Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-02-06
LOST IN THEN0RTHSEA

tOft, forty miles from Ipswich, says that
the North German Lloyd steamship Elbe
was run down and sunk off that place yes
terday by a steamer which is supposed
to have been the Crathie. Only nineteen
persons out of passenger and crew list
Of between $50 and 400 were saved
A dispatch from Rotterdam says that
the steamship Crathie, from that port
for Aberdeen, Scotland, has put into
Maasluir in a damaged condition. She
was leaking slightly forward, her stem
having been stove in by u collision early
this morning with an unknown ocean
steamer, believed to be the Elbe Of the
North German Lloyd Steamship line.
The collision occurred at about ; O'Clock
this morning and some thirty-fve miles
distant from the coast of Holland. 1t is
not known if she had any passengers on
board taken from the Elhe.
Sunk Like Rock.
The Elbe, it appears, was on her way
to Southampton with about 50 saloon
passengers, about 100 steerage passengers
and crew of about $50. The morning
was heavy and misty and the steamer
was only making her usual time and keep
ing the ordinary lookout. Suddenly a
steamer was sighted off the port bow. and
before the collision could be averted the
unknown vessel mad run into the Elbe.
The North German Lloyd steamer was
struck above the engine room and began
to fill so rapidly that there was only time
to lower three of her boats, and one Of
those was sWamped directly after getting
away from the steamer The first boat
contained the third officer, chief engineer,
the purser and about twenty passengers,
so far as can be learned at present, as
the people who have landed are being
cared for at various places, and it is diff
cult to gather accurate details OF the
disaster.
Drowned Like Rats in Trap.
The whole of the passengers are under
stood to have been below and asleep at
the time the collision occurred, and nearly
all of them must have been either drowned
below or have met death while seeking
to rush upon the deck. The man who fur
nished this information was in such an ex-
cited state that little more could be gath
cred from him than EXPLANATIONS of hor-
rOr. He repeated time and again: 1T
was terrible! 1t was terrible! The poor
women and children went down without
hardly being able to utter a prayer. It
was terrible. The steamship must be full
of dead bodies. They were caught like
rats in Il trap. 1 can't tell you any more
about it,
A Survivors, Story.
The man afterward became somewhat
calmer, and said: "All | know is that |
heard a terrible crash and it was fol-
lowed by an awful sound of rushing
water and escaping steam. 1t was
very dark down below where I was, but
somehow | managed to push my way on
deck. The ship resounded with heart
rending cries from all quarters, although
the officers seemed to be doing all they
could to calm the people. | saw n lot of
sailors make a rush for n boat and l
Joined in with them. Somehow the boat
was lowered and [ managed to scramble
into it. although it seemed to me as if
about a hundred people were trying to
do no Np of
them away for it was utterly impossi-
BILE to load the boat any more and we
could see that the Elbe was doomed.
She was rolling terribly and settling
seemed to threaten turning her over en-
tirely.
Swan After the Life Boat.
Somehow or other we got away, and
number of people were drowned as they
jumped into the sea and swan after us.
OF course we could not put back for any
body. or we should have been pulled
struggling in the water. Some time later,
| can't say now long, for | was too hor-
rified to think, the Elbe gave q fearful
lurch sideways and sank with bursting
sound. It seemed to me as if something
blew up on board of her as she went
down. [ don't know what became of the
vessel that ran into us. L saw light
somewhere in the distance and supposed
it was her; but [ can't say anything for
certain. / had a brother on board who
was from Germany, like myself: We
were on our way to the United States,
where we have relatives. / don't know
how many people were drowned, but L
should think that at least 300 persons
went down in that terrible ship.
Third Boat Overcrowded.
'There was another boat lowered at
about the same time that we got away,
but it sunk soon afterwards. L think 1T
was SO crowded with people that it could
not float. The chief engineer who had
charge of our boat is very nice man
and he did all he could for us, while we
drifted about He says that he is GER
tain that third boat was lowered from
the Elbe and he believes she will surely
be able to reach the coast of Holland in
safety. He wanted the English fishing
smacks to take us to the German coast,
but the fishermen insisted upon bringing
us here"
Only 10 Saved Out of 400.
A still later dispatch received here from
Lowestoft at 1870 p. m. seems to indi-
cate that the disaster is even more serl-
Gus than at first outlined. 1t is now SAID
that there were about 400 people on board
the Elbe, there being 240 passengers and
a crew of 100 besides a number of cattle
men returning to the United States. of
this number 1t is now announced only I'VE
passengers, lue uTSL cuSIueeI. LHe thi1u
officer, four paymasters seven seamen
and two pilots were. landed by the fishing
smacks. The remainder went down al
most Immediately with the steamship.
The Horrible Details.
Lowestoft,. Eng, Jan. 31.-The horri-
BILE details of the loss of the North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Elbe and her
human freight are being discussed S;aeo here
places where the survivors remain al
though regular blizzard is blowing and,
under ordinary circumstances, very few
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 lifeboat supposed to have belonged
to the Elbe has been washed ashore near
Yarmouth In the boat were number
of life belts and oars and it is believed
TO be the boat from which the fishing
smack Wildfower rescued the few per-
sons who escaped from the steamer
after the collision of yesterday morning
No Hope for the Missing.