Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-01
FRIDAY. ...,..F FEBRUARY 1. 1895.
The Sinking of the Elbc.

The loss Of the Elbe. with about three
hundred and seventy persons on board
Is one OF those horrors Of the sea which
are long remembered. and which influence
ship-huilding and ship-management.
II has been great while since any
disaster equal In fatality 10 this has oc-
CURED TO a passenger vessel The loss
of the British ironclad Victoria in COLI
sion with the Camperiown or the coast
of Tripol was OF recent occurrence, ana
the sacrifice OF lie there was greater
than on the Elbc. but for many years
the big ocean-liners have been exempt
from horrors such as this.
II was. the fate Of the Elbe, notwith-
standing the use of extraordinary pre-
cautions to avoid accident, 20 be run
into in the early morning whilst thick
darkness prevailed. IL was also her mis-
fortune TO receive her death-wound from
o steamer which did not wait 10 see
what damage was done or To ascertain
AZ help was needed. But we must not be
too ready to blame the officers Of the
Crathie. They no doubt Overestimated
the injury done 20 their own vessel. and
one o. tie Craihlc's officers states that
they understood from the lights shown
by the Elhe that she needed no assist
nnce
II is said that the captain of the Elbe
stood 10 his post calmly and courageously
md died like hero, but the number OF
members OF the crew saved is in disa-
areeable proportion u the number Of
passengers saved. Only three boats were
launched. one sank Immediately; an
other Is yet to be heard from, and the
third put of safely. and in five or six
hours fell Ia with a fishing-smack. which
took the boats people ashore
The acci1ent came upon the Elbe as
q terrific surprise. and as the after part
Of the ship soon went under water all
Of her boats could not be gotten at, and
the coriase OF those within reach was
20 badly caked with ice that they
were handled with great difficulty. That
there was a panic aboard ship after the
people found that there were no more
boats 10 lower and no help Of any sort
st hand we may well imagine.
IL is a notorious fact that few Of the
great liners carry a sufficient number
% life-boats; sufficient for the worst
emergencies. when in launching them
some are quite sure TO be lost, while
others are quite sure to put Off from the
ship with less than their complement OF
passengers.
The Elbe was afloat for twenty minutes
During which time every boat within
there had been enough OF them every
soul on board could have found a place
In them-could have had some sort OF
chance for life.
We judge that the Elbe must have had
Hater-tight compartments, and that they
were OF some service, else she could not
have floated twenty minutes after her
sides had been pierced below the water
line by the prov OF the Crathie Whether
these compartments met expectation fully
ne cannot say. but they must have
Zone some good.
The loss OF the Elbe has produced a
shock throughout the civilized world
and many are the tears that have been
dropped at thought OF her victims. No
doubt very searching inquiries will be
made as to the accident, and in time
the public will be informed officially
whether II WAS an occurrence that could
have been averted by reasonable precau-
tIons.
The great trouble with seamen, as with
railroad men. and all other people, in
deed. is that long-continued exemption
from accidents causes them 10 grow
rareless. Then suddenly an accident
comes, and the consequences are
often frightfui. From what We know Of
this disaster It would seem that the
EIbe was not at all at fault in the col
lision. But It is not clear that her water
tight compartments and her boats and
the discipline OF her crew were all that
we're needed for such an emergency.