Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-02-06

LONDON, Jan. 31.-The North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Elbe, bound
from Bremen for New York, was sunk
in n collision with the British steamer
Crathie, fifty miles off Lowestoft
carly yesterday morning. She car
red $50 souls. But twenty-one sur
vivors have been landed but a few
others may still be afoat on one of
the ships small boats.
Among the first and second class
passengers from America who are
missing arel
John H. Vincke, St Charles, Mo-
Frau NJ. c. Connors, South Dakota
Dr. j. C. DIETRICH, America
Fraulein Frank and Jacob Frank,
America.
Anton Fischer Washington, d. c.
j. +. Gerlicher, Winona, Mimi.
Theodore Geisenhermer, New York
Ernest lIerren, New York
Anna Hoffman, and Henry Hoff-
man, Grand Island, Neb.
The Collision.
The Elbc was proceeding along at
her usual rate OF speed and keeping
the ordinary lOollouts. The night
was dark, but there was no gale.
Suddenly the forward lookout on the
Elbe reported TO the officer on deck
that the lights Of n steamer were
close aboard over the port bow. BE =
fore the course of the Elbe could be
changed so as TO sheer her off from
The approaching steamer, the latter
struck her ust about the engine
room, going through her plate as
though they were pastcboarI and
sticking her nose almost completely
through the hull of the Elbe For q
time she held the Elbe on her nose,
but then her engines were reversed
and she backed out of the aperture
she had made AS she did so the
water rushed into the Elbe in n tor
rent 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 boats contained
the third officer, chief engineer,
purser, and about twenty of the pas
sengers. They were picked up by a
fishing smack and taken TO Lowestoft.
Following is n list of the survivors:
Karl Hoffman, Eugene Schlcgel, John
Vevera, Anna Boeclier Between Pas
senger Bothen Chief Engineer Neus-
fell, Third Officer Stollberg. Purser
Wester, Herr Dehart, Bremerhaven
pilot; Robert Greenham, an English
pilot, and ten of the crew.
story of the Survivors.
From the survivors il is learned
that as soon as the Crathie backed
away from the Elbc, 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
opportunity TO escape. The shock of
the collision was comparatively slight
in view of the damage done. but this
is explained by the fact that it was a
direct cutting blow. Nearly all the
passengers 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 in-
flowing water and with cries Of ter
ror, 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 forward to reach the
deck.
In the case of the saloon passeng-
ers, however, the result was fatal.
AS they rushed from their state rooms
into the saloon they were met by the
torrent, against which il was impossi-
bic for them to make Roadway. They
were caught up and swept aft toward
the cock pit, where they were prob
ably drowned before the ship foun-
dered. 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 witnessed
between parents and children in the
few moments preceding the sinking
of the vessel.
The small boat containing the sur
NlNOrS tossed ABOUT untll III 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 intense Eventually the fishing
smack Wild Flower saw the signals
and bore down on the boat. In a
short time the survivors were taken
aboard of her, where every thing pos.
sible was done for their comfort.
Mr.. Karl Hoffman,, the husband of
Mrs. Anna Hoffman,, is among the
survivors. lie is IN condition of
terrible distress from the loss of his
wife and son. He pathetically ex-
hibited gold watch that his wife
had slipped into his hand as she
parted with him to go to the star
board side of the steamer when the
order to that effect was given.
TWO KANSANs LOsr.