St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-02-08
11lisrrllanu.
THE ELBE SUNK.

jsb-Tbere Was only Time 10 Lower
Tb,ee Roafs and one of Them Was
Swamped--One BoatIoad Rescued by
Fishing Smack-The Fate OF the ih"d
Unknown-The steamer Our from
Bremen only a Few Hours
The North German Lloyd steam
shin Elbe, bouad from Bremen tor
New York, was sunk in a collision
with the steamer Crathle fifty miles
off Lowestoft last week Thursday
morning. She carried 400 people
Only twenty.one survivors have been
landed. but few others may still be
afloat in one of the ships small
boats. The number OF lives lost IS
303.
The survivors of the wreck were
landed at Lowestoft by the fishing
smack Wild Flower at $40 O'Clock the
following evening. All OF them were
in a pitiable condition. The passen-
gers were but half clothed. Theirfew
garments were frozen stiff. their hair
was coated with ice, and anxiety
and effort had exhausted them COM
pletely. The officers and sailors were
fully dressed, bat their clothes had
been drenched and frozen, and they
had been almost paralyzed with cold
and fatigue. They had been ashore
three hours before they had recovered
sufficiently to tell the story OF the
wreck. Their accounts agreed on the
following points:
The EIbe left Bremen on tuesday
afternoon. The few hours OF the
voyage before the disaster were I'M
eventfu. At O'Clock Thursday
morning the wind was blowing hard
and a tremendous sea was running.
The morning was unusually dark.
Numerous lights were seen in all d.
rections, showing that many vessels
were nearby. The captain ordered
therefore, that rockets should besent
up at regular intervals to warn the
craft to keep out of the EIbe' scourse
1t was near to O'Clock, and the
Elbe was some fifty miles off Lowe
stoft, coast of Suffolk, when the look
out man sighted a steamer of about
1900 tons approaching. He gave
the word and, as a precaution, the
number of rockets was doubled and
they were sent up at short intervals.
The warning was without effect
The steamer came on with unchecked
speed, and before the Elbe could
change her course or reduce her speed
notably there was the terrific crash
of the collision.
The Elbe was hit abaft her engine
room. When the smaller steamer
wrenched away an enormous hole
was left in the Elbe's side The
water poured through and down in
to the engine.room in cataract.
The room filled almost instantly.
The engines were still and the big
hulk began to settle.
The passengers were in bed. The
bitter cold and rough sea had pre-
vented any early rising, and none
except the officers and crew on duty
was on deck when the ship struck
The shock and crash reused every
body. The Storage was in panic
in moment, and men, women and
children, half dressed or in their night
clothes, came crowding up the COM
panion.ways. They had heard the
sound of rushing water as the other
steamer backed off, and had felt the
lurch and settle. They had grasped
the fact that it was life or death
with them, and almost to a man had
succumbed to their terror. They
chung together in groups, facing the
cold and storm, and cried aloud for
help or prayed on their knees for
deliverance.
THE LlFEBOATS LAUNCHED.
The officers and crew were calm.
For few moments they went among
the terror-stricken groups trying to
quiet them and encouraging them to
hope that the vessel might be saved.
twas soon apparent, however, that
the Elbe was settling steadily. The
officers were convinced that she was
about to founder and gave orders to
lower the boats. In a short time
three boats were got alongside, but
the seas were breaking over the
steamer with great force and the first
boat was swamped before anybody
could get into it.
The other two boats, lowered at
about the same time were filled
quickly with members of the crew
and some passengers, but the number
was small, as the boats held only
twenty persons each.
The boat carrying the twenty. one
persons who were landed at Lowe
Stoft put off in such haste from the
sinking steamer that nobody in it
noticed what became of the other
boat. The survivors believe, how
ever, that she got away safely. They
say that they tossed about in the
heavy seas for several hours before
they sighted the Wild Flower. The
little smack bore down on them at
once and took them aboard. They
were exhausted from excitement and
exposure. Several of them were in a
state OF collapse, and had to be car
ried and dragged from one boat to
the other.
THE ONLY WOMAN SAVED.
Miss Anna Blocker, the only wo-
man in the party was Frustrated as
soon as they got clear of the Elbe.
She lay in the bottom OF the boat for