Morning journal and courier., 1894-04-12
sHIPwRKCK ON THE COAST.

Loss of Two Vessels and Their Crews
 Near the Highlands-Vain Efforts
 of the Life.Savers-Twenty Men
 Believed to be Drowned-Six Men
 Seen tc Sink on the Bowsprit-A
 Sailors Gallant Struggle.
 NEW YORK, April 11.-In the height of the furious gale which ragged at sea last night and this morning two vessels were driven ashore on the Jersey coast within twenty miles of Sandy Hook and the crews of both were drowned, some of them in eight of the powerless crews of the life saving stations and tho marine observers. The wind reached a velocity of sixty miles an hour off the coast, and the shore was ehrouded in dense fog, making the tenn pestuous condition doubly dangerous to sailors at sea near shore. One of the ill., fated vessels, the schooner Albert W Smith from Providence, R. l., was driven before the northeast blast and dashed on S4uan beach, eight miles below Long Branch, at 4 o'clock this morning, doubtless before her crew realized that they were among the breakers. So fierce were the waves that the vessel was broken to pieces within half sn hour.
 The high surf rendered 1t impossible to cave the lives of any of the crew. although the wreck occurred opposite the life saving station. Attempts at throwing life-lines were made, but the high wind rendered this difficult, and when finally line was thrown to the stranded vessel no one was left on board her to haul in the apparatus by which the stranded crew could have reached the shore.
 Her crew is eaid to have consisted of eight men.
 The schooner was on her way to Provi- denoe from Philadelphia, laden with coal The other wreck occurred opposite the Highland Beach railway station, where the three-masted schooner Kate Markee went ashore soon after 8 o'clock and was beaten | to pieces by the waves. All of her crew | of twelve men periahed in the surf, 1t is believed. She struck about . quarter of 8 mile from shore in full view of life-saving stations Nos. 1 and 9, but all thought of launching boat had to be abandoned ow- | ing to the fury of the waves.
 | Efforts to shoot life lines to the wreck | proved abortive, though repeated over and over spain; each time the lines fell short or were carried away by the wind. The rocket apparatus was used in the attempt, | shots being fired in the direction of the ! schooner, but each time the line fell use. | less in the water, and the seamen washed from the stranded schooner were drowned
 within a comparatively short distance oi the shore.
 According to the fishermen who were out of doors and patrolling the beach ct ar early hour the vessel soon lost all hel ! masts and several of her crew were washed overheard with them. The heavy sea and | sno- atorna praveuted any accurate view of the wreck, but the men, they say, who
 were swept overheard with the wrecksg. | were soon afterwards washed away and
 drowned. Six other men, according to thu fishermen, sought refuge on the schooner'l T bowsprit, but were washed overheard on'
 by one and drowned.
 | One of the seamen, evidently stronger
 and better swimmer than the rest, made
 desperate attempt to swim to the shore
 He succeeded in throwing of the heavie
 portion of his clothing, and in spite of tn,
 actually obtained c fcothold, when tn , strong undeTtoW washed him of his feet and in his exhausted condition the unfor tunate sailor was carried out again ant drowned In spite of all he could do to kee] his head above water. Another seama,
 succeeded in swimming to the mast of th schooner which was nearest to him, an , held on to 1t, though tossed up and dow like cork by the heavy rollers, for som
 time. Eventually. however, . heavier SC : | swept the weakened seaman from his hol | ! on the mast, and he soon after sank out c : sight.
 Fl By noon the schooner was entirely goni , and the wreckags, including the mast
 l began to be strewn by the seq along tf ! beach. The people of the life saving st
 3ion searched for the bodies of tho drowns