Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-31
collapse and had to be carried and dragged from one boat to the other.
 r1Tr- ONT V eturn

the party, was prostrated as sooc they
 got clear of ths Eibe. She lay in the bot
 tom of the boat for i've hours ,w.th the seas
 breaking oyer her and the water that had
 been shipped half covering her body AL
 though her physical strength was gone.
 she showed true pluck and did not utter
 word of complaint, and repeatedly urged
 her companions no; to mind her, but look alter themselve Hoffnan's leg was hurt severely while he was changing boats. The
 survivors cannot say too much in praise of
 the Wild Flowers crew, who gave them every possible attention.
 SURVIVORS TAKEN CARE OF. Upon landing the survivors were taken in charge by B. $. Bradberg, the German consul at Lowestoft, who sent some to the Sailors' home and others to the Suffolk hotel. Miss Buecher, who look passage to Southampton, wilf probably be able to go
 10 London in day or two.
 MIR. RoFFMAN's EXPERIENCE.
 Carl Hoffman, who came ashore in the Wild Flower, said in an interview: My home is at Grand Island, Neb. had my wife and boy, aged z, with me on the Elbe. am utterly wretcned, for became separated from them and hardly dare hope | that they have been saved.
 am abroad to visit relatives in Ger many, and during the last four months | was accompanied by nay wife and boy We l left Bremen for home on Tuesday. l was asleep in our state room when a noise like W bed and spoke to my wife, who had been aroused suddenly. Iasked her what she thought the trouble was, but she seemed to pay little attention to it. l WAS not greatly alarmed, although heard scufflI ing feet and l hoarse shouts on deck. I hurried into a | few Of my clothes, however, aud went to | the upper deck. ] saw only too clearly then what had happened. I rushed below and helped my wife and boy throw on n few clothes, and we went on deck together. l The excitement and confusion cannot be descri bed.
 NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT. Everybody seemed to have lost their head.
 The scene was distressing beyond anything else ever saw. Men, women and children were running about madly, the omen screaming with terror and every man get ting in the other's way. The darkness in- creased the confusion and fright. Sud- denly l heard despairing cries from the women:
 ''THERg ARE NO MORE BoATs!'' .. Then saw the men at the davits. 1 noticed that the ropes were frozen so hard or were so tangled, or something of the sort, that the sailorsshad to chop them frantically to get the boats clear. The sailors were do- ing their best, however, and worked with might and main. They finally got out the | aft-quarter boat on the port side. could see that 1t was full of people, but the sail ors would not lower it.
 Meanwhile the steamer was settling per ceptibly. took my boy in my arms and got into the second boat. My wife was close behind, whe- somebody shouted, All women aud hi.S-ol go on the other side of the ship!' l pslie9e the captain gave the order. My wlfe started to run across the deck and that is the last l saw of her. clung to my boy, but some men seized us and dragged us out of the boat and my place was taken by one of the crew. This boat got clear
 of the steamer. Before the men at the oars ! r..tl L. almost dashed her against the steamers big foremast, which had gone by the board at the time of the collision. It was almost miraculous that the boat was not swamped. Another boat was got out. took my boy into it and supposed that he had remained by my side, but just as the boat was lowered 1 found that HE HAD DISAPPEARED. He had been torn away in the rush and scramble for places. l tried to get back, but the boat went down with jump and the moment we reached the water the saiJ- ors pushed off.
 MISS RUECKER TALKS. Miss Ruecker says she was in bed when the collision occurred. When she reached the deck two of the life boats were being lowered. She got into one of them, but it was capsZed. Miss Ruecker was picked up by another life boat and five hours after was taken on board the Wild Flower. OTHERS TALK. Fuerst, q stoker, said in an interview:
 ''I was in the boiler room at the time of the collision. The water rushed in imme- diately through big gap. in the side. It poured iu at a tremendous rate and soon extinguished the fires. Everybody in the boiler room knew the vessel must founder. When l reached the deck saw the captain on the bridge, but did not see the pilots. do not know where the pilots were.
 Seaman Singer says that the Elbe was struck ust abaft the engine room, the stem or the other steamer crushing into the second cabin.
 THE TRUTH MAY NEVER BE KNOWN. Third Officer Stoliberg says that he can- not explain the collision, and that it is un- likely that any adequate account can be obtained, as all the deck watch on duty at the time were drowned. The captain was on the bridge when the collision occurred, and Officer Stollberg heard him shouting in loud, firm voice that the women and children were to be saved first. The cap- tain's voice reached considerable dis. tance. His order was repeated by the sec- ond officer, and must have been heard by
 every body aboard.
 GRATEFUL WORDS. Officer Stollberg expressed the warmest gratitude to Skipper Wright and the crew of the Wild Flower. The roughness of the sea, he said, made the work of rescue ex.
 
 survivors the use of everything aboard the
 smack, and fed and clothed them. There
 is some hope that the missing boat has been
 rescued, inasmuch as there were several smacks in the vicinity of the collision.
 Probably some women and children got
 into the missing boat.
 AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
 The steamship company has deferred un-
 til tomorrow morning it's decision as to
 sending the survivors to New York. In
 answer to Dispatch from tue United Press
 the North German Lloyd sent this official
 statement from Bremen to New York:
 "The third officer of the Elbe reports
 from Low estoft that the vessel was struck on the port side in the way mail room by an unknown steamer, sinking in twenty
 minutes. Stormy weather; watch in order.
 Hope a second boat which was lowered
 may be safe, as several fishing vessels and
 steamer arrived in tue vicinity. Good discipline; everything done that was possi-
 ble to save life.'
 THE FIRST NEWS.
 The fret official report received by the owner was dated at Lowestoft and said: