The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-02-06
A Terrible Casualty.
The Steamship Elbe, With
$50 Souls. Sunk at Sea.

LONDON, January 3o.-The North
German Lloyd steamship Elbe, bound
from Bremen for New York, was sunk
in collision with small steamer, SO
miles off Lowestoft early this morning.
She carried $50 souls. But FL sur
vivors have been landed, but a few
others may still be aAoat in one Of the
ships small boats. At 10 O'Clock this
evening, the number Of lives lost was
given out at $50.
The survivors Of the wreck were
landed at Lowessoft by the fishing
smack, Wild Flowers, at $40 o'clock
this evening. They are: Stollberg,
third officer; Neussel, first engineer (:
Weser, paymaster, Schultbeiss, Link
meyer and Sitting, assistant paymasters;
Furst, chief stoker; Vioebe, steward; ;
Weuniug, Singer and Seibert, sailors !;
Dreson and Batko, ordinary seamen !;
Deharde, German pilot Greenham,
English pilot; Hoffman, Lugen,
Schlegel and Vevera, of Cleveland,
Ohio, saloon passengers Bolthen, a
steerage passenger, aud Miss Anua
Buecker.
Hofman's home is in Nebraska.
His wife and boy went down with.the
ship. All of them we're in pitiable
condition. The passengers we're but
half clothed Their few garments
we're frozen stiff, their hair was coated
with ice, and anxiety and effort had
exhausted them SO completely that they
had to be helped ashore. The officers
and sailors we're fully dressed, but their
clothes had been drenched and frozen
and they had been almost paralyzed
with cold and fatigue. They had been
ashore three hours before they bad re-
covered sufficiently to tell the story of
the wreck Their accounts agree upon
the following points:
The Elbe left Bremen on Tuesday
afternoon. The few hours Of the
voyage before the disaster we're un-
eventful. At4 o'clock this morning
the wind was blowing very hard and a
tremendous sea was running. The
morning was unusually dark. Nun.
erous lights we're seen in all directions,
showing that many vessels we're near
BY. The captain therefore ordered
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 6 o'clock and the Elbe was
some fifty miles of Lowestoft, coast OF
Suffolk, when the lookout mau sighted
a steamer of about 1900 tons. ap-
preaching. He gave the word and as
a precautiop, 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 UNCHECKED speed and before the
Elbe could change her course, or re-
duce her speed Doticeably, there was
the terrific crash of the collision. The
Elbe was hit abaft her engine room.
When the small steamer wrenched
away, an enormous 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 in-
stantly. The engines were still and
the big hull began to settle.
The passengers we're in bed. The
bitter cold and rough sea had prevented
an early rising. and none except the
officers and crew on duty, were on deck
when the ship was struck. The shock
and crash reused everybody. The
steer.ge was in a panic In moment
and men. women and children, half
dressed or 10 their night clothes came
crowdiug up the companionways. They
had heard the sound of rushing water
as the other steamer backed of and
had felt the Elbe lurch and settle.
They had grasped the fact that 1t was
then life or death with them, and
almost to man had succumbed to
their terror. They cluDg together
in groups, facing the cold and storm,
and cried aloud for help or prayed on
their knees for deliveraDce. The
officers and crew were calm. For
few moments, they went among the
terror-stricken groups trying to quiet
them and encouraging them to hope
that the vessel might be saved. 1t was
soon apparcnt, however, that the Elbe
was settling steadily. The officers
we're convinced that she was about to
founder and gave orders to lower the
boats 10 short time three
boats we're got alongside, but the seas
we're breaking over the steamer with
great force and the first beat was
swamped before anybody could get into
it. The other two boats, lowered at
about the same time. were filled quickly