The herald., 1895-02-01
SINKING OF THE STEAMER ELBE
Stories of the Disaster aS Told
by Survivors.
A Mysterious and Unknown Vess el
Figures in the Case.
Captain Gordon of the CrathIe Does Not
Believe That 1t Was the Eibs Hs
Was in Collision With.


cold weather prevailing and lack OF
news from along the coast show there 10
little, If any, hope of any survivors OF
the Elbe disaster reaching land. A
lifeboat has been washed ashore near
Yarmouth. 1t is believed to be tho
boat from which the fishing smack
Wildhower rescued a few passengers
who escaped from the steamer after the
collision yenterday morning. The sur
vivora claim the unknown ship which
rammed and sunk the Elbe should have
stood by the Elbe. and if ahs had done
80 great many lives would have been
saved. This, OF course, is a matter
which cannot be- decided until all the
fscts are brought to light by the COURT
of inquiry. II 10 not YET definitely es-
tablished that the Crsthie was the
offending steamer. There arc people
who behave the second steamer may
have foundered. They base this opinion
on the fact that the Ramsgate lifebost
put to ees yesterday evening in answer
to signals of distress, supposed to have
come from the eteamer, bat the liieboa t
has not returned. and, aa che got away
in binding enowstorm, lie believed
she is lost snd the steamer she as-
tempted 10 assist also went down. Then
again the word "Azdnia." is branded on
the oars OF the boat stranded near Var
mouth. 30 peopls cry it could not be tho
boat which the Wildhower rescued.
The name Azonis is not known in ship
ping circles here. II seems neither of
the two pilots was on this bridge of the
Elbe at the tins OF the collision. The
German pilot cesced duly when the
Elbs cleared fora Weser, end the turn
OF duty OF the Trinity or the English
pilot, did not commence until the
steamship entered the waters OF the Ise
OF Wight.
RETlCENT OFFICERS.
Surviving officers refuse to say who
was in charge of the Elbe when the COL
lison occurred, but it is supposed to
have been Third Officer Stollberg, one
of the survivors. StollDerg is under
stood to have asserted thes the ship
which sank the Elbe wrs out of her
course and to have admitted he saw a
green light on the port bow OF the Elbe
buOftly UClOf6 tlb COlilblOus Ns,iOi
gineer Maxwell snye the stem of the un~
known ship struck the Elbe about $50
feet forward of the rudder, or just abaft
the engine rooms. The engineo were
not damaged by the collision but the
water soon poured in, and although the
steam pum ps were put to work in about
three minutes it became useless and the
engine rooms were soon deserted for the
Tata in Tho dow a tho
urgent quest of the sgent OF the North
German Lloyd company. Greenham,
She Trinity pilot made the following
statement:
"Whsn came on deck with some
passengers Captain Won Goessel was in
charge. The first order given was to
swing out the boats bu. not lower them
until further ordsrs. The next order
was for every body to come ON deck and
for the crew to 70 to their stations,
Then followed the order for the women
and children to 60 to the starboard
boats in which it was proposed to save
them. The first OF these orders were
given by Captain Won Goessel and re-
pested by Chisi Officer Thslma.
DOWN LIKE SHOT.
''The cs plain was 90 the bridge. l be-
lievs he went dawn with the ship. The
next order heard given was to lower
the boats. There was no confusion
whatever. nor WAS thsre panic. Every
order was executed with the greatest
calmuess and promptitude.
''At She time of the collision there was
high res running and strong wind
was blowing from tho east southeast.
1t was bitterly cold. The lanyards end
boat grips and falls were frozen. and
the lans ards securing the falls had to be
chopped in order to aave time, but that
would have been done in any case in
the event of a collision.
1.-The Elbs went down about two min.
utes after we left her side" The ex-
plantation given by the surviving officers
as to the proportion OF the crew saved
to the number OF passengers saved 10
that the following orders were given by
the officers of the Elbe: 1.-THE children
were to be saved first, and then the
women, and they were to be placed in
boats on the starboard side, whore the
women and children were told to gather !;
but almoBt Immediately after these or
ders had been ooeyed the Elbe lated
heavily to the starbosrd and the Beas
swaps up to the promenade deck so the
starboafd boats wers rendered usslees.
The boat which brought the survivors
away from the Elbe was one Of the port
boass and wac ths last to leave the veg
sci. Acting upon tho orders OF Captain
Won Gosesel, Third Officer Stollberg and
the paymaster, who were in charge OF
this boat, took seats inside her, and
then, when the water was creeping over
the d6Ck a rush o. qa m ada for tho hnat
and any body who could get into it did
SO. Trinity Pilot Grsenham assisted the
crew OF the Elbe in firing rockets. 1t ls
understood Greenhaln had been heard
to EXPRESS the opinion that the steamer
which collided with the Elbe was dis.
tinctly at fault, as she astem pied to cross
the bows OF the Elbe."
STORY OF THE WRECK.
The following statement of the dig
aster Wac officially given this afternoon
TO an Associated Press oorrespon en- t
by German Vics. Consul Herr Brsdber.
after sitting all she interviews with the
survivors and s.questionins the
officers and crow, and may be classed
as s concensus of tho officers opin-
ions:
Tho collision occurred As miles from
MorschelliuG lightsbip. Though both
the Elbe and the collidinz steamer we're
going full steam ahead, the concussion
Mss very slight. Immediately after the
collision the Elbe began to settle down
stern frat, her bow mounting high in
bthe air and rendering il impoasibls to
reach gone OF tho boats.
"As everybody crowded q pom the dock
|. 49, IL 81 1ft ba md N