A FEARFUL CATASTROPHE

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 182, 1 February 1895, Page 2

A FEARFUL CATASTROPHE

ONE STEAMER RUNS DOWN ANOTHER. THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY PEOPLE DROWNED. HEARTRENDING DETAILS. (PEE FSKS9 ASSOCIATION). Berlin. January 30 A steamer (name at present unknown) collided with and sank the German Lloyd Company s steamer Elbe in the North Sea, three hundred and fifty of her passengers and crew being drowned. The Elbe was bound from Bremen to New York. She was struck amidships with terrific force at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, and sank almost immediately. The passengers, who were chiefly Germans, numbered 240, and the crew 150. Twenty survivors, including the pilot, reached Lowestoft in a fishing smack. The fearful catastrophe has caused great consternation in Germany. London, January 31. Three hundred and eighty persons were drowned by the loss of the Elbe. The collision took place about fifty miles from Lowestoffe. A heavy sea was running and the morning was thick. The look-out saw the unknown steamer approach, and a rocket was sent up to warn her, but she took no notice and kept on her course, and the collision followed with an awful crash. An enormous hole was torn in the doomed ship abaft the engines. The engine-room filled in an instant, putting the fires out. The passengers rushed on deck .undressed, and women shrieked wildly and clung to the davits. The officers were unable to control the panic-stricken people, but managed to launch two boats. It was only with difficulty that even this could be done, as the ropes were frozen and could not be unfastened. The men were terror-stricken and, without regard to any sort of discipline, stole one another's lifebelts and fought for places in the boats. Later. The Ebbe sank in 20 minutes. The captain remained on the bridge issuing orders to the last. One boat which was got into the water was swamped, and all the occupants were drowned except one lady, who was dragged into another boat, The officers found it impossible to avert the panic. The women and children were ordered to leave their protectors and go to the starboard side of the vesesl but before they were able to reach the boats the Elbe 6ank stern first. One boat with 20 occupants was picked up and carried to Lowestoft, Those in this boat had a terrible experience, and for five hours were almost frozen, owing to the severe weather. No first-class passengers were saved, and only five of the second, the remainder being officers and crew. It i 3 feared that the second boat has been swamped and all on board drowned. The captain and chief officer of the Elbe were drowned. It is reported that the collision was caused by the steamer Craithic, of Aber* deen, which was not afterwards seen by those on board the Ebbe, and rendered no assistance whatever. She has since returned to Rotterdam with her -stem badly injured.