New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-14
WREcKITG.
This .itls in eldsn times WA Synonymous with
rspiss and pIundeY and % dors. even row b'isgsup

the necks Of hobb.ed horees, or tied 70 cows horns
to initiate vsssels riding at anchor. 10 those
who are informed. however, It nov recss only we'll
regulated organizations, headed by some of tue moet
noted Presidents Of Insurance Companies, and other
gentlemen Of Wall and State streets. Believing tina.
il will interest as well instruct, we have herewith
tketched the progress Of this branch Of business,
which employ, many tbousapds Of dollars in capita
and many hundreds Of individuals at all times.
the resder viii take any chart good map Of the
coast he VIII that the shores Of Long Island and
New.Jersey form the northern and western aides Of
square, end ct the meeting point thsreofs found the
entrance TO New. York Bay. Whenever nortb.sast-
.srJ wind blows. and our ssysrest gales come no"
that quarter il the rnlucky Hariner be caught within
tire space of this snge In beating in he is forced 70
stand directly upon eitker Of these shores. few
rods f1ther In than caytiop dictates and his case
hope,ess; the current which with unusual force
toward The land ses hin drifting in, and in few mo-
nents more his vessel strikes the bottom, and with
each succeeding lie wsshed higher and higher on
the beach until finally, after the storm has suosded
it is very common thing 70 walk dryshod aboard
from the shore. II now becomes the task OF the
wrecker 70 e1tricate the vessel and her cargo.
Anything ike systematic course Of wrecking was
entirely unknown IS years ago. At that time the
"Bsrnegst Pirates," and many other bordes OF dee
perste aracters held their sway at all times, and
nearly all places on our sea coast. The late William
Neison was then President of the American Insurance
Company and was considered the head of the Marine
Insurance interest Of this city, The old Atlantic In
surance Company, uIdsr the regime OF the late
Walter r. Jones, and Josiah l.. Hale, was just shoot
ing ahead and beginning to rival the American No
fuch association as the Board Of Underwriters then
"a ID atuso Dl1p of preceei-
iDgs we're ever employed. A single cable of about
eight inches in circumference had been manufactured
by Nichol g. Aymar ship chambers, and when ves-
eel was reported ashore which was generally num-
Der of days after such occurrence, grand nego-
tiaton eneued 10 hire this wonderful cable. 10 the
great majority OF instances however, the vesse!
proved hopeless wreck, and, after getting out all
the cargo they could, by the aid Of men from the
beach, the hulk was stripped of everything
valuable, and the remnant left on the shore, me
mortal Of one of old Neptunes sprees, until the sands
Of the beach gradually hid il from the sight.
At that period the only men in New-York known as
"WIeckers," and by that term is embodied the
knowledge and art of saving vessel and cargo which
is ashore, were Capt. Henry Schenck and Capt.
John H. Brown. The former was master Of small
schooner called the Walter K Jones the latter acting
as satellite TO him another small vessel called the
North American. These two men were always dis
patched TO the wreck and if they reported favorably
of the situation of the vessel, "the Cable, was OBJ
tanned and away they went. Their battles then be-
gan, as the wreck was always found surrounded by
land pirates, who were not easily driven from their
prey. Through their agency large proportion OF
the valuabes invariably went to the houses
on the beach and main adjoining. These scenes
became so frequent and the beachmen became
so rapacio1s that in the neghborhood OF
Barnegat they formed gangs and resorted to
every possible expedept, first to entice the vessel
Ashore and then to plumber all the cargo they could
10y their bands upon. The title Of Pirates" might
well be applied to them, and underwriters and mer-
chants began TO feel that must be taken to
root them out. II was for Captains Schenck and
Brown to carry this into effect, and they began by
getting out search-wsants and searching the houses
on the beach, at fret limiting themselves to sezing
upon the goods and warning the guilty parties-even
this was not Effected without many desperate en-
counters, which finally compelled them to arrest the
vilest characters of whom was the Justice OF the
Peace himself, and by the greatest pertnacrty they
succeeded in getting some convictions, which az last
had the effect of breaking up the combinations, and
driving oG many to more isolated localities where
they could pursue their avocations without molesta'
tor Great credit was due TO these two men, and
their reputation and position became firmly estab'
lished with the underwriters. 10 1885, at the wreck
Of the ship Mexico, where great many lives were
lost, through the failure of the Pilots to
put off when signaled at the Hook, Capt.
Schenck was struck by derrick giving way
above his head and was killed. Capt. Brown
still lives hale, hearty man, residing on Squan
Beach, and acting resident agent for the present
Board Of Underwriters for that locality.
From this period until about 1912 affairs remained
about the same the cables gradually increasing in
number, however. In 10 the first attempt to employ
steam wac made, and Capt. Phineas Bennett, man of
great ingenuity and mechanical genius notified the
Insurance Companies that he had in working condi-
ton steam pump, by the aid Of which he deemed
that wreckirg would be materially facilitated.
The wreck of the packet chip Louis Philippe,
at Eas: Hampton l.. L. afforded foe opportunity
for tiial, and Bepnet's pump was employed Improved
completely successful, and the ship was pumped out
and saved. OF course, Ike all new applications OF
steam il was in crude form-a single cylinder, with
large wooden piston. The vacuum was produced
by injecting steam which forced the piston down when
cold water was injected and the steam condensed and
the vacuum being thus created, the water was drawn
into the cylinder and hoated up the piston steam
being again injected the piston drove out the water
through side escape. Compared, however, with
manual labor the result wss immensely in its favor,
and henceforward the steam pump was to be neces-
sary feature in wrecking. 1t was at that time the
custom Of the various companies to send their repec
tive inspectors to the wreck to look after their inter-
SITS, Who being invariably shpmasters had each his
own view Is TO the course to Be pursued and the
sult was ooS,susiop, and generally a row. AT the
Iopis Philippe this was so much the tia, SONS