The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-02-07
MANY GRAVES
In THE DEEP:
A Direful and Distressing Marine
Disaster--Hundreds Of Peo-
pie Drowned.
THE SINKING OF THE "ELBE." +"
Only Nineteen One People s.Sed---Oat Of
Three Hundred who Wsre on Hoard -
The steamer sinks with Bar.tinx SQUAD

Three Hundred who Were on Hoard -
The steamer s,nk. with Bur.tinx SQUAD
---Hearfr- ndinK Cri~. Prom All Quarter.
Io>poN, Jan. 3O.-Thr North Ger
man Lloyd steamer Elb-. Captain Won
Gossel, from Bremen yesterday for
New York, via. Southampton. has been
sunk in collision with the British
steamer Crathi-, bound from Roiter-
dam for Aberdeen.
At the time of sending this dispatch
the exact
Los. OF LIFE II UNKNOWN,
but report has il that il was enormous.
The disaster occurred before daylight
this morning at point some thirty
miles from the Hook of Holland.
The first intimation of the disaster
came from Lowestoft. suffolk. one Of
he chief English fishing ports. lat.
this afternoon n despatch WAS received
from that place saying that il was re-
ported there that a transatlantic line
steamer had been
SUNK IN THE NORTH -EA,
The first dispatc hes stated that Their.
had been three hundred and fifty per
sons on the Elbe, and that only nine
teen had been saved, the rescued hay-
ing been landed at Lowestoft by fish
ing smacks. Later dispatches To tn.
Exchange Telegraph company and 10
Lloyds confirmed the report of the loss
of the steamer, and still later IL was
l..a Prt.a Al hot b.. sr.t D.. H..
that sunk the Elbe. had put into Mas
Luis, Holland, in damaged condi-
ton. She reported that she had been
in collision with
AN UNKNOWN OCEAN STEAMER.
Towards evening. over two hours and
a half after the news had reached the
London offices of the Associated Press
and had been cabled To America. the
agents in this city of the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship Company re-
ceived the following cable message:
Most deplorable news from loves
toft. 1t states Elbe sunk through col
llsiOn; six this morning. Boat No. 3.
with third officer Stallburgh, PurSer
Weser, Engineer Neussell and nine
teen persons landed AT Lowestoft. No
further news 80 far"
1t was at first hoped that the reports
of the disaster had been exaggerated
and that most, if not all, the pasSeng-
ers and crew had escaped, either by
means of the ships boats,.Dr by being
picked up by passing vessels. But, a
time wore on, il was ap-
parent that the first re-
ports of the sinking of the steamer
HAD MINIMIZED THE HORRORS
of the disaster. Many dispatches were
forwarded to Mas Luis. To. the COM
mander Of the steamer Crathie. asking
him if he had rescued any Of the FL
be's passengers. Up To a late hour,
however. no answers were received to
these dispatches. and the belief grew
that the Crathie, after the accident had
rather sought her own safety than To
rescue the people on the doomed FL
be. From the details now at hand. il
is learned that the Elbe was proceed
ing along at her usual rate of speed
and keeping the ordinary look-outs.
THE NIGHT WAS DARK
but there was no gale. Suddenly the
forward lookout on the Elbe reported
to the officer on deck that the lights of
a steamer were close aboard over the
port bow. Before the course of the
Elbe could be changed. so as To sheer
her off from the approaching steamer
the latter struck her just abaft the en-
gine room, going through her
plates as though they We're paste
board, and sticking her nose almost
COMPLETELY THROUGH THE HULL
of the Elbe. For time the Crathi.
held the Elbe on her uose. but then heI
engines were reversed and she backed
| out of the aperture she had made. 4.
she did so, the water rushed into TN.
Elb+ in a torrent and she began imme
diately to settle. The officer in charg,
of the ship at once saw that she wa,
doomed, and gave hurried orders to
| CLEAR AWAY THE LIFE BOATS
for launching. Three of the boat.
were cleared. swung outward on tn,
davits and lowered: but one of them
shortly after it got clear of the steamer
capsIZed and il is thought that all of il:
occupants were drowned. The frs
boat contained the third officer. chic
engineer, purser and about twenty %
the passengers. These are the passen
gers who We're picked up by fishin!
smack and taken to Lowestoft.
Mr.. Karl Hoffman,, Of Grand Islrnd
Neb., is among the survivors. He is il
a condition of terrible distress from
the
LOSS OF HIS WIFE AND son.
He pathetically exhibited. To the repre-
sentative of the Associated Press.
gold watch that his wife had slippe,
into his hand as she parted with hin
to go to the starboard side Of tn
steamer when the order to that effec
was given. He said:
Survivors, STORY.
I'VE left Bremerhayen on Tuesda
afternoon at o'clock. Our cabin wa
one of the second class and was With
six feet of the spot which received tn
full force of the shock. My wife, chill
and / were asleep, when | was awak
ened at 80 o'clock by what seemed t
, be the ringing of the gong that is use
, to call the passengers to meals. Find
ing that it was dark, | jumped out c
, my birth, but heard nothing to war
me. l went back TO my birth agai
| and Immediately heard the
RUSHING OF FEET AND SHOUTING.
. concluded something serious ha
| happened, and got some clothing.
awakened my wife and child, who hun
riedly dressed, and then we all ra
, along the corridor with the Others I
. the deck. / was knocked down stail
q when | reached the top, but my fes
caught in a hook and / managed {
save myself from being trampled upol
got to the port side and saw thu
great damage had resulted from tt
collision. The water was then
RUSHING INTO THE STEAMER
a in great torrent. The air was ver
dark, though the sky was clear. IT
J.. sea was very rough. Two boats Wei
lowered. l caught my boy and thre
him into one of the boats. Calling III
wife to accompany me, got into it b,
o that moment there was a shout for tI
v women and children to go to the sta
board side. Slipping her watch in
d my hand, my wife left me and the b.
was taken out of the boat. While
le sat there, l saw one boat swampe
n We tried to rescue those in the watS
huf all~Sayo ono Ammo Roopkop xua