The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-12-12
A DISASTROUS STORM.
Death and Devastation Along
the Atlantic Coast.
Numerous Lives Lost and Much
Valuable Property Destroyed.

YdludUle lI0pSity O0SoioJ oo'
Never since the ever-memorable blizzard O.
last winter has there been a,storm in the vicin
ity of New York equal in force and de
structiveness to that which began early tn
other morning and ragged along the Atlantl:
coast
The wind was blowing nearly forty mile;
an hour over the sea wall of the Battery al
New York, and hurricane RACED at Sandy
Hook, which had been cut off from teie.
graphic communication. AT Block Island
there was wind velocity of eighty miles,
higher than that during the blizzard, anu at
ten o'clock 4. u. a northeast hurricane was
blowing into Boston at the rate OF s'Aty
miles
The ed-e of the storm swept over the At
lantic States. 1t was circular in form, With
its centre only couDle of hundred miles OH
Sandy Hook and the Signal Service pre-
dicted that it woull blow of to the north
east before tomorrow morning. From allorer
the country come reports Of low temperature
and colder weather. The lowest recorded
was in New York City, where it regis
tered % degrees at ten o'clock At Al
bany, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton it was below the freezing point, ana
everywhere in the eastern territory affected
by the storm there were high winds, mixed
with rain and s.eet. Jacksonville with ~
degrees, showed the Lowest register since the
yellow fever epidemic bryan. and frost IS
looked for there in the immediate future.
The storm ragged with great fury over
Long Island, especially Oh the eastern end.
A large number of telegraph poles were
blown down and telegraphic CON-
mapicaSDn ton T was greatly inserte5ea ea
1,iy,n hr0 0I-n
enbankment at Shinnecock Canal. opening it
through from Peconic Bay to Shinnecock
Bav, and washing out all the roads leading
over the hills. Sag Har5or reported that 9
large number OF fish ng smac&s and small
craft were blown from their anchorage and
driven ashore
At Manhattan Beach tue breakers were
tremendous, the esplanade along the front OF
the Manhattan Beach Company's property,
about seven hundred and fifty feet, was
thrown high in the air and totally destroyed.
Immediately afterward the depot at the west
end of the Marine Railroad was swept out to
sea bodily, and a few minutes later fully
carried away.
Superintendent Mott, of the Manhattan
Beach Company, says that the sea has not
run so high since 1918 The damage will not
fall far short Of $4,000.
At Far Rockaway tremendous seas washed
over Hog island Bar and threatened great
destruction. Bath houses, out buildings, to-
gether with hundreds of feet Of plank walk
have been washed out to sea. Ten thousand
dollars will not cover the damage done.
At Rockaway Beach, Jones Beach and
Fire Island the waves swept away bathing
houses, platforms and other small structures,
and many splal craft were either beached or
carried out to sea.
For twenty miles along the Hudson River
from Yonkers the wind had a clean sweep
and the storm got in its work merrily. The
steamer Saratoga had to put into her dock at
Yonkers, and the James w. Baldwin was
turned back.
The propeller Terrace Garden was blown
from her mooringS and foundered below
Yonkers. Several cauul boats were blown
adrift above Yonllers, but were saved from
foundering.
road trains had to be run ut slow speed to
prevent being blown into the river. At City
Island fleet OF fifty or more vessels was
detained by the furious gale In Westchester
County many trees and outhouses were de-
molished
The storm was most disastrous in its effects
all along the New England coast and terrible
loss of life is reported. The northeast gale
came on so suddenly that it was impossible
for vesse.s to seek shelter. Many total
wrecks have occurred and number OF yes.
BeIS aT0 SLTduuGQ anu SSlJ ptAulJ udiAeiSSus
1t has been much more destructive along
the coast than was the blizzard, and the
damage to telegraph and telephone lines is
almost as great. Wrecks were reported by
almost every fe saving station, and con-
siderable loss of life was reported. But
meager reports were received, as fifty per
cent of the telegraph wires were down.
The storm found Massachusetts Bay dotted
with vessels and swept them from the face of
the ocean like SO much chaff. Many lives
have been los, and more than a score of
vessels are wrecked near the entrance to
Boston Harbor. Such a wholesale destruc-
tion of shipping has not been known in the
memory of old salts. The sea was awful in
its wildness especially along the south shore,
sweep of the gale.
Although the loss of life already reported
is large, it would have been still greater but
for the brave efforts OF Captain Joshua james
and his volunteer life-sa-ing crew OF Hull,
Mass who are credited with saving twenty
eight persons from various disabled vessels.
The fishing schooner Edward Morton,
owned by Stubbs &; Co., wharf, Boston,
went ashore in the gale at Scituate, Mass,
and is total wreck. OF her crew Of sixteen
men all were washed overheard and drowned
save one, a seaman named Allen. of Boston.
When the tide Went down and left the wreck
on the beach Allen was found in an uncon.
the life saving crew and resuScitated.
AS near as he could tell, they struck; be.
tween five aud SIX o'ciock and almost imme-
diatey caps zed. He was down below and
was the only one saved. He says she carried
fifteen men and boy.
The schooner Avalon Milberry from st.
John, New brunswick, for New York. with
q cargo of 9i0,0 .aths, consigned to Scam
nell Brothers, went ashore on Spectacle ISL
and in Boston Haruor. Three OF the crew
were swept overheard in the gale and
drowned. There were probably lU0 vessels
wrecked on Ie New England coast.
The schooner B. +. alker, Westgate, OF
Fall River, from Philadelphia, for Boston,
was wrecked on Toddy Rocks, near Hull,
Mass Her cabin an forward houses have
washel away. Captain Westgate AMI Mate
C.. M Thomas were lost
The Alice, from Boston for Shelburne and
Lockport with general cargo of provisions,
went down near Hull, Mass. The two crews,
Of ten men, lost everything and were III .
desperate condition.
The beach in the neighborhood of Nor
mans Woe. Mass, is strewn with wrecEage,
consisting of lumb.r, laths, barrels, etc.
Only small pieces of the schooner Addie s.
Emery are left Two vessels, sloop and a
coal laden schooner, are reported ashore at
Rockport and gone TO pieces.
Nearly S3uU,N!0 damage has been done
along the New Jer.ey coast. Atlantic City
10 fno3ea -yith a. lor- - over SlUO, 600.