Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-02
TIE STORM Off THE CAPES
Ragged Fiercely in the Neigh
borhood of LeWes.
TIDES WERE HIGHEST FOR YEARS
Long Time Since Wind Blew
With Such Fury.
Two Schooners Were Driven Ashore Tees
day, ana Others Came Near Meeting n
Like Fate-Tows of Coal Barges Broke
Adrift, ana some Vessels Were Damaged.

Lewes, Oct. 31.--Two schooners
driven ashore, one of which subse-
quently floated, the breaking adrift of
several tows OF coal barges, The arrival
Of craft with the loss Of one thing OF
another, and the desperate tuggine of
schooners at their anchors, is the tale
of the day in the neighboihood of the
Delaware Capes. 1t has been long
time since the wind blew off here with
such fury, the velocity at o'clock in
the morning being 81 miles an hour, it
then coming from the northeast, ac-
companied by heavy ram. Fortunately,
however, the wind lessened its great
force as the day wore on, giving the
crews of many vessels an opportunity
of getting under control their craft,
which had been driven hither and
thithet at the mercy of the fielce winds
and raging seas.
About noon the wind was down to 55
miles an hour, while two hours later it
was only going at the rate of "a miles,
at which time the rain ceased falling.
Then, at O'Clock, the wind, which
had changed around to the southeast,
was blowing at still lesser rate-1S
miles an hour. But at that time it
became hazy, making it difficult to
distinguish lights. Along the coast the
tides were the highest for some years,
and the meadows at Cape May and
Atlantic City were cvorhowed.
At 0 O'CLOCK in the morning, when
the northeast gale was about at its
highest, the three mast schooner Fal-
mouth, bound from Portland, Me-, for
Philadelphia, in ballast, stranded on
the beach at Rehoboth, and. after
great difficulty, the crew of IA mon were
rescued by the Rehoboth life savers.
The Falmouth was built in 1888 at
East Dsering, Me-, is owned by j. S.
Winslow Il Co., and halls from Port.
land. She is 1898 feet in length and
is of 379 tons net register. At the same
time that this vessel stranded the two
mast schooner Anna L. Ponder, bound
from Atlantic City for Norfolk, in
ballast, went ashore at Fishers Point,
but was fioated late in the afternoon,
with the assistance Of the Assateague
life savers, who had in the morning
taken off the crew CT the schooner. The
Ponder is in good condition.
The tug Teaser, towing the Reading
Railway Go. Is barge Marion, from
Portsmouth for Philadelphia, arrived at
the Breakwater this afternoon, and re-
ported that the barge Schuylkill, from
Lynn, which she also had in tow, bro6e
adrift at 7.30 a. M, off Hereford. She
went sea9ard again at 2.40 o'clock TO
search for the Schuylkill. From Mon
mouth Beach Life Saving Station came
word at O'Clock that barge was
anchored GOO yards off shcre, with both
anchors out. A Reading tug, which
has had terrible time with her tow
of three barges, the Coleraine and Ash
land, from Boston, and the Draper,
from Lynn, all for Philadelphia, is the
Swatara. At 1.30 O'Clock in the after
noon she was reported as having passed
in at Sandy Hook with one barge, while
at o'clock "a barge, supposed to be the
Draper, passed in at the same point,
followed by the Swatara. Under sail,
the Reading barge Merriam was re-
ported as having passed into New
York's lower bay, at 2. 15 o'clock.
Late in the afternoon the schooner
Sea Bird, bound from Boston foi Nor
folk, arrived at the Delaware Break
water, with her mainsail torn, the acci-
dent having occurred in the morning
off the Capes. Two three mast schooners
dragged their anchors during the
height ofsthe gale in the Breakwater
harbor and came near being driven
ashore. Tho flag pole Of the Assateaaue
Life Saving Station was blown down
and Maull's and Dodd's piers were
damaged by the high seas dashing
against them. A dismasted three mast
schooner in tow, bound north, is re-
ported having been passed at o'clock
Sunday evening, between Cape Lookout
and Cane Hatteras. .I