The morning call., 1895-02-01
LIVES THROWN AWAY.
COWardice Of the Grew of the
Elbe.
THEY SAVED THEMSELVES.
Leaving Women and Little Children
to Drown.
no PANIC ON THE DOOMED STEAMER.
The Passengers We're Simply Left by Tie
Dastards to Die Like Rats
in a Trap.
THEY SAVED THEMSELVES.
no PANIC ON THE DOOMED STEAMER.

LowEsToFT, England, Jan. 31.-The Bit
terly cold weather prevailing and the lack
of news from along the coast show that
there is little if any hope of any survivors
of the Elbe disaster reaching land. A life
boat has been washed ashore near Var
mouth. 1t is believed to be the boat from
which the fishing smack Wildfower
rescued few passengers who escaped from
the steamer after the collision yesterday
morning.
The survivors claim that the ship which
ran into and sunk the Elbe should
have stood by the Elbe, and if she
had done so a great many lives would
have been saved. This, of course, is a
matter which cannot be decided until all
the facts are brought to light by court
of inquiry. 1t is not yet definitely estab-
lished that the Crathie was the offending
steamer. There are people who believe
that the second steamer may have foun-
dered. They base their opinions on the
fact that Ramsgate lifeboat put to sea
yesterday evening to answer to signals of
distress supposed to have come from
steamer. But the lifeboat hassnot returned,
and as she got away in a binding snow
storm, it is believed she is lost and the
steamer she attempted to assist also went
down. Then, again, the word Azonia is
branded on the oars of the boat stranded
near Yarmouth, so the people say it could
not be the boat which the Wildhower res
cued with the survivors of the Elbe. The
name Azonia is not known in shipping
circles here.
1t seems that neither of the two pilots
was on the bridge of the Elbe at the time
of the collision. The German pilot ceased
duty when the Elbe cleared from Weser
and the turn of duty of the Trinity or
English pilot did not commence until the
steamship entered the waters of the Isle of
Wight. The surviving officers refuse to
say who was in charge OF the Elbe when
the collision occurred, but it is supposed
to have been Third Officer Stollberg, one
of the survivors. Stollberg is understood
to have asserted that the ship which sank
the Elbe was out of her course and to have
admitted that he saw a green light on the
port bow of the Elbe shortly before the col
lision.
Chief Engineer Neusel says the stem of
the unknown ship struck the Elbe about
$50 feet forward of the rudder, or just
abaft of the engine-room. The engines
were not damaged by the collision, but the
water soon poured in and, although the
steam-pumps were put to work, in about
three minutes they became useless and the
engine-rooms were deserted for the upper
deck.
The Trinity pilot, Greenham, assisted
the crew of the Elbe in firing rockets. It
is understood that Greenham has been
heard to express the opinion that the
steamer which collided with the Elbe was
distinctly at fault, as she attempted to
cross the bow of the Elbe.
Later in the day, at the request of the
agents of the North German Lloyd Com
pany Greenham, the Trinity pilot, made
the following statement: when / came
on deck with some passengers Captain Won
Goessel was in charge. The first order
given was to swing the boats out, but not
to lower them until further orders. The
next order was for everybody to come on
deck and for the crew to go to
their stations. Then followed the order
for the women and children to go
to the starboard boats, in which it was
proposed to save them. The first of these
orders was given by Captain Won Goessel
and repeated by Chief Officer Thelms.
The captain was on the bridge and l be-
lieve he went down with the ship. The
next order which I heard given was to
lower the boats. There was no confusion
whatever, nor was there any panic. Every
order was executed with the greatest