The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-17
BY FURY OF WIND
VESSELS SUNK OR DRIVEN ASHORE
ON DELAWARE COAST.
AT LEAST SIX LIVES LOST.
CAPTAIN AND FOUR OF THE CREW
OF THE MARSH DROWNED.

Delaware Breakwater. Sept. 16.-The
tropical storm. which struck the coast
of the middle Atlantic states early this
morning, proved to be one of the Sc
Verest experienced in long time. 1t
left death and destruction in its trail.
It's greatest force was felt at the Del
aware capes, and at the lower part of
the New Jersey coast. Six lives are
known to have been lost. and five sea-
men are missing, and are believed TO
have been drowned.
A three masted and a two
the Delaware Breakwater, and about
a half dozen coal barges also foundered
in the vicinity of the Delaware capes.
All the way up the coast. and espe-
cially at Atlantic City, hotels and other
buildings suffered severely from the
wind, which blew with hurricane force.
Delaware Breakwater, Del, Sept. 16.
The Southern storm, which had been
coming up the Atlantic coast for sew
eral days, struck the Delaware capes
early this morning with almost cy-
clonic force, and as a result at least
fve lives were lost. The storm lasted
from o'clock until I o'clock in the
morning. The wind reached a maxi
mum velocity of eighty miles an hour
and the rain fell in torrents.
The most serious accident reported
was that which befell the schooner
Hattie A. Marsh, whose captain, ]. B.
Mehaffey, and four members of the
crew were drowned. The Marsh hailed
from New London, Conn, and was
bound from Painters Point Me-, for
Philadelphia, with a cargo of paving
stone. She was caught in the terrific
windstorm outside the new stone
breakwater.
Dashed Upon the Rocks.
The captain tried to reach the harbor
of Refuge, but before he could do so
the vessel had to anchor and try to
ride the storm. Her anchors, how
ever, did not hold, and the schooner,
with her dead weight of stone, was
dashed on the rocks of the harbor
Refuge The steam pilot boat Philadel-
phia went to the rescue, but only sue
ceeded in saving Mate Norman Camp
bell and one seaman.
In the old harbor, southwest of the
maritime reporting station, three
schooners dragged their anchors and
collided. They were the Emily F.
Northam, Adeline Townsend and Sea-
bird. The Seabird, which was a two
masted vessel, sank, and her crew was
rescued and landed on the point of
Cape Henelope. The men were cared
for at the life-saving station. The
Northam had her jibboom carried
awav and her yawI stove. The Town
send lost her head gear and Jibboom.
Barges Were Sunk.
The barges Elmwood, Gilberton and
Kalmia laden with coal from Phila-
delphia for eastern points, were sunk
in Delaware bay westward of the
Brown shoal. Their crews were res
cued by the tug Tamaqua' Whlch was
towing the barges.
The tug Spartan. which was towing
coal barges, is reported to have sunk.
There are no tidings of the Spartan
crew.
1t Is reported that three coal barges
were sunk on the ocean off the capes.
and that their crews are probably lost.
An unknown bark is anchored on
Ocean City, Md, with distress signals
in her rigging. The pilot boat Phila-
delphia has gone to her assistance,
Considera BILE money damage was done
to the brea kwater The harbor of
Refuge. east end light and the day
mark on the breakwater, were carried
away.
The fury of the storm was also felt
at Lewes, near here. Many trees were
blown down and chimneys dana ged.
The smokestack of the city power house
fell and considerably damaged the
building.