The record-union., 1895-02-01
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.

of news from along the coast show that
thore is little, if any, hope of any surviv-
ors of the Elbe disaster reaching land.
y lifeboat has been washed ashore near
Yarmouth. 1t is belived to be the boat
from which the fishing smak Wildtlower
rescued a few passengers who escaped
from the steamer after the collision yeSter-
day morning.
The survivors claim that the unknown
ship which ran into and sunk the EIbe
should have stood by the Elbe, and if she
had done so a great many lives would
have been, saved. This, of course. is a
matter which cannot be decided until all
the facts are brought to light by court of
inquiry. 1t is not yet definitely estab-
ished that the Crathie was the offending
steamer. There are people who believe
that the second steamer may have
foundered. They base their opinions on
the fact that Ramsgate lifeboat put to
sea yesterday evening in answer to sig
mails of distress supposed to have come
from steamer. But the lie boat has not
returned, and as she got away in blind
ing snOwstorm II is believed she is lost
and the steamer she attempted to assist
also went down.
Then again, the word Azonia is
branded on the oars of the boat stranded
near Yarmouth. so the people say 1t could
not be the boat which the Wildtiow er
rescued with the survivors of the Elbe.
The name Azonia Is not known in ship
ping circles here.
1t seems that neither of the two pilots
was on the bridge oil the Elbe at the time
of the collision. The German pilot ceased
duty when the Elbe cleared from " eser
and the turn of duty OF the Trinity or
English pilot did not commence until the
steamship entered the waters OF the Isle
of Wight The surviving officers refuse
10 say who was III charge of The Illbe
when the collision occurred, but it is sup
posed to have been Third officer Stoll-
berg, one OF the survivors.
StollDerg is understood to have asserted
that the ship which sank the EIDe was
out of her course, and to have admitted
that he saw green light on the port bow
OF the ElDe shortly before the collision.
Chief Engineer Neuseil says the stem of
the unknown ship struck the Elbe about
100 feet forward of the rudder, or just
abaft of the engine-room. The engines
We're not damaged by the collision, but
the water soon poured in, and although
. the steam pumps were put to work, in
about three minutes they became useless
and the enEine-rComs were soon deserted
for the upper deck. Later III the day, at
the request OF the agents of the North
German Lloyd Company, Greenham, the
ment:
when 1 came on deck with some pas
senge:s Captain on Goessel was in
charge. The first order given was to
swing the boats out. but not to lower
them until further orders. The next or
der was for everybody TO come on deck
and for the crew to go to their stations.
Then followed the order for the women
ana children TO go to the starbOard boats,
IN which 1t was proposed TO save them.
The first of these orders were given by
Captain Won Guessel and repeated by
Chief Officer Thelms. The Captain was
on the bridge and / believe he went down
with the ship. The next order which |
heard given was TO lower the boats. There
was no confusion whatever, nor was there
any panic. Every order was executed
with the greatest calmness and prompt
tude. At the time of the collision there
was high sea running and a strong wind
was blowing from the east southeast. Ii
was bitterly cold. Lanyards and boats
grips and falls were frozen, and lanyards
securing falls had TO be chopped in order
to save them, but that would have been
done in any case in event of collision.
The ElDe went down about two minutes
after we lett her side"
The explanation given by the surviv-
ing officers as TO the proportion OF the
crew saved as to the number OF passen-
gers saved is that the following orders
were given by the officers of the Eibe:
Children were TO be saved first and then
women, and they We're to be placed III
boats on the starboard side, where the
women and children were told to gather.
But almost Immediately after these orders
had been obeyed the Elbe listed heavily
10 starO0ard, and the seas swept up to the
promenade deck, so the starbOard boats
were rendered useless. The boat which
brought the survivors away from the
Elbe was one OF the port boats, and was
the last TO leave lp vessel A TDC,,
the orders OF Captain Won Goessel Third
Officer Stoilberg and the Paymaster, who
were in charge OF this boat. took seats
inside her. and then, when the water was
creeping over the deck, rush was made
for the boat, and anybody who could get
into II did so.
The Trinity pilot, Greenham, assisted
the crew OF the Ellie in firing rockets Ii
Is understood that Greenham has been
heard to express the opinion that the
steamer which coliided with the Elbe was
distinctly at fault, as she attempted tc
CrOsS'the bow of the Elbc,
The following statement of the disaster
was officially given this afternoon TO the
Associated Press correspondent by Ger
man Vice Consul Herr Bradber alter
sitting all the interviews with the sur
Vivors and roSs-questioniug the officers
and the crew, and may be classed as
consensus OF the officers opinions: 1.-THE
collision occurred torty-hve miles from
N -GISClelllllE I2HlSulp. 1hOu9u DOIt
the Elbe ana the cOllIding steamer were
going full steam ahead, the conclusion
was very slight. Immediately after tht
collision the Elbe began to settle down
stern first, her bow mounted high intC
the air and rendering II impossible Il
reach some of the boats. As every body
crowded upon the deck Immediately afte
the shock and in a state OF great alarm i
was i'm posslb ble for the orders of the Cap
tain, who was standing on the bridge
that women and children should be savel
first, could be obeyed. \ rush was made
Tor the boats that were accessible. Tht
first boat to touch the water was i'm
medlately swamped and the passenger
who had crowded into it were drowned
The second boat launched was lost sigh
ofin the high sea which was running
but 1t is feared she was capSlZeu. In th(
third boat at the last moment when tin
water was up to the promenade deck, tn
vessel sinking under their feet and TIVE
minutes before she Disappeared tber
crowded nineteen men, women anC
children, having rushed to the other side
owing. it is said, to the command tina
they should get into the boats there.
This third boat pulled away from til
ship, and In so doing shortly afterwari
passed a lady passenger, Miss Ann
Buecher, who olung 10 The gunwale O
aide OF the liieboat. Some time elapset