Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-09-25
THE AWFUL STORM.
Worst Since 1899. Coast People
and Sailors Suffer Mach.


day night of last week left nothing
more than a tremor in this highly
blessed land, yet its suffering by per-
sons and property belonging here has
found q responsive chord.
Some of the Eenhaden fishing
feet was up the coast chasing the
buukers, which had been reported
thick off Delaware Bay for some
days, and three of the boats were
returning laden when the sudden
storm came upon them. at fret
the wind blew gale $50 mlies)
northeast, down the beach; then it
suddenly veered and blew as hard up
the beach, choppipg the sea terribly
and rolling the waves, metaphori-
cally, "mountain high" OF the
three fishers the Beatrice was lead
ing when of Chincoteague early
Tuesday night; the Atlantic, Capt.
j. f. Bussells, following; and the
Swan, of Harbcrton, far in the rear.
In the darkness and turmoil Capt.
Bussells, with his stout craft, lost
sight of his other ship, the Beatrice,
and when he got into Cape Charles,
his destination, with upper works
terribly wrecked and hull injured,
he hoped to find the Beatrice. But
there were no tidings of her. Two
days passed before the Swan reported.
She had put about and back into the
Delaware Breakwater, much the
worse for the fight. No tidings of
the Beatrice to this time.
The experience of the Atlantic's
crew was fearful. None but the
captain'and mate Gas voluntary look
outsman) could stay above decks.
Bonzell ("BudD Bussells, of Ir.
vington, as lookoutsman, had 20
be lashed to the rigging. The
peltering hail and seas almost
mangled him and he is now suffering
acutely as though his whole frame
had been scalded. When the rope
lashings became wet they contracted,
and the voluntary prisoner was made
to suffer greatly from the squeezing,
No one could reach him to offer
relief. Old salts were badly used
up, and it is Captain Bussells' state
ment that he has encountered nc
such experience in his twenty five
years of sea-going.
FEAR THE SHIP LOST.
Captain Willie G. Leland, com
handing the Beatrice, was a resident
of Irvington. He was one of the best
masters, and as popular a man as
ever stood at the helm. For a week
Irvington has been absorbed in
thoughts for his and his crews safety.
BY day and night his brother, Loyoia
Leland, and friends here have piled
the wires and waited longiugly for
any news. Faint hopes would be
aroused one hour, to be dashed the
next. The two lone ladies, his
mother and sister, have stained the
window panes with tears while
watching the road to the telegraph
office for some message of hope. No
one can ever know the anguish that
has possessed them, and probably no
one Will ever know the struggle of
the brave thirty at sea when the dark
waters closed around them. The
singular fact that no wreckage or
bodies from the Beatrice have vet
been seen still leaves spark of hope
that they will yet show up.
We give herewith brief synopsis
OF the storms ravages of Others.
The cyclone lasted only night, but
hundreds of lives were lost and many
vessels wrecked.
The storm in New York and along
the Jersey coast did more damage in
q short time than any hurricane in
the records Of the Weather Bureau.
The wind wrect~a buildings, up
--..-a huge trees, smashed windows
and imperiled human life in divers
ways within the city itself.
Between He'll Gate and Norton's
Folnt the police boat patrol counted
$50 wrecked craft. Twelve boats
were pounded to pieces on the Staten
Island shore. Fifteen yachts were
beached at City Island, where the
successful cup defender, Reliance.
was badly damaged and narrowly es,
capped scuttling, and the Columbia
was saved only by sinking the Yacht
aiidergarde, which was being swept
down upon her. In Jamaica Bsv
LOO sailing vessels were overturned.
6eached or pounded to pieces. From
bayonne comes word Of fifty wrecks
Oh all descriptions between Commun-
paw and Perth Amboy. In Grave
send Boy thirty-four vessels were
The way the wind slammed an
chored craft about in exposed and
waters around New York
was hercer than the oldest salter can
remember. Yacht and ship-buiiders
VIII have busy season ahead. "A NO
less than five hundred craft there
we're destroyed or disabled by the
storm.
Along the coast nothing escaped
me fury of the gale. Vessels of ali
Kinds, from the great cargo schooners
II the merchant marine to the small.
st pleasure yachts, were piled along
ne shore of Long Island Sound.
New York Bay, Gravesend Bay
,heepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay and
he Atlantic Ocean in heaps, most of |
hem smashed into kindling wood.
ATLANTIC CITY DEMOLISHED.
Atlantic City was the greatest suf-
erer. The loss there alone was more |
han million dollars, hotels and |
ottages being unroofed and pavil-
ons washed away. The wind |
cached a velocity of rs miles am
'our. Hotels swayed on their foun-
ations and in many instances the
'uests became panic-stricken and |
,uddled closely together in the ex-
ha