New-York tribune., 1895-02-11
ELBE SURVIVORS HERE.
PASSENGERS ON THE UMBRIA.

HOFFMAN, AND vEvERA REPEAT THEIR STORIES
OF THE DISASTER.
Three of tn twenty survivors of the 35i persons
composing the passengers and crew OF the North
German Lloyd steamship Eibe. which foundered in
the North Sea on January 80. twenty minutes after
collision with the Scotch steamship Crathie. arrived
in this port OF the Umbria yesterday. They were
Charles Hoffman, of Grand Island. NeD.' VINO
with his lost wife and -year-oi son. was sec
ond-cabin passenger: John Nevera. OF Fuerth ana
Eugene Schiegel Of Williamsburg, who were also
second-cabin passengers. Hoffmann was met at
the Cunard pier by Hermann Winters private sec
retary Of Gustav II. Schwab. OF Oeirichs Co..
agents of the North German Lloyd Line. who In
formed him that the company had peen authorl%ed
by the First National Bank OF Grand Island 10
give him any amount OF money he might nceu up
IN the sum of $500 which had been deposited In hat
bank 10 his credit by his father. Domingo furrer
and Charles Hermann who had engaged passage on
the Elbe but went by another route to Southamp-
ton. were also passengers or the Umbra Schlegel
is visiting this country for the first time he was
mo, by a brother who took him TO his mouse IN
Brooklvn Hoffman, and Nevera were met by sig
ismund Frank of Buffalo. whose orother WAS ioS'
on the Eibe. He accompanied py others ""o
refused TO reveal their identity. but were Dehe'eu
n he claim lawyers They took HOFFMAN, ana
vevera to the broadway Central Hotel ana had
long talk with them in private tnder 'he'l n'"u
once the Elbe survivors at first refused 10 tak 10
newsnaner men or to Mr.. Winters. though by much
effort their version Of the affair was obtained.
Uonmann said that he proposed to spend MS
earnings of twelve years. II necessary 10 p'ose
cr,e tho cornpany for murder. Again. ne saiH tHa'
he had not told all. but II the company d'd no, "o
the right thing" he would tel everything. ""e"
excited he repeated the story OF the ana" d" -,
told II lust after his rescue and as 1t was cao'eu
80 le insists that First Engineer Neussell took
his CHonmann'O boy out Of the boat and then
stepped Ia himself He also reterates tnat ne puhe'
Miss Boecker. the only woman who was saved 'n,o
the boat against the protests OF the steamships
.,
In refutation Of this Mr. Winters exhibited
cable inst received from home Office OF the conf
pany as follows: "Honmanns declaration '"''
Neussen was taken in boat instead OF his con uh-
true Four persons went into boat after Neus'eA'
and then Miss Boecker was taken In
In another statement Hoffman said that 'he
Elbe sank twenty minutes after the coislon'
and In still another that she did not begin 10
list for about twenty minutes after the co''s'o,.
and that, therefore. the starboard boats az wen
as the port ones. could have been lowereu Il "
had been done Immediately He denies that the
tackle falls frozen or that there was any
other good reason why all the boats should not
have been successfully lowered he THINKS 'h'
matter was not managed right and that the
officers and all looking out for them
selves He says that he had section aft on the
starboard side Just before the accident he had
gone on deck Then he returned TO the state
room 1t was cold In the room and he was putting
some extra wraps on his little boy when the shocK
occurred 1t slight. He started out TO see
what the trouble was, and as he ran out OF the
sta;eroom he saw Schlegels sister. Emma. lie
ran to the forward stairway and asked some people
who were running about what the matter was but
got no reply. He heard rushing footsteps on decN
and concluding that something alarming hah oc-
Cured ran back 10 his stateroom ana had ms
wife dress warmly. and after the boy was SINH
he IA
bis eripsack they started for the first cabin. lie
started up the gansway, but "A throng o. pas
sengers who had run to the deck had Deeh orueie"
below and he them on the stairway. IN inc
ran, he was separated from his wife and boy. and
being tripped fell down the stairs. 1hey supse-
ouentlv got together and went on deck ana stood
AT the entrance 10 the frstcabn gangway'
The first boat swung out Was Oh t"' p 49,
aft A number Of persona Immediately J'''P'u '''
hut ware ordered out. A second boat OIL me port
side was swung out, but nobody got INTO tha', anu
II was not lowered. Then boat immeula'e'y ~
from, of item was swung out, and ne thre" MS
valIse into It and prepared TO get ~ VIII" Mo
family. At this point. he says the ch'ei 90.
nusbed his wife aside. and an order was given ior
al women me- f ara d Ghiisafh sad God may help yet
Then he put the boy In the @ Doa. an anu eep the boy
sen. H s pIs wife was better able than the CHIC
was 10 care for herself. lie thousnt 1ne ~ as then
inokeG after with the other women. II was tn,li,
he says Neusse ordered the boy out ana ,s, s'ior h
handed the little fellow out 10 :NtusHcI arJ.r
tore the boats were swung out he heard an orde, s
not see the captain at any time a., us,o,
Veyera said: AT the time OF the coiSio III
was doing in the smoking ROOM az my '1D,i' ~
was TOO cold for comfort. With me was MI VIZ, ~,
of New York. II sudden shock anu mn io' 90, 80
us had the least warning Of trouble; rushen n on'
ION deck and made an attempt TO hnd my niece;
who was below in charge OF the stewaI9ess' h,n
found could not get down TO the ,, secohu 90 ar" hn
and ! made my way to the promenade uech d oH ,he %
mort side heard orders being shouted ana , ,ie
IA ssengers were being massed on the staIDoaiu
Side saw some sailors trying 70 clear a"aT ~
shin was down the port side so that me man IN
deck was almost level with the water eoge; w
moi think that the boat tackle-falls were Ironci,
as has been stated. Certainly saw no ice. Aiter
some little difficulty owing to the boats e,'Pcs
being stuck with paint she was lowered anu we
got into her. The saved woman was picKed UP az az
We left the ships side. She had evidently JuImpea Ia
one and the twenty people In her made ner , ~
deep in the water that IL was Impossible 70 90 sn,
any more people in her without SINKING rIo,i i,,
the time Of the collision to the sinking was oh'y
In reference to the rockets sent up from the
Eibe about which conflicting stories have been
told Mr.. Vevera says he understood that rochrhs ~
used before the collision TO warn on .iIe m
Crathe. While there WAS not regular fog, ihcre
occasional banks OF cloud that enveoped tne
ship. He asked officer why no rockets were were
fired after the collision and was told that they
were destroyed, exploding In the barrel IN "h'c"
they were kept.
SAFE THROUGH THE HURRICANES.
THE MANITOBA GETS A TREMENDOUS SHAKING
Ifp RIFT RrDEs otrT THE TEMPEST