The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-31
TIE ELDE DISASTER
Thrilling Stories From
Amid the North Sea
Snow Flurries.
WILDFLOWER CAPTAINS YARN
Survivors in the Lifeboat Al
most Frozen When the Fish
ermen Found Them.
pitiful Scenes of Anxious Waiting
at the Bremen Steamship
Company's New York
Offices.
WlLDFLoWER CAPTAINS YARN
BIZ Cable to the United Press.

By Cable to the United Press
LONDON, Jan. 81. 1Ss5-The loss of
the North German Lloyd steamship
Elbe. with nearly 400 lives. is the absorb
ing topic of conversation and comment
in all circles this morning. The latest
information as to the number of lives
lost places it at 374; at least that is the
number missing and there is very lit
tie hope entertained that any of these
will eventually be heard from alive 1t
is true, however, that some Yarmouth
and Lowestoft fishing smacks which are
out on cruises in the vicinity where the
Wildfiower picked up the Elbe' sboat con-
tanning the twenty survivors have not
yet returned to their home ports, so that
there still remains possibility that one
or more of them may have rescued some
of the unfortunates Of the lost steamer.
On the other hand the weather is un-
favorable to the survival of castaways
for any considerable length of time. A
heavy northeast gale prevails on the
North Sea, and the weather at Lowe
stoft and thereabouts IS very cold. The
gale is increasing to almost a hurricane
and is accompanied by binding snow
storm.
ON THE WATCH.
Notwithstanding discomforts involved,
however, the coast guard and customs
officers are exerting themselves to the
utmost and are leaving no means un-
tried in the search for possible survi-
yors. or even for signs of any kind in
dicating that more of the Elbe's people
than have yet been heard from. Thus
far no article of woodwork or furniture
belonging to the lost vessel has been
no S1Iffa ST q
fact in itself regarded by experts as
proving the sudden completeness of the
disaster and tending to diminish the
probabilities of further salvage of life
being reported. a l.feboat of the Elbe. it
is true, washed ashore at Yarmouth last
evening, oars and life buoys being found
in it; but this is undoubtedly the boat
frcanl mich the Wild1ower rescued the
-sur1 yesterday = and wilfen was left
adrift -s2fter the occupants had been
taken off, so that its discovery on shore
furnishes no additional news or encour-
agement.
ANXIOUS ENQUIRIES.
The officers in London of the North
German Lloyds Steamship Company are
besieged by anxious enquiries, but the
officials are without information or de-
tails beyond the news published in the
press, and can do nothing to allay the
anxiety of the relatives and friends of
the EIbe's passengers. The Company
is refunding fares to the survivors and
paying the expenses of their return to
Germany or to whatever point they
select as their destination.
MORE LOST PEOPLE.
1t is learned that the following, in ad-
dition to those named in the list of first
cabin passengers already published were
drowned Their names did not appear
on the printed list because they did not
take through passage but intended to go
only as far as Southampton.
Schifre Dorman. Anton Fischer, and
family named Misaclaertz, consisting of
two adults and two children.
Mr.. Laker and his wife, who were
among the steesage passengers lost,
were English people, who went to Bre-
men to take steerage passage for New
York.
A tug sent out by the Lloyds to cruise
around in search of survivors left loves
toet early this morning.
THE CRATHIE'S BAD CONDITION.
The owner at Aberdeen, of the steam
shin Cratlie, which ran into and sank
4he Elbe, has received a brief telegram
from the captain at Maasluis, stating
that the Crathie's bow was terribly crush
ed by the impact of the vessel with the
Elbe. and that the Crathie was in
sinlSink condition when she reached
Maasluis The captain was below at the
time of the collision, the mate being in
charge of the vessel. The latter has
made a statement to the captain that he
has no knowledge whatever as to the
identity of the vessel with which the
Cratfie coll.ded His own vessel was so
terribly damaged that its condition called
for the undivided attention of the Off
GERS and the entire crew. all of which
had to bend their energies to saving
their ship and their own lives. There
was, the mate adds, a dense fog at the
time of the accident, and the vessel with
which the Crathie had collided was lost
TO view in the mist almost Immediately
after the crash.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED.
Mr.. Carl Holman of Grand Island,
Nebraska, who is among the saved, re-
flutes this statement by making the as
sertion in addition to his statement al
ready published that If the vessel which
came into collision with the Elbe had
stood by the sinking ship majority of
her passengers might have been saved,
as the Elbe stood perfectly still for many
minutes after the impact. In fact, she
remained motionless until the water
which was pouring into her hold caused
her to lurch violently, after which all
was confusion on board Prior to this,
however, discipline was maintained, and
there could have been no difficulty in
transferring the passengers in an orderly
manner.
The survivors who were brought to
Lowestoft are all recovering from the
effects of their shock and exposure. Mss
Anna Buecker, the only woman known
to have been saved, has SO far recovered
that she will be able to proceed to
Southampton today,
SAW A GREEN LIGHT.
The surviving officers Of the Elbe are
very reticent In regard to the disaster,
reserving their statements pending an
official inquiry into the circumstance
but it transpires that an officer Of the
Elbe saw green light on the port bow
Belonging to an unknown vessel which,