Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-06
GALES IN THE EAST.
4 Big Storm Swept Along the At.
lantic Coast.
VESSELS WRECKED and CREWS LOST
Alfe.Savers Tried to Shoot Life Lines Over
the Schepp bit IA led-The Tugs
Berwind and Atwood Go
to the Bottom.

New York, Feb. 4.--The gale which
has been sweeping the coasts Of Long
island and New Jersey for more than
"a hours and continued last night,
though with abated force, has
brought death and disaster to sail
ors and their craft. Reports of loss
Of life are confined to the eastern
end Of Long island, whence comes
news that several bodies have been
washed ashore. II was not known
up to ten o'clock last night what ves-
sells the men who lost their lives came
from. They might have been on
either the barges towed by the tug
Richmond, reported as passing Block
island without tow, bound from New
York for Newport, r. l., or the tug
Cuba, which passed Block island two
hours later and which left New Lon
don, Conn.,, Sunday for Newport
News and was returning without
tow. When leaving port the Rich
mond had three barges and the Cuba
two. Wreckage strews the shore in
the vicinity of the Bellport, L. l.,
life-saving station, and one body came
ashore east of this station. One
barge was thrashing about yesterday
afternoon near Forge River station.
The finding Of two other bodies was
reported later from the same point.
The largest piece of wreckage is the
after-quarter and portion of the
stern Of barge. On this last were
the letters 20 P E."
The crew of the American mer-
chairman Schepp, a full-rigged ship,
which went ashore on Long Beach,
L. l., shoals early yesterday, were in
peril all day. Late reports last night
said they were still on the stranded
vessel, though the danger Of death
has been lessened, owing to the slight
abatement Of the storm.
A westerly gale was blowing at the
rate of 10 miles an hour when the
Schepp struck at $3.50 o'clock in the
morning. The men from Capt, An
drew Rhoades' life-saying station, a
mile to the east, dragged their NOR
tar to the scene of the wreck, reach
Ing the Schepp about daybreak, and
found the seas breaking over her bow
and stern. The life-savcrs made sev.
eral attempts to shoot the life-lines
over the Schepp, but the afternoons
efforts were not successful. They
then tried to launch the life-boat, but
this, too, proved impossible, owing to
the high seas.
The crews of the sea-going tugs
John +. Berwind and Il. s. Atwood
had very narrow escape from going
to the bottom with their crews Sun
day afternoon. Nothing was known
Of their plight until the arrival of
the German steamer Barcelona, the
crew of which rescued the tugmen.
The tugs had been delivering provi-
sions to the stranded steamer Cavour,
ashore Mt Long Beach, L. l., and were
proceeding back to this port when
the gale struck them. The waves not
only swept of everything movable,
but flooded their holds and got into
the fire boxes. The seven men on
each tug were in imminent danger of
death for over two hours. The TUGS
were absolutely helpless and gradu-
ally sinking when the Barcelona hove
in sight and took the half frozen
crews aboard. Within half an hour
after this the two tugs went to the
bottom.