The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-13
Havoc Caused by a Hurricane and
High Tides Along Part of the
Atlantic Coast.
MANY BUILDINGS WRECKED
PIERS POUNDED ALMOST TO PIECES
AND SHIPPING DAMAGED.
Severe Blow at Sandy Hook-Incom-
on Account of the Storm.

| NEW YORK, Oct. ia veritable hurri-
| cane has swept over this section of the
| country yesterday and to-day. The wind
blew with terrific force, reaching. at Sandy
Hook, velocity of seventy-five miles an
hour last night. The tides rose to height
many feet greater than has been seen for
years, and the waves all along the Atlantic
| coast swept in with a force that carried
everything before them, and did damage
to the amount of many hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. Sandy Hook and points
along the Jersey coast felt the fury of the
storm most of all, but Coney island ex-
perienced, SO far as has yet been learned,
the most direful results. The beaches were
swept clean, pavilions were overturned and
carried seward, bathing houses and board
walks everything not far inland on the
famous island was torn up and piled high
beyond the coast line, was carried out
to sea. At Brighton Beach the stone walks
in front of the big hotel We're under water
and towards the end of this afternoon the
famous Seidl concert hall was inundated
and partially carried away. The well-kept
lawns in front of the Oriental Hotel and
Manhattan Beach Hotel were laid waste
and the lower portions of the hotels flooded
Innumerable small buildings were simply
waves. The loss on Coney island viii
reach 100000. At Far Rockaway the fury
of the gale was indescribable. TIL ose houses
which were built on piles in sand were
washed away, and those higher up, which
for years have been out of reach of the
highest tides, were to-day flooded. Along
the Jersey coast most of the damage done
was to piers and to breakwaters. Prepar-
atoms had been made, forewarnings OF
the storm had been given some days be-
fore. AS yet very little damage to shipping
has been reported, for account of warn
ings many crafts delayed sailing, and
others that had cleared returned for
safe anchorage.
Hog island during the afternoon added
another big section to that portion which
had previously gone to sea, and another
such storm would wipe it and several other
adjoining districts out of existence alto
gether. The ferryhouse, dock, board walk
and pavilion of the Far Rockaway I'm
provement Company were wrecked. The
Casino, the United States Hotel, the Tack
apausha House and the Dolphin Hotel were
among those buildings which had at least
two feet of water on thier ground floors
AT Wave Crest the damage will amount
to about $4,000 Nearly all the improve
ment Company, this place, within the
last two years are washed away, piled up
in broken masses or buried under tons of
sand.
great deal of damage was done at
Edgemere and this afternoon the tide had
risen so high as to threaten to undermine
the Edgemere Hotel. This huge structure
was thought to occupy d place of safety,
but nothing seemed to be safe in to-day's
rush of the waves. The water swept up
and made a breach in the sand all along
the 400 feet of frontage of the hotel. 1t
washed its way underneath the buildings,
and at one time threatened It's destruction.
At Verne several summer cottages were
lifted from their foundations and wrecked.
At this place also several hundred yards OF
track was washed away.
IN NEW JERSEY.
In New Jersey all the lowlands were I'M
der water, and the usual washouts of rail-
reads lying along the coast are reported.
In this particular the electric roads suf-
fered most. AT Sandy Hook, where even
the breath of a breeze can be twisted into
a gale last nights blow was a bowling
hurricane. 1t a fearful night for the
observer and for all who had reason to
venture within sight of the seas. The
waves broke higher than ever before, and
at one time the old tower, which incoming
and outgoging ships signal shook and tot
tered as though it would be blown over.
This towards morning, when it is esti-
mated the gale was speeding along in the
vicinity of seventy-five miles an hour.
The storm was the. most devastating that
has visited Sea Isle City since the great
storm of 1889, which was accompanied by a
tidal wave The streets were flooded and
many hotels and cottages along the narrow
sons inlets were wrecked or badly dam
aged Last night the sea attacked the
beach in front Of the Brunswick Hotel, the |
frest structure on that portion of the
coast. To-day it completed it's work. Early
in the afternoon the front of the building
began to sag. 1t dropped lower and lower
as the waves beat up against it, and in the |
middle of the afternoon the structure fell i
in a mass of ruins. North OF Sea Isle /
he ~ q
have been undermined: some of the cot |
tages have already fallen and others are |
ready TO fall Many catStrophes must come |
when the sea resumes its pounding at high |
tide Sea. Isle City has been entirely cut |
The branch of the South Jer- |
sey railroad which was in course of con-
struction to Ocean City is washed away |
for fully mile. Life saving crews have t
been on the alert ever since the storm be-
gan. They have been able to do little in |
the way of averting the damage and have |
been required to do little in the way of |
saving life.
At Long Branch the new iron pier which
to its very foundation, so far has stood the
test. 1t is thought that it may go before
essened
All day long the wind blew gale of fifty
miles al Asbury Park At high tide at noon
sands of people lined the shore and watched
he fury of the waves and the destruction
hat came in with every breaker. Every
movable thing within the reach of the |
waves was used battering ram to
break down the structures on the beach.
The great board walk was pounded to
pieces in many places. From Deal lake to
he boundary line it is a complete wreck
The marble monument which marks the
spot where the New Era went down in the
Aarly days of Asbury Park was under
mined by the waves and toppled over into
he sea. The Davis studio on the beach
vas caught UP by the waves and carried |
outward and then shattered by the break
RS. The beach is strewn with wreckage.
MANY HOUSES UNROOFED.
The scenes in Egg Harbor City, n. J.,
we're distressing. The wind blew a hurri-
,ane ali day and all night, and all day
lgain. Many houses were unroofed and |
many people were forced into
he streets Tonight a mail train man.
lged to get through after a blockade of
bout thirty-eight hours. In that section
# the State tonight, instead of abating
he gale seems to be increasing. 1t Is not
however, that much more dam
Lge viii be done, as these buildings which
TODD the test of two days are likely TO
t3lnd before the few hours more of wind
hat is threatened. Among the craft re-
'orted sunk or damaged is the schooner
-acht Novelette,, which was driven ashore
Nhe yacht IS badly damaged and is likely
o go to pieces. She is owned in Philadei-
,hia and had been recently overhauied
here
Ta-niyht Atlantic Cifx- lie e.,t ~ e f,.o.. a..