St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-12
EIGHT MEN LOST.
The Albert w. Smith Wrecked by
the Gale.

the Gale.
MANsQUAN. N. j., April 1.-THE
furious gales and high tides which pre-
vailed last night and today have left
their mark all along the Jersey coast.
Along the Jersey Central road to Toms
river tue high tides have done enormous
damage, and the sea has overfiowed
the shore and formed little lakes
for some distance. The beach
far down the coast IS strewn with light
wreckage. The wilma has blown full
gale all day, the high seas roaring and
pounding and foaming with a mighty
rage. In the heighth and fury of the
storm the three-masted schooner Albert
W. Smith was driven ashore at point
midway between Seagirt and MansQuan.
In less than half all hour she was
pounded into kindling wood by the seas
which broke over her. What was left.
a portion of the hull. was carried up
about quarter of mile south of the
life-saving station.
Eight men, it is said, composed the
crew of the Albert w. Smith, not one
OF whom has been seen since their boat
man Of that crew has survived to tell of
his experinces in the awful gale of last
night. The wreck was disc covered this
morning by George w. Green, of the
Squan beach life saving station. Capt.
LOngStreet and two or three of mis- men
went out from the red building. which
serves as the headquarters of the sta
tion, at 8 o'clock this afternoon with the
Associated Press representative to the
spot where what was left of the schooner
lay. The wind at that time, according
to the captain, was scurrying along
at the rate OF seventy miles an
hour. The sand which 1t lifted up cut
the flesh, and il was with difficulty that
the party could keep their feet. All
along the beach was scattered the
wreckage of the Inflated craft, and her
battered hull was rolled and splintered
with every billow that broke over it.
The beach for hundred yards was
foam crested, and the surf as far as the
eye could see was mountain rising and
falling with fearful roar.
CAPT. LONGsTREET
relates the following story of the wreck:
"Green went out to cast his eye down
the beach early this morning during the
binding snow and when the storm was
at its height. He saw the outlines of a
vessel which was struggling with the
breakers above the station. Two masts
were standing at that time, but there
were no top masts. We got out our
men at once and tried to launch life
boat, but by the time we got to her only
one mast was standing. A very short
time afterwards she broke up.
''There was no sign of living person
on the schooner when we got to her.
The wreck drifted with the sweeping
current a quarter of mile south of the
station. In the binding sand and snow
storm we dragged our gun to her and
made one shot with a line, but by the
time we could get ready to shoot the
second time there was nothing left to
shoot at"
Among the wreckage was quarter
board, and ON this was painted the name
of the vessel, Albert W. Smith.
'You can see," said the captain as he
kicked his rubber boot against a piece
of the hull of the craft, "that she was
old and rotten" Without the slightest
effort he kicked huge chunks of the
wood apart, 1t being totally rotten.
Four Spars were found on the beach,
and it was thought that the fourth spar
was probably a part of the wrecked
Kate Marks, which went ashore near
Long Branch.
The Vessel was of 572 tons burnen,
145 feet keel, 35 feet beam and 16 feet
hold. She was built in 1878 at Kenne-
bunk, Me-, and was owned by Albert
w. Smith, Of Providence, r. l., from