The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-09
FROM A SINKING SHIP
THRILLING STORY OF A DARING
RESCUE UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
Crew Of the Steamer Ella and Family
of the Captain Thrown Into the Sea
and Picked Up by Sailors.

NEW YORK, Jan. S.-The British steam
er Georgian, which arrived this morning
from London, rescued at sea on Jan. o.
Captain Stango and crew of thirty men.
also the captains wife, two children and
nurse of the German steamer Ella, which
foundered at sea the same date while on
the voyage from Perthamboy for Hall
fax.
The Georgian sighted the Ella at p.
m. on Jan. 5, in latitude Abs. longitude
54.03. the German steamer being water
logged and with a heavy list TO the star
board. The sea was too rough to permit
of the removal of those on board the Ella
until the following morning. when the
Georgian's lifeboat was launched and sent
to the assistance of the disabled steamer
ana brought off all on board her. three
dangerous trips being made Captain
STANCES children were transferred to the
Georgian's lifeboat, securely strapped to
the backs or sailors, VINO then sprans INTO
the sea to be picked uD by the rescuers.
All hands were almost completely ex-
hausted on reaching the Georgians deck.
Captain STANCE, who was thrown down by
heavy sea on the bridge of the Ella,
was severely injured about the head. At
IL a. m. of the 9Th, all hands being safely
transferred, the Georgian proceeded on
her course. AT this time the Ella was
fore noon was seen to sink. bow first.
I'VE had given up hope, said one OF
the rescued, but the chief officer would
have none of that. He brought his little
boat up as near the Elias quarter as he
dared and shouted to us to throw rope
The lads obeyed, the boats crew rowing
hard all the while to keep their cookie
shell away from what We thought was
their doom. The rope connecting with
the lifeboat crew looked like a thread in a
tempest, but the chief officer stood up in the
stern of the tossing little boat and sung
out to tie the women uD and jump en-
The nerve of the man and his idea hit us
right and took heart and gave him a
cheer. But the miSSuS captains wife)
would have none of 1t, and told us to try
ii first. So the boys jumped the COOK In
a jiffy and the chief officer on his end of
the line hauled him into the lifeboat. The
struggles of the cook set us laughing
though the watch reported at the same
moment that the ship was settling fast
Death was rubbing us close. Little Eddie,
the captains son, crowed and cooed and
shook his small fists in glee. He did not
know our danger, but we that did laughed
with him. 1 don't know. but it was the
relaxation after the suffering We had un-
dergone.
1--WE filled the lifeboat with the crew
until the chief officer waved his hand and
started for his ship about a mile away.
II was hard pull and we thought more
than once that We were gone. But the
boat came back for the second load. This
4
They were so hysterical that she would not
jump and we were forced to throw her in
the The children we dashed to the
backs of two men. John Alexander, Sec
ond steward, took the girl, six years DID,
and a German sailor, Peterson, took the
boy. Little Eddie laughed and shouted as
he struck the water and was chirping
when they pulled him into the boat. Annie
the sister, was laughing, too, but the nurse
had swallowed more salt water than was
good for her.
Twice the lifeboat was thrown up un-
der the ships counter and some of the men
were hurt, but she got away safely, made
her second trip all right and came back
for the rest of us. 1t was a hard job
handling the captain. He was so heavy
and sick and sore, that he was helpless,
but we lowered him into the and then
hauled him into the boat. The last boat
got away from the wreck at :15, and
before we reached the Georgian's side the
Ella went down, bow first. The boats
crew who had rescued us were badly
played out, but the chief officer patted
them on their backs and said that they
were the right sort"
The Ella sailed from Perthamboy on
Dec. go under charter Of the Munson line,
with 1000 tons of coal for Halifax NJ S.
The Ella was a steel vessel, built at New
castle, Eng, in 1885, and was formerly
named Abydos. She registered 2117 tons
gross, and LAO tons net. Her hailing port
was Apenrad, Germany, where she was
owned by M. Jobson. She had been for
some time under charter to the Munson
line in the fruit trade with the West In
dies