The record-union., 1895-01-31
snecIaI TO the REcoRD-UNIox.

EneciaI to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
LONDON, Jan. 30.-TThe North German
Lloyd steamship Elbe, Captain Won
Dossot, from Bremen yesterday for New
York via Outhampton, has been sunk
in CO... ion with the British steamship
Crathie, hound from Rotterdam for a ber-
deem. At The time of sending this dis
patch the exact loss of life is unknown.
but report has it that it was enormous.
The disaster occurred before daylight
this morning at a point some thirty miles
from the Hook of Holland.
The first intimation of the disaster came
from Lowestoft, Suffolk, one OF the chief
English fishing ports. Late this after
noon dispatch was received here from
that place saying it was reported there
that a transatlantic line steamship had
been sunk in the North Sea, and that the
loss Of life was very great. The first dis
patches stated there had been $50 persons
on the Elbe, and that only nineteen had
been saved, the rescued having been
landed at Lowestoft by fishing smacks
Later dispatches to the Exchange Tele-
graph Company and the LIoyds con-
1Irmed the report of the loss OF the steam
ship, and still later it was learned that the
-Crathie, the steamship that sunk the
Elbe, had put into Mas LUIS, Hol-
land, in a damaged condition. She re-
ported that she had been in collision with
an unknown ocean steamer.
Toward evening, over two hours and
half after the news had reached the Lon
don Office of the Associated Press and
had been cabled to America, the agents in
y
Steamship Company received the follow
ing cable message:
Most deplorable news from Lowestoft.
1t is stated that the EIbe sunk through
collision at o'clock this morning. Boat
No. s. with Third Officer Stollberg, Purser
Wester, Engineer Neuseu and nineteen
persons, landed at Lowestott. No further
news so far"
When the news Of the disaster became
generally known through the medium of
the tckerS OF the Exchange Telegraph
Company IN the clubs and places OF public
resort, the excitement was intense. Cable
dispatches were at once forwarded to all
the principal European cities. and soon a
flood OF return dispatches asking for fur
ther information, which, at that time, it
was impossible TO obtain.
The agents of the company did eyerv-
thing possible to learn all the facts, and
as soon as any new information was re-
ceived 1t was at once cabIed to the vari-
Gus European Capitals.
The dispatches from Germany show
that the news caused the greatest excite-
ment and sorrow, most all the officers
and crew of the lost steamer and a ma
jority of the passengers being Germans.
1t was at first hoped the reports of the
disaster had been exaggerated and that
most, If not all, of the passengers and
crew had escaped either by means OF the
ships boats or by being picked up by
passing vessels. But as time wore on il
was apparent that the first reports of the
sinking OF the steamship had not mini
mized the horrors OF the disaster Many
dispatches were forwarded to Mas Imis
10 the commander of the Crathie asking
him if he had rescued any of the EIpe's
passengers. Up to a late hour, however,
no answers were received to these dis
patches, and the belief grew that the
Crathie after the accident had rather
sought her own safety tnan TO rescue the
people on the doomed Elbe
THE VESSEL CUT ALMOST IN TWO.
From the details now at hand, it is
learned that the Elbe was proceeding
along at her usual rate of speed, and
keeping the ordinary lookouts. 1t was
dark, but there was no gale. Suddenly
the forward lookout on the EIbe reported
10 the officer on deck that the lights of
steamer were close aboard over the port
bow. Before the course Of the Elbe
could be changed so as TO sheer Off from
the approaching steamship the latter
struck her just about the engine room,
going through her plates as though they
were pasteboard, and sticking her nose
almost completely through the hull of the
Elbe.
For time the Crathie held the Elbe on
nsr nose, but then her engines were re-