The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-31
Kurt Kleinschnidt, Of Seattle, One
Of the Dead Passengers.
The Great North Gsrman Lloyd steamsv
IL Cut In Two By Another sssansr
In the Early Morning. While the
Fassensers Are Aslssp--The Night Il
Dark and Heavy sss Il Rannfae-.
The Deemed ship Tiis Innsdi.
atsly and Feu.dsrs--0 snaal ssas
Il Launched ana capsises. bas An
othsr IL Picked Up- Henry n. cassls,
the Hawaiisa Patriot. Oas Of sAs
Oceans Victims.

Iondon, Jan. so.--The North Germau
Lloyd steamer Eihe. Capt. Won Gossssel.
frum Bremen yesterday for New York
via Southampton. has been sunk in a
collision with the British steamer
Crathie. bound from Rotterdam for
Aberdeen. AT the time or sending this
dispatch the exact loss OF life In ur-
known. but report has Il that It was
enormous.
The disaster occurred before daylight
this morning at q point some thirty
miles from The Hook OF Holland. The,
first intimation OF the disaster came
from LoweStoft, Suffolk, one OF tho
chief Engiish fishing ports. Isate this
afternoon O dispatch was received from
that place, saying 1t was reported there
that a transatlantic line steamer had
been sunk In the North SEA. and that
the loss OF life was very great. The
first dispatch said there had bekn $50
persons on the Eslbe and that osaly nipe-
tecn had been saved. the rescued having
been landed at L<owestoft by fishing
sznacks. Later dispatches to the Elk.
change Telegraph Company and tho
OF the steamer. and still later Il waS
learned chat the Crath2e, the stoazner
that sunk the Elbe, had put into MaaS
Luis. Holland. IN damaged condition.
She reported that she had been in coi-
l!sion with an unknown ocean steamer.
Toward evening. over two hours and
a half after the news had reached the
London ofilce OF the Associated Press
and had been cabled to America, tho
agents In this city of the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship Company re-
ceived the following cablo message:
Most deplorable news from I.owestoft.
1t is stated that the Eiba was sunk
through a collision at O'clock this
fnornhng. Bost No. s, with Third
Officer Stollberg. Purser wester. En-
gineer Nsusei and eighteen rsersons
landed at Lowestoft. No further news
so far"
When the news Of the disaster be-
came generally known. through the me-
diums of the tckers OF the Exchange
Telegraph Company. in the clubs and
places or public resort. the excitement
was Intense. Cable dispatches were ak
once forwarded To all the principal
European cities. t;pd soon a fiood Of re-
turn dispatches zero received. asking
for further information. which ut thar
time II was impossible to obtain. Tho
agents here OF the company did every
thing possible to learn ell the facts.
and as soon as any new inforfnation
was received 10 was at once cabled to
the various European capitals. The
dispatches from Germany show that
the news caused the greatest excite
nrert and sorrow. most OF the officers
and crew OF the lost steamer and n
majority OF the passengers being Ger
mans. II was az first hoped the re-
ports OF the disaster had been exag-
rerated. and that most II not all the
passengers and crew had escaped.
either by means OF the ships boats or
by being picked up by passing vessels,
but az time were on II was apparent
that the first reports OF tho sinking
OF the steamer had minimfzed the bor-
rors of the disaster. Many dispatches
were forwarded to Mas Luis 10 tbs
commander OF the Crathie. asking hifm
IL he had rescued any Of the E-be's
passengers. Up to a late hour. hors-
ever no answers were received to these
dispatches, and the belief grew that
the Crafhfe. after tho accident, had
rather sought her own safety than "a
rescue the people OF the doomed Elbe.
From the details now at hand. II il
learned that the Esbe was proceeding
along at her usual rats OF speed and
keeping the ordinary Iookouts. IT waa
dark, but there was no gale. Suddenly
the forward lockout on the Elbe re-
ported 20 the officer On deck that the
lights OF a steamer were close aboard.
over the port bow. Before the courBe
OF the E.lbe could be changed 20 an to
sheer of frorrr the approaching steamer.
the latter strssck her Just about the
engine room. going through her plates
az though they were pastsboard. ana
sticisng f.sT nose almost cosnpietesy
through the hull Of the Esibe. For 3
time tire Craslla held the Elbe nn heP
nose. but then her engines were re-
versed. and she backed os;t OF the
aperture she rad made. As she did -
the water rushed Into the EIhe fn .
torrent. and she began immediately 10
settle The officer I'm charge Of ts1s
ship az once saw she was doomed, ana
gave hurried orders TO clear away the
lifeboats tsr launching. Three of The
boats were cleared and lowered. br,e
one OF Them. shortly after IL got cleae
OF the xtesssntx. capsized. and Il /.
thought all Tire occupants weno
drowned. The first b0ais contained tn
third officer. chief engineer. purssr ana
a few OF fhE 1S-.sscngers. Tfrxe are
the passengers vsso were picked ap by
x-4--