The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-07
KTHE TRlCEOF THE STORM
StsaeS Along the BdylgCd Coast Of
South Carolina.

Wrecked Vessels Line the Coast
Beaufort Looks Deserted and the
Labor There is too Busy Digging out
Boats to Straighten UP the Town-A
View Of the Wreck of the Savannah
Within Close Range-The n. III. C.
Smith Goes Closer Than any Other
Tug.
To form an idea Of the wreck and rum
along the Carolina coast, wrought by the
storm of ten days ago. one has but to take
a trip around by Port Royal, Beaufort
and Coosaw. The power of a cyclone to
do damage is illustrated there, and the
imagination can well fill out the remain
ing link and picture the devastation Of
the rest Of the islands.
The sight of tive six or barks high
and dry on shore at quarantine is a ia
miliar one to those who have sought
these scenes of devastation. but they are
not a circumstance to the damage wrought
to shipping interests along the South
Carolina coast.
Capt Frank Avery of the tug
II. NJ. C. Smith took a pleasure
party for a trip yesterday through Cali
bogue sound, Skull creek. Port Royal
sound. Beaufort river. Brickyard creek,
and COosaw river down into the sea, and
in that entire distance of 60 miles or
more, sight Of scme stranded wreck,
bark, schooner, tug or steamer was not
once lost sight Of But it was rare that
they stood alone Vessels stranded three
and four together are common sight,
and marks of where vessels or dredges
are lying on bottom are frequent.
MOST or THEM TOTAL LOSSES.
Most Of these wrecks may be consid-
cred total losses, and especially so from
the fact that the extreme dizziness of the
shipping industry at the present season
will not warrant the expenditure of
thousands Of dollars to float them from
the marshes and in many cases entirely
equip them anew.
In Beaufort river on a sand fat stands
the bark Astoria, her decks swept almost
clean, her masts broken and her rigging
destroyed beyond repair. This is but an
example of the wrecks that strew the
coast on every side throughout that sec
ton, some few of them. however, being
in good condition if they can only be
fioated of the marshes.
Within the city limits Of Beaufort the
steamboat Pilot Boy stands high and dry
IN the woods and just in front of it are
two steam tugs. the Reliance and the
Juno, one of which has lost its smoke
stack, ali stuck fast in the sand. Men
were busy yesterday digging them out
and preparing channels in which to float
them again into the river
Half a dozen other tugs are ashore
along the coast, but little attention is be-
ing paid 10 any of tho wrecks and few
efforts are being made to get those afoat
again which are more easily accessible to
the water.
All the working force in Beaufort is
engaged on the tugs and vessels stranded
within the city, and as q consequence the
city is suffering for want of labor to re-
pair its damages.
LOSSES N coosAw RIVER.
The storm seems to have struck the
craft on Coosaw silver with a vengeance,
for no less than a dozen dredge boats were
sunk or landed on shore there.
This is one of the rich Carolina phos-
phate beOs, and twelve or thirteen dredges
are continually kept at work there. Two
or three of these dredges were washed
ashore, one, the big dredge Of the Phos-
phate Minus Company, turned upside
down; ano her washed clean of every
thing on its decks. and eight Of them
were sunk in the river Eight Of these
machines belonged to the CoOsav Dredg-
ing Company and nearly everyone of
them IS total loss, having been almost
Oil VI hA4NAAA clAlh Oub Vi SlCnt.
Two Of these dredges belonged to the
Farmers Mining Company, and one, the
Oglethorpe, TO the Beaufort Dredging
Company. The Oglethorpe, which is
now working in the Savannah river. is
the only one Of the entire lot that was
saved. All of them were either sunk or
stranded high and dry on the marsh. The
upper deck Of one dredge, an occasional
spud and an occasional tide-rip which in
dlcates that there is something below, is
all that is left Of the feet
Lighters and other craft were also
sunk III this river in large numbers in
stead of being washed ashore as else
where, and now navigation there makes
some mariners uneasy, as some of them
are sunk dangerously near the channel
Scarcely a boat in these waters of any
description weathered that gale, and the
damage and loss TO vessels along the coast
there will ruIN way up in the hundred
thousands
BEAUFORT IN MOURNING
The pretty little town of Beaufort on
its bluff, looks as if it had on its mourn
ing dress.
The cyclone certainly made a clean
sweep, and where it struck the town on
the broad side, houses were blown down
and the debris scattered broadcast as
prettily as if the work had been done by
western tornado.
In passing by on Beaufort river the
town looks desolate an d deserted
Scarcely a soul can be seen in the streets
in broad daylight. There is no commerce,
for what vessels are there are so high
and dry, so tdttered and broken, that it
viii be months before any of them will
again tread their ways upon the high
seas.
If there were vessels or boats of any
kind bound for Beaufort they could not
land, for there is not a, shred of a wharf
left big enough TO tie to. A few lonely
piles left standing on the river bank.
which too were storm-tossed enough. are
the only marks that Indicate that Beau
fort ever had any shipping interests at
all
SWEPT OF EVERYTHING.
Along the bluff on the river front the
cyclone made clean sweep, and the APP
pearance of the town at present would
recall a feeling recollective of the
Charleston earthquake. Entire buildings
are IN some places converted into a mass
of debris, which is deposited in the
streets: houses are uncovered. and
their roots lie in the high
ways beside them The streets are SO
blocked with this mass of debris that it
Is impossible to see from the river be-
yond 1t, into the city. No picture of the
CesoIatlOn can be too strongly drawn. for