The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-02-02
AN OCEAN HORROR.
The Steamship EIbe C0litdPs With
Another Vessel and S74
Are bro wucd,

Are Drowned.
LowEsToFT, England, Jau. S1-Ths
bitterly cod weather prevailing and the
'sck of news from along the coast show
tbst there Is little if any hope of any sur.
viVors of the Eibe disaster reaching land
A hfebost has been washed ashore neal
Yarmouth. but it Is believed to be the
boat from which the fishing. smack Wild
foscer rescued the few passengers who es>
capped from the steamer after the COL
lision yesterday morning.
The survivors claim that The unknown
ship which rammed and sunk the Elbe
should have stood by their vessel, and il
she had done SO a great many lives woulo
have been saved This, of course, is a
matter which cannot be decided until all
the facts are brought to hight by the
court of inquiry.
The following statement of the disaster
was officially given this afternoon to an
Associated Press correspondent BY tb.
German vice consul, Herr Brsdber af er
sitting all interviews with survivors, and
cross questioning officers and crew, and
may be classed as the consensus of the
officers opinions:
The c,ll:sion occurred As miles from
the Merscilijng iightshIp. Though bo, b
rhe Etbe and the coliidi1g steamer were
going full steam anead, the conclusion
was very slight. Immediately after the
collision the Etbe began 10 settle down,
stern first, her bow mounting high into
the air and rendering it impossible TO
reach some of the boats, as everybody
crowded upon deck immediately after
the shock IN a state of great slarm. II
was impossible for the orders of the
captain, who was standing on the bridge
that the women and children should be
saved obeyed, aid rush was made for the
boats that were accessible. The frst
boat to touch tbe water was Immediately
swamped, and the passengers who bad
crowded into 1t we're drowned. The
second boat launched was lost sight of 10
tue high sea which was runoing, but II is
feared that she was capsized. Into the
third boat, at the last moment. when the
water was up to the promenade deck. and
the vessel was sinking under their feet,
and two miDutes befvre she disappeared,
there crowded 19 men. women and chill.
dren, having rushed to the other side,
owing, It is said, to the command that
they should get into the boats there.
This third boat pulled away from the ship
and in so dong shortly sfterward passed
a lady passenger, Miss Anna Buercher,
who clung to the gunwsle or side of the
lifeboat. Some time elapsed before she
could be pulled into the boat. The 20
survivors drifted until about II 10 A. NJ, =,
heavy seas repeatedly washing over the
small craft, which was in constant dan.
ger Oh being sgamped, and drenchlng its
occupants, who had not a morsel of food
Miss Buercher lay In the bottom of the
boat half drowned and semi CONSCIOUS.
The lights of many vessels were seen all
around, but not one approached, though
alter daylight steamer and two fishing
vessels passed. Their crews, however,
1ld not notice the signals of the boat.
Finally the waving of q shirt from the
boat attracted the attention of the crew
,f the fishing smack, WiIdfower which
the survivors with extreme d fi.
Guilty. After the collision the unknown
steamer passed under the stern of the
Elbe, proceeded on her course without
paying any heed to the cries of the pso-
Die on board the sinking steamer"
The rescued seamen in the Sailors
Home we're patching up their tsttered
clothing TODAY, laughing and joking the
shile. They said they were ell below
lsleep when the collision took place. II
vas impossible to reach the forward boats,
Is the bows of tbe steamer had risen bigh
'ut of the water The seamen then went
If and escaped in the manner descrl bed
They steadily denied that there had oeen
my panic on ihe Eibe after the coll sion,
'ut the excited manner in winch thev
eplied TO questions on this point showed
hat great confusion had prevail ed.
As far as can be ascertained 374 of the
'assengers and crew of the Elbe are miss.
ng.