Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
AN OCEAN GRAVEYARD.
Spot on the New Jersey Coast That IL
Full of Peril.

Full of Peril.
FROM the Philadelphia Record
One Of the most dangerous spots to the
mariner on the Atlantic coast is Long
Beach. on which many a stout ship has
been wrecked, and at the north end OF
which stands Barnegat light. which for
years has flashed out warning to the sailor
folk not to venture too close to the treach-
erous shoals that extend seward for miles
and have always been a menace to the
coastwise trade as well as the deep-water
craft from over the sea-
Between the two lighthouses that mark
the two extremes of this island beach there
have been hundreds of vessels wrecked
within the past fifty years, and the list
grows with each succeeding year despite
the improvements in vessel property and
the most able seamanship. In an easterly
gale when the sand Is flying SO thick that
the shore line cannot be seen one hundred
yards away. the life-saving crews are al
ways more alert than usual, as they feel
sure that some unfortunate vessel will
bring 'up on the beach before the storm
abates And their experience in the past
has demonstrated that such an event Ia
more than likely to occur. as the wrecks
that fine the shore attest.
The first wreck of any Importance oc-
CURED early in the present century, when
the emigrant ship Powhatan went ashore
during terrific gale. There was no life
saving service in those days. and all on
board the ship persisted in an attempt to
reach the shore, which was strewn next
morning with the bodies of the unfortunate
passengers who had come to seek their
fortunes In America. Many OF them had
considerable gold on their persons and the
story goes that some of the wreckers who
had come over the mainland to assist in the
rescue turned pirates then and there. and
robbed the bodies of everything of value.
Since that day there have been many
such disasters, but the stain then placed
on the Barnegat pirates as they were
called, has long since been wiped out by
many gallant deeds and the saving of many
lives from the fury of the storm by these
hardy longshoremen. who are always ready
to take their lives in their hands when duty
calls.
At Harvey Cedars, a well-known fishing
resort just above the life-saving station Of
that name, the current sets in strongly
toward the shore. and has not only wooed
many a vessel to its last resting place
the sands but has brought in many strange
bits. of wreckage which tell their own story
of disaster. These have all been gathered
by Dave White, the proprietor of the only
note! in that vicinity. and piled up in a con-
giomerate heap beyond the reach of the
storm tides that sometimes sweep across
the beach with resistless force. Immense
spars. all sorts of rigging. blocks. anchors,
chains, sails etc, are piled up on one side,
while on the other part of the heap be
found all sorts of articles from a medicine
chest to a child's cradle. The carved figure
OF Norwegian maiden, the tigurehead of a
foreign vessel wrecked here several years
ago. stands out in bold relief. 1t is life size
and the carving is especially fine. Relic
hunters without number have made all
sorts of alluring offers for it. but Mr.. White
refuses to part with it. The longShoremeu
say the figurehead is lucky" and If it is
taken away from the beach disaster will
surely follow
There amt man here wants to see
that thing taken away" remarked Riley
Rogers, a venerable beachcomber who has
We got that We hadn't no luck. There was
no wash stuff comm ashore 'ceptin' now
and then a deck load of lath from one o.
them schooners from Brunswick, Georgy;
but now things is different. There's plenty
o wrecks. Only two years ago a ship
loaded with peach brandy and wine from
Calitorny cum ashore. and everybody had
of the stuff myself. but it's gone now. If
one of them lumber schooners does fetch
up on the beach now it's good bettin' that
shes loaded with cord wood in ree'lar
lengths, and that don't make no extra
work. This cuttin up heavy stuff don't do
Ter me Say what you please. that air
igurehead is lucky. Right away after it
come ashore We had a good wreck. a
square rigger from Brazil loaded with cof-
fee The salt water spilled the taste of it,
but We sold it, all the same for fair
pr1ce-J0 cents a buShel 1 think we got
Tor 1t. Two days later deck load of yal-
Ter pine sidfn' cum ashore. 1t was lust
what We wanted to fix up the house
There's always somethin' a comm in 1
full of cloes t'other day, but IL you want
to see real prosperity jess come down here
when ship load of rum strikes the beach
That's the time!''