The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-11-27
Snow and Wind Plays Havoc on
the New England Coast.
GREAT DAMAGE TO SHIPPING.
Immense Amount of Property De-
stroyed, aud Much Loss ON Life
Fcarcd-Barscs snnlt-crcw
OF Firccn Pcrlshes.

adelphia, thus shutting off all Southern
points. The Associated Press Washing
ton citcuit which usually runs from this
city to Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Washington direct, is this morning
made up by way Of Buffalo, Cleveland
and Pittsburgh.
The storm along the coast all the way
from Hatteras has been very violent and
it is feared that many marine disasters
have occurred, although it will be some
DAYS before reports will begin TO come
in, as the storm would drive tho vessels
ashore. The wires to Sandy Hook are
all down, but the last message received
from that place stated that the highest
wind ever experienced by the observer
there was raging.
DISASTROUS ACCIDENTS.
One OF the most disastrous accidents
which has ever occurred to a tow in the
vicinity of New York happened about .
o'clock Sunday morning in the lower
bay. Out OF fleet OF fifteen barges only
three were saved. All the rest went to
the bottom with their heavy cargOes,
which consisted OF coal. On nearly
every barge there were women and
children, and although as yet its not
known that any were it is little short Of
miraculous that anybody on board es-
capped alive. Captain Vedder, Of the
Achannegan, told u reporter thrilling
story of the disaster which belOll them.
ave hadn't been out twenty minutes"
he said, "before / wished we hadn't
come. Several OF the captains of barges
didn't want to go, but Capt. Fagin, ofthe
tug Bordentown, insisted. The wind was
from the northwest ncatlynorth. / was
on the front end OF my barge, which
was in the second tier, and right behind
the Florence Moore. could see the big
seas sweeping over the barges in front OF
me every minute. We seemed to jump
six or eight feet out Of water at every
bound, and every foot We advanced
things got worse. All the women and
the children were down in the cabins
asleep and not dreaming that we were
in any danger. By about | o'clock we
all saw that unless something was done
every boat would go down. Then we
commenced swinging lights and shout
ing at the tops OF our voices to the Bor-
dentown to turn about and run back to
Bergen Point. After a long time she re-
sponded, and things became easier. II
she had continued her course and gone
back to Bergen Point not boat would
have been lost. But just as we were be-
ginning to think we were all right again
the Bordentown suddenly swung her
head back to the old course and made
straight for New York.
an less than no time the Tillie
Hughes in front OF me had ton after ton
OF water dumped on her from the heavy
sea. Finally she plunged her nose right
down into the waves and they
DOVE STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM.
1 knew then that it was scramble
for life. 1 Irushed down into my cabin.
My wife was sound asleep and SO was
nv 0.year.old boy. / had them ont in a
moment and hurried them on deck.
All nv wife was able to put on over her
night clothes was m old wrapper. The
boy had nothing on hut his night
clothes. The first thing saw when |
got on deck with them was the lights
OF tug which was heading straight for
us. 1t was very dark aud the wind
ripped and tore about US so We had to
cling with our eyelashcs to keep from
being drowned. Every minute or so we
got douching from the seas which
we're washing over us. The tug was
soon alongside.
"How got my wife and child aboard
her | hardly know. She was pitching
and jumping eight or ten feet out oil the
water and the barge was not much
steadier. stayed behind to try to save
the barge. ! was afraid of the boats
ahead Of me diving under and pulling
me down with them, so | go an ax and
was scrambling forward to cut the lash
ings to the Florence Moore. At that
moment her stern shot up in the air and
then disappeared beneath the waves.
AS she went down the lashings to my
barge snapped or she would certainly
have dragged me down with her. The
captain and people on the Hughes,
which was the first to go down, had es-
capped to the Moore and when
TIE MOORE WAS swAMPED
they and the Moore's people got to the
Iron Queen. While this was going on
the tug which had rescued my wife and.
child had been going from barge to barge
taking the people of. The women and
children all over the fleet were now
awake and on deck, and their shrleks
and cries seemed all around you as
though hundreds OF people were strug-
Cling in the water in every direction.
The tug was soon covered with half
dressed women and children. This tug
proved to be the Willie, which had
helped to tow the feet from South AM
boy to Bergen Point. Her people had
become uneasy at the violence Of the
gale after we left the point and put out
after US. About the time the first barge
went down the Bordentown whistled
for assistance and her signals were heard
on board the Willie. Had 1t not been
for her the loss OF life would have been
frightiul,
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany succeeded at noon in opening COM
munication with Boston and few wires
were at that time working with Phila-
delphia.
The Associated Press man at quaran-
tine telegraphed as follows at half past
eight this morning:
"Nothing to report this morning. No
arrivals. Wires all down. No vessels
anchored off here except the cruiser Bos-
ton, which still lies in the same position.
Have not been able TO get off TO her yet
as it still blows fresh gale from the
northeast with high confused seq. The
German ship George still remains in the
same position. -Four tugs are now pull
ing on her, and will probably get her of
with the rising tide. The beach along
the Staten Island shores is full Of drift
wood and wreckage."
A Crew Of Fifteen PerIShes.