The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-02-09

LONDON, Jan. 31.-The North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Elbe, bound
from Bremen for New York. was sunk
in a collision with a small steamer
fifty miles off Lowestoft early yester-
day morning. She carried $50 souls.
But twenty-one survivors have been
landed, but a few others may still be
afoat in one of the ships small boats.
At IL o'clock last evening the number
of lives lost was given out as $50.
The Survivors.
The survivors of the wreck were
landed at Lowestoft by the fishing
smack Wild Flower at $40 o'clock yes
<erday evening. They are:
Stollberg, third officer.
Neussel, first engineer.
Weser, paymaster.
Schultheiss, Linkmeyer and Sitting,
assistant paymasters.
Furst, chief stoker.
Viobe, steward.
Wenning, Sanger and Seibert. sail
orS.
Dreson and Batko, ordinary seamen.
Weissner, German pilot.
Deparde, English pilot.
Hoffman,, Lugen, Schlegel and We
vera, of Cleveland, o., saloon passen-
gers, and Bolthen and Miss Anna
Buecker, steerage passengers.
Hoffmann's home is in Nebraska.
His wife and boy went down with the
ship.
In a Pitiable Condition.
All the rescued were in a pitiable
condition. The passengers were but
half clothed. Their few garments
were frozen stiff, their hair coated
with ice, and anxiety and effort had
exhausted them SO completely that
they had to be helped ashore. The Of
ficers and sailors were fully dressed,
but 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 upon the following points:
The Collision.
The Elbe left Bremen On Tuesday
afternoon. The few hours of the voy-
age before the disaster were unevent-
full. At 4 o'clock yesterday morning
the wind was blowing very hard and a
tremendous sea was running. The
morning was unusually dark. Numer-
gu lights were seen in all directions,
showing that many vessels were near
by. The captain ordered, therefore,
that rockets should be sent up at regu-
2ar intervals to warn the craft to keep
out of the Elbe's course 1t was
near 6 o'clock and the Elbe was 81 me
&ffu rnslaS off T.0uaStnff anaSt of Snf-
folk, when the lookout man sighted a
steamer of about 1900 tons approach
ing. He gave the word and, as a pre-
caution, the number of rockets was
doubled and they were sent up at short
intervals. The warning was without
effect The steamer came on with un-
checked speed and before the Elbe
could change her course or reduce her
speed, there was a terrific crash of the
collision.
The Elbe was hit abaft her engine
room. When the small steamer
wrcnched away an enormous hole was
left in the Elbe's side. The water
poured through and down into the en-
CINE room in n cataract. The room
filled almost instantly. The engines
were still, and the big hull began to
settle.
A Fearful Awakening.
The passengers were in bed. The
bitter cold and rough sea had prevent
ed early rising, and none except the
officers and crew on duty were on
deck when the ship was struck.
The shock and crash reused every
body. The steerage vas in a panic
in a moment, and men, women and
children, half-dressed or in their night
clothes, came crowding up the com
~panionways. They had heard the
sound of rushing waters as the other
steamer backed off and had felt the
Elbe lurch and settle. They had
:g-asped the fact that it was then life
0 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 de-
.iiverance.
The Officers Were Calm.
The officers and crew were calm.
For a few moments they went among
the terror-stricken groups trying to
.auiet them and encouraging them to
hope that the vessel might be saved.
1t was soon apparent, however, that
the Elbe was settling steadily. The
officers were convinced that she was
about to founder and gave orders to
Awer the boats.
Lowering 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 any
body could get into it. The other W
boats, lowered at about the same time,
ssere filed quickly with members Of