The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-10-25
WRECKS.
The Coast Strewn with Them.
Great Loss of Life and Property.
National Associated Press to the Star.

asters are reported to the Chief Signal Off
GER:
Cape Henry, Va.-American ship A. s
Davis of Searsport, ,399 tons, Captain Johr
H. Forg, went ashore on the 23d inst
miles south of the station. Vessel and cargo
total loss. Crew of 10 men all lost except
Ten bodies washed ashore. The Life-savini
Crew will bury them.
Cape Hatteras-Schooner Altoona, IL
tons, of Boston, went ashore on the night o.
the 23d, during severe storm, and is 6
total loss. The Captain and crew of 7 mer
were saved.
The schooner Magnolia Captain George
Myrtle, wrecked on the 22d inst in Albe
marie Sound, is total wreck. The Captain
was washed overheard and drowned.
Various other vessels are reported
aground, but no other loss of life.
BALTIMORE, Nd, Oct. 25.-The tornado
which swept with such terrific violence ovel
the Chesapeake Wednesday morning carried
with it terrible destruction and loss of life
The full extent will be difficult to estima e.
as The coast is reported strewn with wrecks
from North Point to Cape Henry. The most
disastrous event so far reported is the loss
of the steamer Express Captain Barker, ot
the Potomac Transportation Line, with
nearly all on board. Captain Barker says
the Express left Baltimore at o'clock, on
Tuesday afternoon, with freight and pas
sengers for Washington and other points
on the Potomac River. About O'Clock
the sea began rising and the wind growing
to perfect hurricane, lathed the water to
a seething mass of rushing foam.
The steamer labored heavily, and the
waves broke clear over her upper deck.
About o'clock her works began giving
way, and efforts were made to head her for
the shore, but the storm was so furious that
it was impossible to stand against 1T, and
the rolling of the boat prevented the en-
gines from working fast enough.
Shortly after o'clock there came ter
rifle crash and the joiner works had started
from their stanchiOns The passengers and
crew had hardly time to realize what had
happened before wave tore away the sa
loon deck like so much paper work, and the
following billow sweptit off to sea and witt
il nearly all on board. A moment after the
upper deck had been carried away the hull
rolled over and sunk bottom upwards.
Those of the passengers and crew that could
reached the portions of the wreck and clung
to them, but the heavy sea washed them of
again, and at the breaking of dawn only
eight persons could be seen.
The Express had crew of twenty-one,
all old, and as far as known, eight passen.
gers Captain Barker, James Douglass,
wheelman, Quartermaster Douglass and a
coored passenger are the only persons
known to have been saved.
A S Gamer, the name could not be ascer-
tanned. was noticed ashore off Hooper's
Island.
A bark is ashore off Point No Point.
A foretop-mast schooner is sunk off Hog
Island, near the mouth of the PatuXent
River
A large schooner is ashore against the
banks al the mouth of Patuxent River.
An unknown pungy is aground at Pungy
Harbor; another is ashore below Plum
Point, and another at the steps above the
same port.
Nineleen oyster vessels were by teles-
cope, counted aground in Lang ier Sound
Cap ain Parks, who has commanded YES
sells of every class during the last twenty
eight years, said he had read and heard
much about cyclones, but no language can
describe its terrors on the water.
Many lives were lost especially among
the dredgers in the oyster beds.
A report was circulated extensively in
shipping circles yesterday morning that the
steam tug Virginia was lost, but nothing
definite is known concerning her.
A schooner is ashore at Sandy Point, full
of water.
The steamer Matilda due here early yes
terday morning, has not been heard of.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct 25.-Further returns
from the result of the great storm Wednes-
day show that the banks of the Delaware
below this city are lined with the wreck of
small crafts, some forty oyster schooners
being reported beached. Capt. George Fow-
ler, of the tugboat Bolton, was drowned by
the wrecking of his boat off Reedy Island
John g. Hards, aged lwenty-six years, was
drowned off New Castle by The capsizing of
his boat. League Island, the new naval sta
ton, is almost completely submerged. The
slip-house, which had been removed from
the old navy yard was washed away, not a
stick being left standing. The loss, esti-
mated by the authorities, reaches about
$40 900.
A Wonderful Island.
WASHINGTON Oct. 25.-Advices from the
u. s. Consul at Singapore give particulars
of the wreck of the Mabel Clark on the
Island of Tristan De Acunha, and some Pc
cularites of the island.
During their stay on the island, the
ships carpenter, Nat. Sidelings, who had
spent some years in the mines of California,
prospected around and reports some curl
Gus observations. The first thing that at
tracted his attention was the Floating
stones" which are to be seen in great num-
bers everywhere on the coast, some very
large.
They have the color of wrought iron after
coming out of the fire-blueish, red and
dark purple-formed like sponge and un-
doubtedly are of volcanic origin Many
seamen, especially those drowned, were Sc
verely cut and bruised by these floating
stones
The most remarkable thing in connection
with these stories is that when washed or
carried into the sea by strong winds or un-
der currents they always return and hug
the shore, drawn back and held by some
powerful attractions.
From all the circumstances Mr.. Sidelings
was of the opinion that this iron island affect
ed the compasses of vessels approaching it,
and that to this fact might be attributed the
loss of the Mabel CLARK, as well as other
ahinR