The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-31
FEW ESCAPED.
Only About Twenty Passengers
and Crew Survive
The Disaster Which Overlook
the Unfortunate Elbe.
SORROWFUL DETAILS.
The Rescued Ones Tell How 1t
Happened.
No Doubt Now That 1t Was the
Crathie
Which Caused the Blood CurG-
ling Disaster.

LowEsToFT, Eng. Jan. 31.-The hor-
rible details of the loss of the North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Elbe and her hu-
man freight are being discussed here by
crowds of people gathered at different
places where the survivors remain, al
though regular blizzard is blowing and
under ordinary circumstances very lew
people would have ventured out of doors.
The bitterly cold weather prevailing
and the lack of news from any point
along the coast shows that there is little
if any hope of any other survivors of the
. disaster reaching land
A life boat supposed to have belonged
ito the Elbe has been washed ashore near
Yarmouth. In the boat were number
of life belts and oars and 1t is believed
to be the boat from which the fishing
smack Wild Flower rescued the few per-
sons who escaped from the steamer after
the collision of yesterday morning.
Every body here is asking his neighbor
the same question: How did in Occur!"
and nobody seems able to give satisfac-
tory answer.
A handful of the survivors who were
clustering around a camp fire this morn
ing INDUCED in the most bitter criticisms
and sunk the Elbe. They all claim that
she should have stood by the Elbe and
that if she had done so a great many lives
would have been saved. This of course,
is matter which cannot be determined
until all the facts in the case are brought
to light by the court of inquiry which
will inquire in the matter
Not sure 1t Was the Crathie.
The agents of the North German Lloyd
b1T in
constant communication with the Ger
man vice consul. who has been upon the
spot ever since a short time after the
disaster became known. 1t is not
yet definitely established that the
Crathie was the offending steam
er. There are several interesting
points in this distressing story which re-
quired definite explanation before all
the facts in the case will become gener-
ally known.
For instance there are people who be-
lieve that a second steamer may have
fOundered. They base their opinions on
the fact that the Rams Gate life boat put
to sea yesterday evening in answer to
signals of distress supposed to have
com from the steamer But the life
boat has not returned. and as she got
away in binding snow storm, it is be-
lieved that she is lost and that the steam
er she attempted to assist also went
down. Then again the word 'AZonia"
is branded on the oars of the boat
stranded near Yarmouth so people say
that it could not be the boat from which
the Wild Flower rescued the survivors
of the Elbe The name of "Azonia" is
not known in shipping circles here.
The German vice consul and the agent
of the North German Lloyd company
have cautioned all the survivors of the
crew of the Efbe to furnish no informa-
tion of any description to anybody until
they appear before the court of inquiry,
and as the men are strictly obeying these
directions. very little can be gathered
except from the passengers who, of
course, are not posted on maritime rules
and regulations, and are therefore unable
to furnish the facts which might enable
the mystery of the sinking of the Elbe
to be cleared up as promptly as most
people wish.
No Pilot in Charge.
1t seems however, that neither of the
two pilots was on the bridge of the EIbe
at the time of the collision. The Weser.
or German pilot ceased his duty when
the Elbe cleared from the Weser and the
turn of duty of the Trinity or English
pilot did not commence until the steam
ship entered the waters of the Isle of
Wight, and the surviving officers of the
Elbe refuse to say who was in charge of
that steamer when the collision oc-
Cured.
But it is supposed to have been Third
Ohcer Stollburg, who was one of the
survivors Stollburg is understood to
have asserted that the ship which sank
the Elbe was out of her course and he is
said to have admitted that he saw a green
light on the port bow of the Elbe shortly
before the collision occurred. He de-
scribed the third life boat lowered and
which it is still thought may have escan.
ed, to be about twenty feet long.
She cleared the Elbe all right and 8
number of people were inside of her
Stollberg, however, does not believe il
possible for her to have lived for any
length of time in the heavy sea which
was running at the time of the accident
Chief Engineer NeuselI saws that this
stem OF the unknown ship struck the
EIDE about fifteen feet forward of this
Em0oder m or just abaft the engine room
ne engines were not damaged bv the
oi5lsIon. Dut the water soon poured in
anu Although the steam pumps were nm
10 "orK, In about three minutes tims il
became useless aud the engine room
were soon deserted for the 1nner decI-
Pilot Greenham's Statement
Later in the day at the reouest of +be
agents OF the North German IIovd oo-o
pany, Greenham, the Trinity pilot NJ, +5l
the following statement: --'N-
when came on deck with soma .
ne passengers. Capt Won GoessaI ~ y