Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-02-07


Greenham, the Trinity pilot, made the
following statement:
THE PILoT's STATEMENT.
nWhen | came on deck with some pas
sengers Captain Won Gossel was in charge,
The first order given was to swing the
boats out, but not to lower them until fur
ther orders. The next order was for every
body to come on deck and for the crew TO
go to their stations. Then followed the
order for the women and children to go to
the starboard boats, in which it was pro-
posed to save them. The first of these
orders was given by Captain Won Gossel
and repeated by Chief Officer Wilhelms.
The captain was Oh the bridge and
believe he went down with his snip.
1.-THE next order which ! heard given
was to lower the boats There was no cone
fusion whatever, nor was there panic.
Every order was executed with the great
est calmness and promptitude.
'At the time of the collision there was q
high sea running and strong wind was
blowing from east southeast. 1t was blt-
terly cold. The lanyards and boat grips
and falls were frozen and the lanyards
securing the falls had to be chopped in
order to save time. The Elbe went down
about two minutes after we left her side"
WHY THE CREW FARED WELL.
The explanation gwen by surviving
officers ofthe Elbe as to the proportion Of
the crew saved to the number Of passen-
gers saved is that the following orders
were given by the officers of the Elbe:
The children were to be saved first and
then the women, and they were to be
placed in the boats on the starboard side,
where the women and children were told
to gather. But, almost Immediately after
these orders had been obeyed, the Elbe
listed heavily to starboard and the seas
swept up to the promenade deck SO the
stnrhnuPn hnDfS FPnHprp1 useless.
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
The following statement of the disaster
was officially given this afternoon to the
| Associated Press correspondent by tho
German vice-consul Herr Brodber, and
was corrected by him. The statement
was made after sitting all the interviews
with the survivors and cross-questlonlng
the officers and crew, and may be classed
as the consensus of the officers opinions:
| The collision occurred 40 miles from
Mesrchelling lightship. Though both the
| Elbe and the colliding steamer were going
on full steam ahead the concussion was
very slight. Immediately after the col
| lsion the Elbe began to settle down, stern
first, her bow mounting high into the ain
and rendering it impossible to reach some
| of the boats. AS everybody crowded upon
deck Immediately after the shock, in u
state OF great alarm, it was impossible for
the orders of the captain, who was stand-
children should be saved first, could be
obeyed.
RUSH FOR THE BOATS.
"a rush was made for the boats that
were accessible. The first boat to touch
the water was Immediately swamped and
the passengers who had crowded into it
were drowned The second boat launched
was lost sight of in the high sea which
was running, but it is feared that she cap-
sized. Into the third boat, at the last mos
nent, when tine water was up to the
promenade deck, the vessel sinking under
their feet and two minutes before she dis
appeared, there crowded 10 men, the
women and children having rushed to the
other side, owing, it is said, to the COM
mapd that they should get in the boats
them. The third boat pulled away from
the ship, and in so doing shortly after
wards passing lady passenger, Miss Anna
Bureker, who clung to the gunwale or side
of the life boat. Some time elapsed before
she could be pulled into the boat.
DRIFTING IN THE LIFEBoAT.
nThe 90 survivors drifted about until
lilo a. M, the heavy seas repeatedly
washing over the small craft, which was
in constant danger of being swamped, aud
drenching its occupants, who had not Il
morsel of food to eat. Miss Bureker lay
in the bottom of the boat, half-drowned,
and in a semi-conscious condition. The
|
but not one approached, though after day
light a steamer and two fishing vessels
passed Their crews, however, did not
notice the signals of the lifeboat. Finally
the waving of shirt from the boat at
tracted the attention of the crew of the
fishing smack Wild Flower, which rescued
the survivors with extreme difficulty"
After the collision an unknown steamer
passed under the stern of the Elbe and pros
ceeding on her course without paying any
heed to the cries of the people on board
the sinking steamer.
THE STORY OF THE RESCUED SAILORS.
The rescued seamen showed little trace
to-day of having barely escaped losing
their lives in a fearful disaster. When the
correspondent entered the room which had
! been placed at their disposal at the sailors
home, he found them busily engaged in
stitching up their tattered clothing, which
was all they managed to save. They were
laughing and joking all the while, as il
engaged in their daily work, and were eX-
Geedingly loath to converse ON the subject
, of the disaster. But when Informed that
the German consul and the Trinity pilot
D had made statements, u few questions
r in German put to them ELECTED ready res
t spunses. The sailors said they were all
below asleep when the collision took place.
/ The strange steamer, they added, did not
' crash into the engine room, but into the
I mail room, further aft. 1t was impossible
to reach the forward boats, as the bows OF
the steamer had risen high out of the
b water. The seamen then went aft and
Q escaped in the manner already described.
1 The rescued Seamen steadily denied that
there had been any panic on board tho
$ Elbe after the collision, but the manner in
4 which, they repliedto questions put to them
/ on this point showed that great confusion
q had prevailed.
c 37I ARE MISSING.
Il So far as can be ascertained, 3f4 of the
passengers and crew of the Elbe are
missing. A strong northeast gale blew
I throughout the night, accompanied by 8
e coast guards and customs officers from
! keeping up an active watch all night long
r for any signs of other survivors of tn,
q Elbe Nothing has been seen of the
!; missing boat aud no wreckage from the
4 Elbe has been washed ashore.
t The majority Of people here have aban.
, doned all hope of hearing of the rescue oi
q any more of the Elbe's passengers or crew
q us macy OF the Yarmouth and Lowestof
il fishing smacks are known to have beer
plying near the scene of TIE disaster anc
o they have not yet returned, which they
q certainly would have done had they picked
+, up any survivors.
q Although it is generally believed tha
n the Blbe sank almost instantly after the
4 collision, some of the survivors assert that
4 they did not see her go down and they ex
4 press the hope that she may still be atloat
y MIR. Carl Hoffman, one of the cabin pas
q sengers of the Elbe, who was rescued from
q the lifeboat of that steamer belongs tt
a Grand Island, Neb. He saws that had tn,
i by the latter steamer, the majority of tn,
ii passengers and crew might have beer
a saved; for, he adds, the Elbe remained
Ne perfectly steady for many minutes aftel