The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-01-31
| VATERY GRAVES
For Nearly All on Board the
German Steamer Elbe.
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AN APPALLING DISASTER.
Sunk by Collision with Steamer
Crathie in the North Sea.
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED DROWNED.

kbAhhI tOuh HUNDRED DkOW MID
The Vessel Sunk in Twenty Minutes After
tho CrathIe Crashed Into Her-The Lat
ter Vessel Reaches a Holland Port in
Badly Damaged Condition-Two surviv
ors of the Elbe Landed at an EngIisf
Fishing Port. and 1t Is Believed Anothe,
Boatioad Escaped.
LONDON, Jan. 3i.-The North German
Lloyd steamer Elbe, Captain Won Gossel
which left on Tuesday for New York via
SOUTHAMPTON, has been sunk in collision
with the British steamer Crathie, bound
from Rotterdam for Aberdeen. At the
time Of sending this dispatch, the exact
loss of life is unknown, but reports say il
was enormous. The disaster occurred be
fore daylight yesterday at point some
thirty miles from the Hook of Holland.
The first intimation of the disaster came
from Lowestoft, Suffolk, one OF tho CHIEF
English fishing ports. The first dispatches
stated that there had been $50 persons on
the Elbe, and that only nineteen had been
saved, tho rescued having been landed at
Lowestoft by fishing smacks. Later dis
patches to tho Exchange Telegraph COM
pany and to Lloyds confirmed the report
Of the loss OF the steamer, and still later ID
was learned that the Crathie, the steamer
that sunk the Elbe, had put into Mas
Luis, Holland, in damaged condition.
The dispatches from Germany show
shat the news caused tho greatest excite
ment and sorrow, most all the officers and
Nf hn tat.. Il
She passengers being Germans.
Cut Almost in Two.
From the details now at hand IL is ascer-
sained that the Elbe was proceeding along
at her usual rate of speed and keeping the
ordinary loolNputs. The night was dark,
but there WAS no gale. Suddenly the for.
ward lookout ON the Elbe reported to tho
officer on deck that the lights of steamer
were close aboard over the port bow. Be-
tore the course of the Elbe could be changed
the approaching steamer struck her Just
Abaft the engine rooms, going through
her platcs as though they were pastcboard
hnd sticking her nose almost completely
through the hull of the Elbe. For a time
the Crathie held the Elbe on her nose, but
then her engines were reversed and she
backed out of tho aperature she had made.
As she did so the water rushed into the
Elbe In II torrent, and she began immedl.
stely to settle.
The officer in charge Of the ship at once
saw that she was doomed, and gave hur-
lied orders to clear away the lifeboats for
launching Three of the boats were cleared,
swung outbuard on the davits and low
Ared, but one Of them, shortly aftor IL got
slear of the steamer, capsized, and 1t is
thought that all of its occupants were
drowned. The first boat contained the
hird officer, chief engineer, purser and
about twenty of the passengers. These are
the persons who wero picked up by the
eshlng smack and taken to Lowestoft.
From the survivors it is learned that as
soon as the Crathie backed away from the
Elbe the inrushing water flooded the
steamer aft of the engine room so quickly
that nobody below decks in that part Of
khe ship had an opportunity to escape. The
shock of the collision was apparently
Night in Wow Of tho damage done, but
Mis- Is explained by the fact that 1t was q
htrect cutting blow. Nearly all the pas
sengers were asleep at the time, but many
pf them wero awatenod by the shock.
They could hear the rush of the rapidly
tnfiowlng water, and with cries of terror
sought to make their way to the upper
aeck. The steamer being loaded by the
storm, the water naturally rushed aft, and
this allowed many OF the passengers for
ward to reach the deck. In the case of tho
saloon passengers, however, the result was
fatal. AS they rushed from their state
feoms into the saloon they were met by
HE torrent, against which 1t was impos-
dble for them to make headway. They
were caught up and swept aft toward the
eockplt, where they were probably drowned
before the ship foundered.
Many HeRrtrending Scenes.
Altogether about fifty of the passengers
reached the dock, whore the widest con-
fusion existed. Wild rushes were made
tor the boats, but the terrible excitement
prevailing impoded the efforts of those
who were trying to clear them away.
Many heartrending scenes were witnessed
between parents and children In the few
moments preceding the sinking OF the
Fessel
There IS some disagreement among the
survivors rs to the number OF boats that
were launched One survivor, Karl A,
hoffman, declares that only two boats
were launched. One of these was swamped
INSTANTLY and only one of Its occupants a
girl named Anna Boecker, who was bound
Tor Southampton, vas rescued. She clung
DO piece OF wreckage, which she grasped
20 tightly that 1t was only with difficulty
lhat she was dragged Into the second boat.
She was Just returning from the desthbed
Bf her father and mother.
Meanwhile the cry was raised on tho
aoomed vessel for the women and children
30 go over TO the other side OF the steamer,
away from the port side, in which was the
hole caused by the Crathie, The half faint
ing women and terror stricken children
H.. .t...l a
had scarcely reached the boats when tho
huge vessel lifted her bows high in the air,
gnd then slowly and silently sank, stern
foremost. beneath the waves, taking with
Der her human freight.
Barely twenty minutes elapsed betwean
the collision and the shaking of tho
steamer. A heavy sea was running, and
ahe wind, which was from the east south
east, was bitterly cold
The small boat containing the survivors
eossed about until Ii o'clock in the MORN
Ing. Several vessels were sighted In tho
meantime. but they made no replies to
the signals that were SET The survivors
were nearly frozen, having hardly any
elothing, and their sufferlngs were in
bepss.
Eventually the aahing smack Wild
Mower saw Tho signuls and bore down ON
ghe boat In u short time the survivors
Fvere taken aboard Of her, whero every
Bling possible was done for their com
fort.
4 Following Is a corrected list Of the sur
Eivors; Cabin passengers Karl Hoffman,
&ugene Sohlegel, John Verera and Anna
tnoecker, aud steerage passenger Bothen,
Shief Enginear A. Neussell. Third Officer