The Morning herald., 1876-09-22
TEMPEST TOSSED.

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The Rsrssoss Teya0e of the Falcon on
Sssday- Riding Sea Lashsd tssse .
Foam Of EHry-Loss Of tho Vessel ssslg
Cargo.
from the Smyrna 11mes.J
The greatest loss to the citizens Of our
town, however, was caused by the wreck Of
the steamer Falcon, at the mouth of the
Smyrna Creek, about Q o'clock Sunday AZ
ternoon. She was due at Rothwell's st s
that morning, but owing to the darkness
and wind on Saturday night she put into the
Christiana. About O'Clock the next morn
ing she steamed down the bay, on the Jer-
sey side, where she was protected from the
wind and had q comparatively smooth pas
sage. She left the Jersey side to come
across, about 1880, and by the time she had
made two-thirds the distance the gale struck
her, while she was broadside to the wind,
which rendered her entirely unmsnagesble.
At once her situation was critical. The sea
was washing over her at every swell, and
such sea was never witnessed before. The
water was lashed into q white foam and
made the bay look more like banks of snow
drift than the angry element 1t really WAS.
The steamer was loaded down almost to her
very guaods with one of the heaviest freights
she ever carried, and her passenger list
numbered twenty-six souls, many of them
women and children of our town who had
made up an excursion party and taken this
route to the Centennial.
Finally the boat struck the fats of the
creek and as she did so, the sea broke
through her middle deck, carrying boxes,
barrels and packages with the resistless
current. In moment, almost, her freight
was swept off and she lighted up, when she
drifted 10 the shore on the New Castle side
of the creek. During all this terrible
period, the passengers, though uneasy,
showed no signs OF panic. They were al
in the upper cabin, above the deck where
the sea was creating such havoc with the
freight. In the meantime, The flag of dis
tress was run up, and immediately the
crews of the oyster vessels lying In the
mouth of the creek pnt out to the relief Of
the toundering craft L. was brave thing.
They succeeded III reaching the sinking
steamer and first rescued the women and
children, whom they brought safely to land.
This was about 3 In the afternoon. The
passengers, for the most part, owe their
lives to these daring men. Soon after this
the steamer was blown over to the New
Castle shore, as above stated, where she is
now stranded wreck. But not life was
lost. Her freight, said to be worth from
81, 900 to $4,000, was washed ashore all
along the marsh from the creek to Collins
Beach, three miles. A number of
our citizens have lost heavily. The
heaviest losers are 8. L. Kahn,
clothing, J. E. Tygert & Co., phos-
phate material, 8. J. Tolson and E. H.
Beck, dry goods, ]. P. Hofecker, drugs,
Nathaniel Severson, household goods, &c.
Mr.. Kahn's loss is estimated at 81, 500. His
entire stock of Fall clothing was on the
boat. The boxes containing Ut were burst
open by the force of the waves, and coats,
shore.
Large quantities of goods were stolen, 1t
Is said, and goodly number here censured
Captain Hallengel of the Falcon, for leav-
ing the exposed goods on Monday morning
to the mercy of the pirates, while he cape
to this town to sue out protest against
being held for damages. There is also .
disposition to fault him for undertaking the
trio, under the circumstances.
It is reported that the passengers remon-
strated, but several of them tell us that such
was not the case; that there was nothing to
excite alarm until the wind struck her
broadsides. Then 1t was too late to remon-
strate. The women and children were
taken to Mr.. Benson's (the lighthouse) aud
Mr.. Logan's, where they were cared for un-
til Monday morning. They were thorough
ly drenched to the skin.
Tygart & Co. will loose, they think,
about 81, 200. Many goods have been saved,
some of them in fair condition and some
badly damaged. 1t is impossible to esti-
mate the loss, in many cases.