Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-02-11
SURVIVOR OF the STEAMER ELBE
TELLS MS STORY TO A NEW YORK
REPORTER.
Lack OF Discipline Caused Many TO
lie Lost-BrutaI Action of Some OF
the officers of the shlp-A Brave
woman.

New York. Feb. 1O.-On board the
Umbrla were three survivors of the
| steamer Elbe. Eugene Schleget of
Fuerst, Germany, on his way to this
country for the first time with his sis
ter. who was lost with the ship; Jan
Vevera of Cleveland, Ohio. and Carl
Hoffman Of Grand Island, Neb., whose
wife and child were among the lost.
A representative OF the Associated
Press boarded the Umbria at Quaran-
tine and found Messrs. Hoffman and
Veyera in the main saloon reading lot
ters from their relatives in the west.
which had been handed them ut Quar-
antlne. Mr., vevera, after he had look
ed over his letters. one OF which came
from Cleveland. made the following
statement concerning his experience;
"rhe night before the disaster spent
in the smoking room. in company with
Mr.. Charles Mix and DR.. DIETRICH. On
going down into my stateroom found
It so very cold that / decided to sleep
on a lounge In the smoking room, and
accordingly lay down fully dressed, but
rose, and on looking outside found that
the night was clear. or toward the
English coast the lights OF several fish
Ing smacks were to be seen. As near
as can reckon, It was about twenty
minutes to when I felt a slight
shock. accompanied by crashing
sound that seemed to me to come from
the engine room. The shock was slight
and not like l should have expected
from collision. ! ran forward TO the |
engine room, and in the passage met
the mall clerk, whom asked what was
the matter Nothing he said.
Then I met three Of the crew run |
ming along, and on asking them the |
same question received similar reply |
Just then an officer. with his face white |
with anxiety made the same answer |
The umbers began 10 crack and bulge |
inward. Without going any further. I |
rushed to my stateroom and exchanged !
the heavy ulster I had on for n Mack
intosh and soft cap that / could pull
over my ears. took the life preserver
out " my berth for myself and from
the unoccupled berth above mine I took
n life preserver for my niece on going
on the deck. the ship had listed over
and there was so much confusion and
noise that ! had very little Idea OF any
thing eScept getting into the boat. from
which I was picked up by the Wild
Hover. saw nothing OF the steamer
INIT collided with MS, but the sirht the
l1lbe presented as she rolled back from
port to starboard and then SLOWLY no
gan to settle down by the stern, Is one
mat ! will never forget. ! would have
slVen everything T ever possessed 10
nave escnued the spectacle of the peo-
PIE STRUGGLING IN the water around tha
~, ana those on the Elbe swarmlng
VI lnc cocks ms the Elbp settled down.
u could not have been more tbep
.wentY-fivc minutes before the sbjn
'anf after the collision ana thos. min
ltes seemed longer to me than all tbo
'est or my life put together.
w hen we picked nm Miss Annn
snecker she was swimming along
,rNvelv and was fully dressed WITH tbe
tlehhardW' 7. Seward. T y. Walker
vas very cool and sat in the boat In
water up to her waist until we wcra
Kicked m by the fishing smaoI, ana
lever uttered n complaint When tbe
WUdfower picked us I'M 7 had ms, ios+
eg crushed between the boat ana ,bo
mack and my right thumb. which wa" vac
1urt In the boat. was badly mashed
RE people Mt Lowestoft treated us
Mr. Huffman refused while on the
.Wbria to make any stu temonf for nub.
icatIon' Since tho Tlbe disaster bo
l1s been in an evoiinble state of nina
.fe declared that he had not silent far
our nights and that he Intended IN
get some rest before he did anvtbtn,
,lse. He said in addition that be In
ended to confer with the North Cor
nan Lloyd officials here ut an early
late. ''''"
ON the arrival Of the Umbrla at the
'ler the FIRST person 10 go up tho gang
'lank was Mr., Winter from tho com
'any'S office. He welcomed the three
llhe survivors and offered them every
IsaistanNN IN his power
Mr. Hoffman, however, was met "A
he dock by three men, one of whom
aid he was brother of the man
frank, who was lost on the Elbe and
ogether with them and vevera. Hon
nan entered a carriage and drove 10
he Broadway Central hotel. ,
After lunch he told the following
tory to the reporter:
MY wife, my boy and myself had n
tateroom on the starboard wav All
n the section between 60 and 10O
EARLY on the morning of the collision
-.