Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-02
THE ELBE DISASTER,
SURVIVORS DENY THAT THE CRA-
THE REMAINED SIGNALLING.
Charges Against the Crew Of the
Lost ships Also Against Omcers
stoiiberg and NeusseI-Nothing
More from the Wreck.

stood that the officers and crew OF the
Crathie were examined to-day by the
British Consul in Rotterdam. They will
leave the ship and return forthwith to
Aberdeen.
Vevera, Hofmann, and Schlegel denied
emphatically this afternoon that the Cra-
THE remained signalling for two hours
near the scene Of the collision. They
say that had she done so she could have
among the first TO reach the Elbe's deck
after the collision, did not see the Cra-
THE answer any of the Elbe's signals.
He noticed a small steamer. apparently
the one that had struck the Elbe, steam
ing away.
As regards the behavior OF the Elbe's
crew, Hofmann says: II seized a life
belt as soon as l got on deck, but a
sailor demanded 1t. saying that 1t be-
longed to the crew. I gave IL up with
the remark. We'll, 1 hope you will save
YOURSELF but he did not. The crew did
their best to keep the passengers out
| OF the boats"
Hofmann ia greatly embittered by the
loss of his wife and child. He talks con-
tinually about II, and In each interview
makes new charges against the crew.
Vevera told n reporter tonight: There
| were a lot of green hands In charge Of
| the life-boats. They were so excited they
did not know what they were about.
| They filed one boat and then dumped
| oil the occupants into the water. The
| crew In our boat were very reluctant to
admit Miss Buecker Hofmann and /
1rr. la- sci IA rtfr %
i from the seamen.'
STOLLBERG AND NEUSSEL.
Vevera and Hofmann also attack
Third officer Stollberg and First-Engineer
| Neussel. They say that both acted
seIfishly after the rescue. and that Stoll-
| berg made no effort to command the
boat, but gave the whole responsibility
| to the steerage passenger. Boethen, who
had been cook on a French steamer.
They speak highly OF Boethen's coolness
and skill, and give him the whole credit
for managing the boat.
The company have booked Vevera and
Schlegel to sail on the steamship Umbria
tomorrow. and both will start tomorrow
morning for Liverpool. Each has re-
i ceived SIS from the company, as he lost
everything with the ship.
Many more smacks arrived at Lowe
stoft late this afternoon and this eve
/ ming. They brought no news. Others
| are due to arrive tomorrow and Sun
| day. The skipper OF the smack Competi-
| tor which returned tonight, reported
| that he saw yesterday what he thought
was a mailbag. and tried to catch 1t
| with a boat-hook. He missed it. and
knowing nothing Of the collision, did not
| try for II. again.
| Hand-bills distributed in Lowestoft say
/ ,rflt N
| for the body of Walter Schnell. one OF
1 the Elbe's frst-cabin passengers.
The Ship-Wrecked Mariners Society
has sent'a barometer to Skipper Wright,
| OF the Wildfower and 10 pounds to his
| men, and the Mayor of Lowestoft has
raised a fund for their benefit.
| A dispatch from Vienna says that
/! among the Elbe's passengers were the
| Gutman brothers, directors of steam
/! mill company, near Kanschan, Hungary.
| The Gutmans had fed to escape arrest
| for forgeries, by which they defrauded
/, the company and the peasant share
| holders of 10000 forms. They are said
1 TO have given assumed names at the Of
| flee.
| NUMBER OF LOST. SSi.
| NEW YORK. February 1.-The North
4 German Iioyds agency in this city to-
| day received cable dispatches from the
| home Office in Berlin which give the
| exact number OF persons who were on
| the Inflated ship Elbe as follows: Cabin
| passengers for New York, A.; cabin pas
| sengers for Southampton, s. steerage pas
| sengers for New York. l39; steerage
| passengers for Southampton, 10; captain
| and crew. l46; postmen, 4; stewardesses,
/ g. Total. 352.
| Two pilots were also aboard the vessel.
| making 354 persons in all. OF these %
were saved. Total loss Of life, S3i per-
| sons.
GERMAN RELIEF FUND.
| BERLIN. February IA committee
was formed here to-day. with DR.. Won
| Boettlcher Imperial Minister Of the In
| terror. as president. TO appeal to the pub
| lie for funds for the relief of the families
and other dependents OF the victims OF
| the Elbe disaster.
THE CRATHIES CAPTAIN.
ROTTERDAM. February l.-Captain
| Gordon. of the steamer Crathie. has made
| a report TO the Iloyds representatives
here. in which he says he was knocked
down by the shock OF the collision or
his ship with what he describes as an
unknown vessel, and when he was able
| to get up and reach the deck the SHIPS
were some distance apart, and In conse-
ouence he Is unable 10 give much In
formation in regard to the circumstances
or result OF the disaster. The vessel
which the Crathie struck, he says, was
a big steamer, with two tunnels and
four masts
In reply to the question whether he
had taken any steps to save the passen-
gers and crew of the other ship Captain
Gordon said his own ship was damaged
to such an extent that he expected every
minute she would sink. She followed
the other ship for short time but
found that she went much faster than
the Crathie, and therefore he thought
she was safe.
THE CRATHIE ARRESTED.
ROTTERDAM. February 1.-The North
German Lloyd Steamship Company,
owners OF the lost steamer Elbe. have
arrested the British steamer Crathie by
mailing a writ TO her mast. This action
was taken preliminary to claiming dam
ages for the sinking of the Elbe by the
Crathie. The Crathie is worth 5000
pounds, without cargo.
COMMENT IN PARIS.
PARIS. February 1.-The greater part
of the Paris newspaper comment on the
loss of the Ebe Is unfavorable to the
officers and crew Of the colliding ship.
the Crathie. La Lanterne violently con-
demns those on board that ship, saying
that English seamen are proverbially
brutal.
The Figaro and La I4anterne both de-
nounce the British captain, remarking
that his conduct was just what might
have been expected Of an English sailor.
CRITICISM IN LONDON.
LONDON, February 1.-The Pail Mall
Gazette. In a leading article on the loss
Of the Elbe says:
Had the Elbe been penny~steamer
packed with holiday makers. we should
say nothing; but what shall We say of
the loss OF a steamship belonging to one
OF the greatest of transportation lines,
where only twenty lives were saved. fif-
teen OF them being OF the crew, and only
one woman among the total number?
Even accepting as true the statements
of the surviving members of .he crew,
why were they scrambling to port while
an attempt was being made 10 lower
boats to starboard? Why were the wo-
men and children sent TO starboard when
the list OF the ship TO port made the use
OF the starboard- boats impracticable? 1t
Is part OF a seaman's duty to be drowned
in case Of need in trying to save the
lives Of passengers"
Ax,r-<v x,~rA,v. v.vyUnrrcr-D