Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1895 — THE LOST ELBE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE LOST ELBE.

Graphic and Pathetic Story of a How a Few Ont of the Hundreds on ” Board Escaped a Watery —- • Grave. Columns of the most horrifying details of the sinking of the great North German Lloyd steamer Elbe, which occurred off the coast of Holland, Jan. 30, were published by the daily press?” All accounts agree that this was one of the greatest marine disasters of the century. From the mass of sorrowful information we glean only the story of one of the survivors. Mr. Karl Hoffman, one of the cabin passengers of the Elbe who was rescued from the life-boat, belongs to Grand Island, Neb. He says that had the vessel which collided with the Elbe stood by the latter steamer the majority of the passengers and crew might have been saved, for, he says, the Elbe remained perfectly steady for many minutes after the collision before the volume of water joured into her and caused her to urch. Then all became confusion. Mr. Hoffman, speaking of the disaster said:

“Those who were drowned suffered ess than we who are saved.” Sobs shook the strong frame of this man as he made the statement, fie is a German-American, about thirty-five years of age, of the type .’ominon in the western nart of the United States. tHis face was seamed (vitji tears, which had wet his sleepless pillow all night. Continuing, Mr. Hoffman said: “There was no ;onfusion among the passengers. They behaved well, and the only contusion was with the who tried to save themselves. It seems strange, sir, -to see so few passengers here. Out of the small number saved, there are fifteen members of the crew. But many more might have been saved. Oh! my God my wife, my boy! Both are dead ard I lan’tgo to their graves!” Here the unfortunate man bbrst into tears. After $ few minutes he continued: “Yes, many of the passengershad life-belts, but they were useless. The noise of the collision sounded no louder in my stateroom than the single beat of a big drum. But, when I rushed on deck, I found the passengers crowding about the boats, and the crew running here and there, and cutting the ropes about the tackles with which they are lowered. They were too proud on that ship, painting ropes which should have been toiled, then they would have been limber. I saw no other vessel and no other light except the Elbe's lights. “When I entered the boat they took my boy from me. Oh, God! my seven-year-old darling. Sir, had 1 known it was not the captain who ordered the women and children to the starboard side of the ship, they would have never taken them from me. But, you see, been ft'military man and lobeyed orders." “Where did you serve, Mr, Hoffman?” “In the Fifteenth Prussian Uhlarns, for three years.” “Were you married in Germany?” “No; in America. My wife was only twenty-seven years old. Oh, God! she was a good woman, sir. She was born in Nebraska, of German parents. Her mother is now at Grand Island. It was all so sudden. We had all been so s happy the night before. There was a young fellow from Berlin, who was going to Mobile, Ala., in order to buy cottonseed oil. He was comical—sang songs and told funny stories in the saloon.

“When the boat got away, withfa great deal of troubla, the Elbe being right on top of us at first, we had hardly got a hundred yards from the ship when I saw a woman floating in the water, I tried to throw something to her, but somebody that, sir. Finally they got the boat tip to her, and, with the help of another man, 1 drew her into the boat, which was an ordinary ship's boat, about fifteen feet long. I afterward found out that her name was Anna Boecker. Poor girl! She was almost dead with' fright and cold. We put her in the bottom of the boat, and did all we could to help her. We ware al I wet from the water which was pouring in at our collars and descending into our boots. We first tried to row, but we found we made no headway, and therefore rigged up a sort of mast and with a Small sail tried to keep the bow of the boat to the wind. After awhile we saw a smack and did all we could to signal to her, although we failed to attract her attention. We had cut a piece of 'canvas and made a small flag, which we used in signalling, and soon after we had failed to let the smack know of our distress this flag blew away and the smack sailed Qff, causing us to despair.” Here a fresh paroxysm of grief

overtook the unhappy man, and a he bewailed the loss of his wife and child his utterances were almo* choked with grief. Some minutes elapsed before Mr. Hoffman was able to resume his story, and then he said: “We made a new Hag with our handkerchiefs and an undershirt which somebody pulled off. I held them up against the mast, and we eventually sighted the Wild Flower. But a full, long, terrible hour passed before we were taken aboard. She had her nets out and it was difficult to approach her on account of the heavy seas. After five of the persons in our boat had been transferred to the smack, the life boat seemed to slide back into the water, and it appeared as if the others must be lost. But a rope was thrown to us and we were gradually hauled up and all of us were transferred to the Wild Flower. “When I reached her deck I fell down exhausted, and offered up a prayer to God for my dead darlings and thanked Him for having saved me.

“Oh, sir, they were so kind to us on that smack, although they were only fishermen. They soon had some hot tea ready, and covered us up with everythin)/ warm they could lay hands upon. Why, one of these poor fishermen actually gave me the only shirt he had, and I have it on now. As for poor Miss Boecker, I have tended her as a mother might have done." Mr. Hoffman concluded with asking whether anything had been heard of the other boat, his eves shooting a piteous, appealing glance at the reporter, and the poor man sank back upon his pillow, exclaiming: “Oh, Jor some telegrams. But she is dead. And so is my darling boy, and I can not go to their graves.” ]. As far as can be ascertained, 374 of the passengers and crew of the Elbe are missing. A stronsz northeastgale blew tbrtoughout the night, accompanied by a severe frost, but this did hot deter the coast guards and custom officers from keeping up an active watch all night long for signs of other survivors of the Elbe. Although it is generally believed that the Elbe sank almost immediately after the collision, some of the survivors assert that they did not see her go down, and they express the hope that she may still be afloat.

WENT DOWN WITH HIS SHIP. Capt. Kurt Von Goessel, Commander of the Lost Elbe.