New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-14
SANDY HOOK POINT AN ISLAND.

THE NEW INLET ONE HUNDRED FEET WIDE
A SCENE OF RUIN on THE PENINSULA.
Sea Bright Sept ia stout bay horse and strong
blackboard with careful driver took reporter of
The Tribune this afternoon from Sea Bright over the
dangerous road TO the inlet cut through the
sandy Hook Peninsula above Highland Beach. The
old turnpike covered with wreckagc of all kinds
including spars. railroad seepers and steel rails
boxes and barrels and all kinds of timberS. The
track of the Sandy Hook branch of the Central RAN
road of New-Jerscy covered with sand 10 depth
of four 10 Seven feet from the fiotel ShIews-
bury nearly 10 the Highland Beach station. two miles
distant The bulkheads erected few years ago on
the east side of the railroad track showed marked
effects of tho fury of the storm. They were com
pletey torn to pieces and the heavy oak panks and
the stout chestnut ping were scattered all over the
road The railroad station at NaVesink Beach was
almost completely wrecked. Near the station
stood a sign which gave the wayfarer the
information: "These lots for SALE The
little inlet cut I'm between sea Bright and Highland
Beach has been closed by the sea. and timbers and
wrcckage have been piled on the sand which mica H.
The old turnpike has been obliteratcd Many OF the
telegraph poles had fallen down and the iron wires
we're hanging loose and swinging in the wind short
distance south of the Highland Beach railroad station
the track was twisted into all sorts Of shapes
number Of bathing houses stood upon their roofs in
the sand on the west side of the railroad track
At Highland Beach the storm wrought great damage
Flagstaff on the ROOF OF one Vi inc Hd-"IeN0hU
buildings there hutered in idle mOckery two storm
signals. Near the station was sign forbidding all
persons from walking standing upon the railroad
tracks Not a sign of any railroad tracks was 10 be
seen The steel rails and sleepers were covered with
sand TO a depth Of four feet The tobogsaa slide was
knocked out of shape. Nearly every one of the build
tnes had been damaged The bulkheads were gone
and the peninsula covered from the ocean to the
river with wreckaee Of all sorts
A mile above Highland Beach IS new Inlet, which
makes Sandy Hook an island 1t Is about 100 feet
wide and fifteen or twenty feet deep. On the south
side of the inlet. half Embedded in the sand was loco
motive No 517. of the Central Railroad. Lying on
its side passenger coach. The SURF had washed
I'm the windows and doors and torn out the cushions.
on the west side OF the beach, north of the inlet was
another passenger coach lis trucks missing and
the sea had smashed every one OF the window panes.
The two railroad tracks had been twisted into every
conceivable shane some rails and ties stood straight
up I'm tho air There three little cottages dis
troyed here by the surf One was owned by the
railroad company and another by Track Foreman DE
Witt The third stood the other side of the inlet,
II WAS owned by Joshua Johnson. The three little
buildings were the playthings of the surf.
The waves picked them up. carried them ont into the
Goa and bringing them back smashed them upon the
railroad track
In the river were seen the tOpmasts Of number of
small vessels which had capszed. over OH the beach,
al the foot of the Highlands of Navesnh number Of
sloops and yachts had been stranded
About half a mile north Of the new inlet there is
large Island IN the Shrewsbury River. II was pur-
chased by the United states Government at the time
when SANDY Hook purchased from the Iartshorn
family on this island stranded ten or fifteen
vessels including pleasure yachts catbOats and one
good sized schooner. As far up toward Sandy Hook
as the eve could see, the railroad track was torn TO
pieces Huge blocks of stone placed there "a a safe
guard by the railroad company had been tossed about
10y the waves and lay scattered all over the orach.
Roulders weighing five and six tons each had been
carried from the east side of the railroad track over
the sandbar into the river. Chestnut and oak piling
Ten to twenty inches i'm diameter had been snapped on
by the stones hurried against them by the surf Hun
drcis Of people from the Atlantic Highlands, the
Highlands Of Naveslnk LeOnardSVille and Chapel Hill
10 view the wrecked railroad and village. II Is re
Gam Hook