Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-12
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
Continued from First Page.

four feet OF water which threatened every
moment to put out the fires, and as there
was a veritable sea ahead, there was no al
tentative but to return.
A RETREAT NECESSARY.
So the engines were reversed and the trip
back begun, now doubly hazardous because
of the fact that the waters had risen several
inches. Hardly furlong had been covered,
however, when the fires were extingulshed
by the running torrents Of water which now
dashed against the cars with terrific force,
breaking the windows and completely en-
veloping the trains in sheets of spray.
The conductors went from car to car and
shouted themselves hoarse to the effect that
relief trains had been telegraphed for. When
they did come Il took mighty effort to pull
twisted tracks, and it was o'clock in the after
noon before the last train load of weary pas
sengers was pulled slowly into the Camden and
Atlantic depot.
Guests at the Ocean hotels were badly fright
ened. The thought of spending another night
in such close proximity to the waves unnerved
them and as night again approached and the
storm ragged with even greater fury, they made
hasty preparations to leave their hostelries.
There was stampede to the Atlantic avenue
hotels and ere the shades of night had fallen
the Atlantic avenue houses filled to overflow
Ing. The demand for vehicles were so urgent
that as high as S25 was offered for trip not ex-
ceedlng two squares.
APPALLING DESTRUCTION.
With Tuesday mornings flood tide the waves
swept the coast with destructlveness that was
appalling. Whole squares of the boardwalk
were thrown high into the air, the shattered
timbers falling down in shower of inanitesi-
NAL pieces; pavllions, bath houses booths and
other buildings were raised bodily and carried
ruins; on the inner side of the boardwalk large
threestory houses were quickly undermined
and fell into the boiling surf into fragments
and stout bulkheads were shattered and the
heavy timbers cast about as if they were match
sticks.
Ignoring the inlet. the most notable damage
was at the iron pier. Portions of this costly
structure were swept away. The new switch
back which was built recently close to the
pier. was torn to pieces as we're the she'll stores,
booths and boardwalk in the vicinity. In the
intervening space between this point and States
avenue all the photograph galleries and stands
were wiped out The new bath houses and pa
vilions belonging to the United States Hotel
Adams Johnson's hath houses and pavillons,
and the handsome establishment of George w.
Jackson, all of which were reconstructed at
cost of many thousand dollars last spring fell
a ready prey to the waves.
Then followed the elegantly appointed sea-
side baths and sun parlor, one of the most
beautiful and substantial structures on the
beach. 1t stood alone for fully an hour after
the other buildings around it had been demol-
ished and the proprietor, Charles Evens, who
had spent $4,000 in Its erection. entertained
strong hopes of its holding out, but finally it
fell with crash.
THE RUIN COMPLETE.
Starting at Howards pier and reaching down
to the Park baths, the ruin wrought by the
waves is complete. Mrs. Harkins' shell stores
and the fruit stands and booths ad-
joining Smiths cottage baths, the lit
tie Brighton Restaurant, Thomas Bradys
surf baths and pavilions. George T. Bem's
bathlng establishment and pavilion and the
many adjoining stands and booths were all
wrecked beyond recognition. Frem Bems
place. just above Illinois avenue, all the way
down to Chelsea. hardly ten feet of the board
walk remains, and not one of the lighter struc-
lures along that extensive stretch withstood
the attack of the sea.
From Michigan avenue down to Chelsea
there is not beach front property of any de-
scrption left standing, and many buildings as
far as Pacific avenue have been undermined
and wrecked. The Fortesque & Grifiths fly
ing horse pavilion. Bowker's concert garden
hotses, photograph and shooting galleries,
shell stores. booths and stands of every descrip-
tiol, all went down and mingled their debris
in the whirlpool of destruction.
Fire and water both assailed the dozen or
moe buildings on the elevated area below
Te1as avenue, known as Lees Ocean Terrace.
This juts out inte the ocean, but it was con.
sidered safe from the surf. Tuesday mornings
high tide broke through the sea wall and dashed
arSund the buildings in threatening volume.
They had to be vacated.
. 'a FIRE ALSO THERE.
At midnight, when the nervous hotel ests
were endeavoring to get few hoursrest, these
buildings took fire. The buildings were nearly
all burned The occupants of houses in Medi-
terranean, Baltic and Arctic avenues had held
out against the food up to Tuesday morning
Then the high tide which worked such sad
havoc along the ocean front struck their frail
dwellings and stampede began.
In one instance mother and father deserted
their babe in the cradle and on returning later
piled to and fro carrying weeping
women and terrified children from
their houses to high grounds. No
effort was made to save personal property,
30 sudden and unexpected was the rise IN the
food on the meadows. Dozens of houses were
picked up bodily by the waves and thrown
across the railroad tracks or carried blocks
away from their original location. Some of
them were taken far out on the meadow.
The yacht Alert was driven into a house on
the Penrose track and finally stranded on the
Camden and Atlantic Railroad track. From
Pleasantville down to Atlantic City, seven
miles, tHe TdlfrOaU Tracks are almost entlrelY
destroyed. On the West Jersey road sections
Of mile in extent are carried away out of
sight.
THE RAILROAD LOSS.
On the Camden and Atlantic road the water
has encroached from two to five feet, and an
glimpse only can te had of the
tracks. On the Reading road, which has
much higher roadbed than the others, the
water has undermined the tracks for miles.
Late this afternoon the meadows still had the
appearance of raging sea, and threatened
even worse attacks on the three railroad lines.
Late on Tuesday night steamer came ashore
opposite Arkansas avenue. The crew of the
life-saving station hurried along the beach
with their apparatus, but the waves made any
attempt at rescue impossible. The colored
steward jumped overheard and was washed
ashore half dead. His answers were unin-
tellig1ble. Captain Bowen is of the opinion |
that the steamer went to pieces during the |
night and that her crew perished
Fire buckets and water cask were found on |
the beach this morning inscribed with the |
name "Philadoux," and there is but little |
doubt that they belonged to the steamer.