watched the boat closely. Her occu-
pants seemed to think | was going to
leave them, so l waved my hat. 1t
took us half an hour to get up our
TRAVELLING gear and in the meantime
the boat was drifting away from us.
When we got close to them
1 CAST THEM A ROPE,
but they were 50 cold, wet and numb
some time. We pulled them around to
the side of the smack, and about half
of them jumped aboard, but the strain
caused by the heavy sea parted the
rope, and the remainder once more
drifted away. Eventually we made IN
other line fast, and four more of the
unfortunates were dragged in. leaving
a women and four men in the boat.
The woman lay in the water in the
bottom of the boat. She wore a long
coat, but
A on NEITHER BOOTS NOR DRESS.
Pilot Greenham helped her to get On
board the smack. just as all had
boarded the smack the line again part
ed and the life boat was lost. l got
the woman below and asked all the
others to go to the engine room while
she took off her clothes and wrapped
herself in dry blankets.
A FRUITIESS SEARCH