The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-02-07
CRAVESIN THE DEEP
Three Hundred and Fifty Lives
Lost at Sea.
FULL STORY OF THE ELBE DISASTER.
The Collision In the North sea That Car
ried Death to Many Soul and
Gloom and Dlspair to Many
Family.

LONDON, January 31.-The North
German Lloyd steamship Elbe, bound
from Bremen for New York was sunk
in a collision with a small steamer fifty
miles off Ioyvestoft early yesterday.
She carried $50 souls. But twenty-one
survivors have been landed, but a few
others may still be afioat in one of the
ships small boats. At an early hour
this morning the number of lives lost
was given out as $50
TIE survivors of the wreck were
landed at Lowestoft by the fishing
smack Wildflower at $40 o'clock last
evening. They are: Stollberg. third
officer; Neusscl, first engineer; Neser,
paymaster: Schulthiss, Linkneyer and
Sitting, assistant paymasters; Furst,
chief sto1er; Nicebe, steward; Wen
ming, Singer and Seibert, sailors;
DeHardee, German pilot Greenham,
English pilot; Holman, Lugen, Schle-
gel and Novera, of Cleveland, O., saloon
passengers; Bolthen, steoragce pas
senger, and Miss Annie Bucker.
Hoffman's home is in Nebraska. His
wife and boy went down with the ship.
Ali of them were in a pitiabl condition.
The passengers were but half clothed.
Their few garments were frozen stlft,
their hair was coated with ice, and
anxiety and effort had exhausted them
so completely that they had to be help
ed ashore The officers and sailors
l,t hai c1H f
had been drenched and frozen and they
had been almost paralyzed with cold
and fatigue. They had been ashore
three hours before they had recovered
sufficiently to tell the story Of the
wreck. Their accounts agree upon the
following points:
story of the Wreck.
The Elbc left Bremen on Tuesday
afternoon. The few hours of the voy-
age before the disaster were unevent-
full At 4 o'clock in the morning the
wind was blowing very hard and
tremendous sea was running. The
morning was unusually dark. Various
steamers lights We're seen in all dlrcc-
tiOns, showing that many vessels were
near by. The captain therefore ORDER
ed that rockets should be sent up at
regular intervals to warn the craft to
keep out of the Elbe'S course. 1t was
near to s o'clock and the Elbe was some
ffty miles off Lowcstoft, coast Of Suf-
folk. when the lookout man sighted
steamer of about 1000 tons approach
ing. He gave the word, and, as a pre-
caution, the number of rockets was
doubled and they We're sent up at short
intervals. The warning was without
effect The steamer came on with I'M
checked speed and before the Elbe
could change her course or reduce her
speed noticea bic, there was the terrific
crash Of the collision. The Elbe was
lit a BAIT her engine room. When the
small steamer wrenched away. an enOr-
NOUS hole was left in the Elbe's side.
The water poured through and down
/ into the engine room in a cataract. The
| room filled almost instantly. The en-
| gines were still and the big hulk began
/ TO settle.
The Life or Death Panic.
The passengers We're In bed. The
! bitter cold and rough sea had prevent
/ ed an early rising, and none except the
/ officers and crew on duty was on deck
when the ship was struck. The shock
| and crash, reused everybody. The
Storage was in a panic in a moment,
men, women and children, half-dressed
| or in their night clothes, came crowd
! ing up the companion ways. They had
heard the sound of rushing water as
the other steamer backed off, and had
felt the Elbe lurch and settle. They
| had grasped the fact that it was their
| life or death with them, and almost to
a man had succombed to their terror.
| They chung together in groups, facing
the cold and storm, and cried aloud for
| help or prayed on their knees for de-
liverance. The officers and crew were
| calm. For few moments they went
among the terror stricken groups try
ing to quiet them and encouraging
them to hope that the vessel might be
| saved. 1t was soon apparent, however,
| that the Elbe was settling steadily.
The officers were convinced that she
was about to founder and gave orders
to lower the boats.
The Work of the Rescue.
In a short time three boats were got
alongside, but the seas were breaking
over the steamer with great force and
the first boat was Swamped before any
body could get into it. The other two
boats, lowered at about the same time
were filled quickly with members OF
the crew and some passengers, but the
number was small as the boats had
only twenty persons each.
The boat carrying the twenty-one
persons who We're landed at Iowestoft
put off in such haste from the sinking
steamer that nobody in it noticed what
became of the other boat. The survi
vors believe, however. that she got
away safely.
The steamship company has deferred
it's decision as TO sending the survivors
to New York. In answer to a dispatch
from the United press, the North Ger
man Lloyd sent this official Statement
from Bremen last night:
The third officer OF the Elbe reports from
| Lowesroft that the vessel struck on tn,
port side in the way sail room by an unknown
steamer sinking IN twenty minutes. Stormy
weather. watch in order. Hope q second boa
which was lowered may be safe as severa
fishing vessels ard a steamer in the vicin
ity. Coed discipline: everything done tina
was possible to save life.
Collector Arrow. of Georgia. Confirmed
WASHINGTON. January 31.-The sen