Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-15
Wrecks and Crippled Commu-
niCation Result.
ATLANTIC LINERS OVERDUE
Six Coastwise Steamers Turn and
Scud for Port.
TELEGRAPH WIRES GO DOWN
Big Bark Edmund Finney Wrecked
Off Sandy Hook-Skipper and
Crew Rescued.

Lashed by the fierce flaws OF a
heavy northeaster, New York was
last night in the wintry clutches
of a storm of wind, hail and rain,
which has completely swept the
whole Atlantic coast from Hat
teras to Maine, hampered trans
portation, demoralized lines of
communication with the outside
world and threatened all ships,
under sail or steam, that sought
to make port in the teeth OF the
sixty-lnile gale. Down off Sandy
Hook the once stout bark Edward
Finney went ashore after her
skipper and crew Of ten had been
rescued in the breeches buoy.
Eleven transatlantic steamships
due in New York yesterday were
still unreported at Sandy Hook at
10 o'clock last night, though no
apprehension is felt for their safe
tv. Six coastwise steamers that
set sail yesterday for southern
ports turned back from the pitch
ing and pounding seas that met
them at the harbor gateway, and
anchored in the shelter of Sandy
Hook bay.
NEW YORK, December 14.-In addition
to sending outward-bound craft scurrying
back to port, the northeaster which Is
tearing up the Atlantic coast snapped OH
twenty feet of the 3O0-foot brick chimney
Of the New York Steam Heating Com
pany, on Sutton place, in this city, and
sent it topping over into wooden shack
in winch watchman was standing. The
man was instantly killed. Several tons of
brick and mortar fell upon the house OF
Henry Speitel and crushed through the
entire structure, seriously iniuring Mrs.
Lena Speitel and her two daughters. Two
other houses adjoining were damaged.
Wide Wire Damage.
The storm center, which started In Mis-
sissippi, swerved eastward and swept up
the Atlantic coast today. From the north
east came fierce gale. driving heavy
clouds of rain and cutting sleet before it.
The rain turned to snow and then to rain
again, but the wind doomed steadily along
at sixty miles. The rain hung to tele-
phone and telegraph lines and froze, and
the freighted wires snapped and cracked,
while the gusts toppled over scores of
poles. Twenty telegraph poles on the New
York. New Haven and Hartford railroad
in a single stretch at Port Chester, N. Y,
came tumbling to the ground, while the
gale played havoc with telegraph poles
along the Hudson river.
Both companies had much difficuffilty
in even partially restoring communica-
ton in any direction. Eastward from
New York communication by wire was
almost impossible. A single wire to Bos
ton was all that remained of the trunk
lines through New England. North,
south and west there was much wire in
terruption from sleet and wind. but New
England seems to have been the worst
sufferer Railroad traffic suffered much
delay, and surface ard elevated lines in
New York had difficulty in maintaining
any sort adequate SeINlCe
FIagpole Kills a Man.
The high wind snapped off big flag
pole on a building on Columbia street and
hurled it far into the street below. Inc
pole crushed to death an unknown man
who was passing.
All New York beaches were combed to-
night by mountainous waves and much
damage was reported Two bathing
pavtlions and several summer cottages
| which skirted the ocean front at Coney
Island We're damaged by the waves, and
the porches of several cottages at Sea
! Gate were washed away.
Big Liners Sail.
| The big Cunarder Lusitana. and the
steamships Philadelphia and Graf Wal
dersee put away for Europe today, but
their passage down the bay was marked
with extreme caution: The White Star
liner Arabic got in from England with
reports of heavy storms ell the way
across The steamers Coamo Zulia Pro-
teus. Danver Trent, Ell Dia and San Juan
left for southern ports, swung on their
courses when they met the gale near
Roamer Shoal, and put back into SANDY
Hook bay, where they anchored for the
night.
Sandy Hook Wreck.
Caught IN the VI "liO anu SiioW,
the American bark Edmund Phinney,
Capt Alfred Anderson, was piled up on
the sands of Sandy Hook beach and bat
tered to pieces by mountainous seas. With
great difficulty her crew, half dead from
exposure, was rescued by the Sandy Hook
and Spermacetti Cove life-saving crews, |
after clinging to the hulk for several
hours the last man scarcely having
swung off in the breeches buoy when the |
broken and battered craft went to pieces |
and disappeared in the boiling waters. !
Not another man could have been saved, |
SO suddenly did the bark disintegrate be- |
fore the gale-driven seas. Tonight the |
Phinney's crew are safely housed by the |
life-savers, but are still suffering from
the hours of exposure to storm and cold |
while clinging to the rigging.
The Edmund Phinney was bound from
Savannah, Ga, to Perth -,mboy, n. j.. |
laden with lumber and railroad>ties. The |
storm came upon her as she hove in sight |
of the light at Navesink HIgi. ..ands, about !
2 o'clock this morning, and when she |
reached Scotland lightship off Sandy |
Hook at o'clock the sea was lashed by |
Continued on Fifth Page.) /