Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-02-07
AN OCEAN HORROR.
North German Lloyd Steamer Sunk
in Collision.
Over Three Hundred Persons Co Down
with the Inflated yesseI-Steamee
Engulfhed In Twenty Minutes
After Being Struck.

Bremen Tor New York, was sunk IN a
collision with the British steamer
Crathie fifty miles off Lowestoft early
yesterday morning. She carried $50
souls. But twenty-one survivors have
been landed, but few others may
still be afoat in one of the ships small
boats.
From the details now at hand it is
learned the EIbe was proceeding along
at her usual rate of speed and keeping
the ordinary loolzouts. The night was
dark, but there was no gale. Sudden
ly the forward lookout on the Elbe re-
ported to the officer ON deck that the
lights of a steamer were close aboard
over the port bow. Before the course
of the Elbe could be changed so as to
sheer her off from the approaching
steamer the latter struck her just
about the engine room, going through
her plates as though they were paste
board and sticking her nose almost
completely through the hull of the
Elbe. For time she held the Elbe on
her nose, but then her engines were re-
yersed and she backed out of the aper-
ture she had made. As she did so
the water rushed into the Elbe in
torrent and she began Immediately to
settle. The officer in charge of the
ship at once saw she was doomed and
gave hurried orders to clear away. the
life boats for launching. Three of the
boats were cleared and lowered but one
of them shortly after it got clear of the
steamer, capsized and it is thought that
all occupants were drowned. The first
boat contained the third officer, chief
engineer, purser and about twenty of
the passengers. They were picked up
l., al, IL Al 7
stoft.
From the survivors it is learned that
as soon as the Crathie backed away
from the Elbe, the in-rushing water
flooded the aft of the engine room so
quickly that nobody below decks in
that part of the ship had an opportu-
nifty to escape. The shock of the col
lision was comparatively slight in view
of the damage done, but this is ex-
planned by the fact that it was a direct
cutting blow. Nearly all the passen-
gers were asleep at the time, but many
of them were awakened by the shock,
slight as it was. They could hear the
rush of the rapid inflowing water and
with cries of terror sought to make
their way to the upper deck. The
steamer being loaded by the stern,
water naturally rushed aft. and this
allowed many of the passengers for
ward to reach the deck.
In the case of the saloon passengers,
however, the result was fatal As they
rushed from their state rooms into the
saloon they were caught by the torrent,
against which it was impossible for
them to make Roadway. They were
caught up and swept aft toward the
cock pit, where they were drowned be-
fore the ship foundered. Altogether,
about fifty of the passengers reached
the deck where the widest confusion
existed. Wild rushes were made for
the boats, but the terrible excitement
prevailing impeded the efforts of those
who were trying to clear them away.
Many heart-rending scenes were wit
messed between parents and children
in the few moments preceding the sink
ing Of the vessel.
There is some disagreement among
the survivors as to the number of
boats that were launched. One sur
vivor, Karl A. Hoffman, declares that
only two boats were launched. One of
these was swamped instantly, and only
one of its occupants, a girl named
Anna Blocker, who was bound for
Southampton. was rescued. She chung
to a piece of wreckage which she
grasped so tightly that it was only
with difficulty that she was dragged
into the second boat. She was just re-
turning from the death bed of her
father and mother.
Meanwhile the cry was raised on the
doomed vessel for the women and chill
dren to go over to the other side of the
steamer away from the port side, in
which was the great gaping hole caused
by the Crathie. The half-fainting
women and terror-stricl1en children
hurried to the starboard side, but they
had scarcely reached the boats when
the huge vessel lifted her bows high IN
the air and then slowly and silently
sank, stern foremost, beneath the
waves, taking with her her human
freight. Barely twenty minutes elapsed
between the collision and the sinking
of the steamer. A heavy sea was run
ming aud the wind, which was from
the east southeast, was bitterly cold
The small boat containing the sur.
vivors tossed about until Ii o'clock in
the morning. Several vessels were
sighted in the meantime but they
made no replies to the signals that
were set for them The survivors were
nearly frozen, having hardly any
clothing, and their sufferings were in
tense. Eventually the fishing smack
Wild Flower saw the signals and bore
down on the boat. In a short time the