The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24
EIGHT LIVES ARE LOST
IN JERSEY COAST WRECK
The Augustus Hunt. Last but One
of a Fated Fleet, Driven Ashore
in a Dense Fog.
THE. FIRST FOUR-MASTER

NEW YORK. Jan. 23-Eight lives were
island, of the four-masted schooner Angus
tus Hunt, bound for Boston from Norfolk,
Va. OF the crew of ten, only two men
were saved-Second Mate George Ebert. Of
Cleveland. O.. and a Swede. who was I'M
conscious when washed on the beach. and
who. on resaining consciousness, late to-
night, said he was John Sohmer, a Finn,
who was rescued from the wrecked schooner
Joseph ]. Pharo, near Cape Charles, on
Jan. 2
Soon after midnight. during a dense fog,
the schooner stranded a few hundred feet
from the beach and about a mile west of
the Quogue life-saving station. A life-sav-
ing patrolman heard the cries for help of
those board and summoned the station
crew. For hours the Iife-savers were able
10 hear the cries Of the men on the vessel,
which was near at hand. but buried in the
fog. They were absolutely unable to help
the men. Time and again they launched
their boat, only to have it hurled back to
the shore by the heavy surf.
Soon after daylight masses of wreckagc
began TO come ashore indicating that the
vessel was rapidly breaking up. About noon
spar with a man clinging to it was seen
tossing in the outer line of breakers. AZ
ter line had been shot across it and made
fast by the man he was pulled ashore and
proved to be Second Mate Ebert. few
minutes later another sailor was seen on a
mass Of wreckage. and half a dozen life
savers, forming human chain. dashed into
the surf and drew him ashore. This was
Sohmer.
The cries of those remaining on the
wreck continued to grow fainter and
fainter during the afternoon and finally
ceased One body dr,fted ashore vac.
saving station, said that the vessel strand
ed In the fog. having mistaken the SHINE
cock light for the headlight of a steamer.
The officers believed they were at least
twenty-five miles of shore and in no
danger when the vessel suddenly struck
and began TO pound TO pieces in the heavy
sea that was running on the bar.
Ebert said that he and the other ship
wrecked men knew that efforts were being
made by the lifesavers TO rescue them, and
they prayed that the fog might lift. AS
the hours passed by and the blackness OF
the fog still shut out a sight OF the beach,
they were In despair and gave up all hope.
masts snapped OFF like pipestems. and with
the rigging were carried away by the tre-
mendous seas. AS the hull began to go
to pieces the members OF thescrew were
driven toward the bow. where they hung
on as best they could. Ebert was cling
ing to some wreckase the deck when
the whole mass went overheard, carrying
him with H. Ebert was unable TO give the
names of any of the crew, most OF whom
were shipped at Norfolk
The Augustus Hunt carried a cargo of
LIS tons of bltuminous coal which was
valued at $500 The vessel was valued at
$4,000 and is said to have been partly in
sured.
The Augustus Hunt was one Of a feet OF
ten four masted echooners built at Morse
yards at Bath, Me- All OF these vessels.
with the exception OF the Mary E Morse
were lost at sea, the last previous one being
wrecked In the volcanic eruption at Mar
Unique. The Hunt was the first OF the feet
and the first four-masted schooner ever
built. She was launched in 1882 and her
tonnage-l.90o gross and LAO net-made her
the largest fore-and-after i'm the world. OF
recent years she had been considered small
She was as feet long. 40.7 feet beam and
206 feet depth CT hold