Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-09-13
THE ATLANTIC BLOW.
Numerous Wrecks off Della
ware Breakwater.
SCORES OF SEAMEN PERISH
Disasters All Along the C0ast-Wind
and Tide Continue the Work
of Destruction.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HEEALD.l
LEwEs, DEL, September 12.-No Ian.
guage can picture the terrible scene
along the coast. The wind is blowing
almost hurricane, driving the rain with
force that cuts like hail. Half mile
of the beach of sand between the town
and coast is tossing ocean, bearing
wreckage on every wave. Through the
mist Of the spray storm-tattered sails and
naked masts of a score of deserted, dis
mantled vessels are dimly seen. Since
Monday night the storm has ragged with
out abatament. Yesterdays dawn showed
q hundred vessels which had sought
the refuge of the breakwater. The refuge
was insufficient. By II O'Clock the sea
broke over the breakwater, wrecked
the telegraph station and carrying away
the big fog bell, rushed forward, sweep
ing away the steamboat piers. The
piers of Brown & Co. and Luce Brothers
gave way and were swept to the sea.
The United States Marine Hospital was
dashed from it's moorings and sent spin
ming down the beach. The Lewes Life
Saving Station, forty feet above the high
water mark, was flooded and the founda-
ton damaged. Hugheyville, a suburb be.
tween the town and beach, is submerged
and its 200 inhabitants fled for life,
leaving all their possessions behind. The
first boat came ashore at 8 a. M, then
came another and another. The life
saving crew, reinforced by the Henlopen
and Rohoboth crews, went to work and
have labored almost increasingly ever
since. The crew of every vessel that
struck was taken off by these daring
men and not one life was lost among the
scores Of men they handled.
TWENTY. SEVEN VESSELS ASHORE.
In all, twenty.aeven vessels came
ashore here. A vessel sank off Grown
shoals. All the crew were drowned but
two, who came ashore on a raft. Another
vessel sank on Shears shoals. 1t is not
known whether the crew escaped. The
total number of lives lost will probably
exceed forty. Five of the crew of eight
men who composed the crew of the E.
and L. Bryan persisted where the vessel
struck on the Brandywine shoals. The
mate and two seamen caught a spar and
drifted all night. At day break the others
discovered one of the sailors dead body
still dashed to the spar. The two surviv-
ore were picked up by a tug and brought
to Lewes.
There is great concern over the crew
of the pilot boat Ebe Tunnel. She put
to sea Monday and has not been heard
from. Pilots John Barnes, Lewis Ber-
trand, James Rowland and Barry Hick-
man and crew of eight men are on
board. The New Jersey pilot boat Ed
mund wac blown across the bay and lies
on the Jersey coast with her sails in
tatters. An unknown schooner in ashore
at Rohoboth, and the coast for miles
down is reported strewn with wrecks.
Three schooners were lost outside the
capes. A colored man and a German
have come ashore as the survivors from
these wrecks. They were on raft from
p. m. Monday to 9 a. m. yesterday. The
other fifteen who composed the crews of
these schooners are given up for lost.
ANXIETY FOR LoNGPoRT.
There has been no communication
with Longport. Great anxiety is felt for
the safety of it's residents.
OTHER UNFORTUNATE SCHOONERS.
The crew of the tug A. L. Lucken.
bach, which had laid alongside the
schooner Morse all night, succeeded this
morning in taking the crew of the latter
vessel, nine in number, on board, and
afterwards brought them to this place.
The schooner was blown on to Hawks
Nest shoal about p. m. Monday. The
crew took to the rigging, where they
remained clinging to the ropes for nearly
forty hours. The men were nearly ex.
hausted when rescued, and could not
have lasted much longer. 1t was i'm
possible for the tug to approach the
stranded schooner nearer than twenty
yards, and the men in the rigging we're
directed to jump overheard. AS man
struck the water rope would be thrown
him and he would be lifted on board the
tug. After getting them all on board,
the Luckenbach brought them to this
place. Shortly after the Morse went on
the shoai, schooner, supposed to be the
Walter F. Parker, was also grounded
within thirty yards of the Morse. She
soon broke up, and those on the Morse
saw her crew drown, one by one. The
Morse is total wreck.