266 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



she was seen and seized and hauled into the boat and 

 left, almost senseless, in the freezing water in the 

 bottom. She saw the liner, which was burning lights 

 and firing rockets, sink stern first, and then almost 

 abandoned hope, for it seemed as if the boat could not 

 live in such weather and that no help could come. Yet 

 one or two sail were seen. 



The survivors were too far off to notice signals of 

 distress ; then a lonely smack was seen, and the little 

 craft, almost simultaneously, saw the boat upon the 

 water. 



The vessel was the trawler Wild/lower. She had 

 her gear down, for the weather had fined enough to 

 enable the trawl to be shot. Instantly the hard work of 

 getting up the gear began ; it went on for half an 

 hour, then the smack bore down, and by strong North 

 Sea hands which were stretched over her bulwarks the 

 survivors were plucked up one by one and taken on 

 board. The boat, badly damaged, was sent adrift, and 

 the smack headed for Lowestoft, forty miles away. 



The rescued people were crowded into her little 

 stifling cabin, and had food and drink but so great was 

 the call on the smack's stores that when she reached 

 port, the first to take the tidings of the disaster, there 

 was not so much as a biscuit left. The last of them was 

 given to and eaten by Miss Bocker. The Wildflower 

 reached Lowestoft about twelve hours after the Elbe 

 foundered. The boat was cast ashore at Walton-on-the- 

 Naze. The whole of the Elbes people, with the excep- 

 tion of the rescued score, were lost. Miss Bocker was 

 bidden to Osborne to tell the story to Queen Victoria 

 and the Empress Frederick. The disaster made a deep 



