River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-02-07
Tho Collision.

the engine room IN cataract. ne
room filled almost instantly. The en-
grimes were still and the big hulk began
To settle. The passengers We're in bed.
The bitter cold and rough sea had pre-
vented an early rising, and none except
the officers and crew on duty was on
deck when the ship was struck.
Passengers ia a Panic.
The shock and crash reused every
body. The steerage was in panic in
a moment and men, women and chill
dren half dressed or in their night
clothes came crowding up the com
panionways. They had heard the
sound of rushing water as the other
steamer backed off and had felt the
Elbe lurch and settle. They had
grasped the fact that it was then life
or death with them, and almost to a
man had succumbed to their terror.
They clung together in groups, facing
the cold and storm, and cried aloud for
help or prayed or their knees for delv-
erence. The officers and crew We're
calm For few moments they went
among the terror-stricken groups try
ing To- quiet them and encouraging
them to hope that the vessel might be
saved. u was soon apparent, how
ever, that the Elbe was settling
steadily. The officers were convinced
that she was about to founder and
gave orders to lower the boats.
Took tn the Boats.
In short time three boats were got
alongside, but the seas We're breaking
over the steamer with great force, and
the first boat was swamped before any
body could get into it. The other two
boats. lowered at about the same time,
were filed quickly with members of
the crew and some passengers, but the
number was small, as the boats held
only twenty persons each.
Experience of the Survivors.
The boat carrying the twenty-five
persons who were landed at Lowestoft
put off in such haste from the sinking
steamer that nobody in it noticed what
became of the other boats. The sur
vivors believe however,, that they got
away safely. They say that they
tossed about in the heavy seas for
Several hours before they sighted the
Wildflower. 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 state of col
lapse and had to be carried and
dragged from one boat TO the other.
Miss Anna Buecker, the only woman
in the party, was Frustrated as soon as
they got clear of the .Elbe. She lay in
the bottom of the boat for i've hours,
with the seas breaking over her and
the water that had been shipped half
covering her body. Although her
her physical strength was gone,
she showed true pluck, however,
and did not utter a word of
complaint and repeatedly urged her
companions not 10 mind her, but to
| look after themselves. Hoffmans leg
was hurt severely while he was chang
ing boats. The survivors cannot say
| too much in praise of the Wildhower's
crew, who gave them every possible at
tention.
Americans Aboard,
Among the passengers on board the
Inflated Elbe and who are supposed to
be lost were the following Americans,
Mrs Anton Fischer, Washington. d. G;
John b. Vinche. st. Charles, Mo-; Mrs. NJ. c.
Connors, South Dakota Messrs. Wix. Schnell,
Dueren. Ernst and Hearen. all of New York
city; Jacob Frank Buffalo, n y. Mrs. Sophia
Rhodes and son Eugene. Washington. d c.:
Mrs Louise Kuhn, New York city; Mrs. Anna
Hoffman and son Henry, Grand Island Neb.;
Messrs. Lockhart and Islaub, New York city;
Ernst Maseberg. Louisiana; Kurt Klein
schmidt, Helena Mont: John Garlicher
Winona, Mimi
No Hope.
The tug Dispatch returned to Loves
asa l,ar ,~,cnAaIa1 ,,,slaa In a,
search for any persons who may have
been fortunate enough to get away
from the Elbe in the missing boat or
by clinging to wreckage. The Dispatch
reports that nothing whatever was
seen of either boats or wrecllage. The
storm is now raging more wildly than
ever and it is impossible that any small
boat can have lived in the heavy sea,
or if it should have weathered the gale
that any of its occupants can have sur
vived exposure to the bitter cold until
this time.
Fifteen fishing smack which have
been cruising near the spot where the
Elbe lies, arrived at Lowestoft Thurs
day afternoon. Not one reported see
ing any signs of the wreck or the pas
StDENFS. utlI bdnASH iit last
hope of finding the second life boat.
Statement from the rathie.
The owner, at Aberdeen, of the
steamship Crathie, which ran into and
sank the Elbe, has received a brief
telegram from the captain at Maasluis,
stating that the Crathie's bow was ter
ribly crushed by the impact of the
vessel with the Elbe, and that the
Crathie was in sinking condition
when she reached Maasluis. The cap
tain was below at the time of the col
lision, the mate being in charge of the
vessel. The latter has made a state
ment to the captain that he has
no knowledge whatever as TO
the identity of the vessel with which
the Crathie collided. His own vessel
was so terribly damaged that its con-
dltion called for the undivided atten-
tion of the officers and the entire
crew. all of whom had to bend
their energies to saving their ship and
their own lives
Might Have Been Saved.
Mr.. Carl Hoffman. of Grand Island.
Neb., who is among the saved. refute
this statement by making the assertion,
in addition to his statement already
published, that if the vessel which
came into collision with the Elbe had
stood by the sinking ship a majority of
her passengers might have been saved,
as the Elbe stood perfectly still for
many minutes after the impact. In
fact she remained motionless until the
water which was pouring into her
II
after which all was confusion on board.
Prior to this, however. discipline was
maintained and there could have been
no difficulty in transferring the passen-
gers in an orderly manner.
EIbe's Srew Criticised.
A great deal of adverse comment is
caused by the fact that of the twenty