Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-12-25
HOLLY BEACH

The snow commenced to fall just before
noon on Tuesday and continued the
balance of the day with a mixture of
rain, and in the evening there was a
good covering of slush and the wind
was blowing a gale from the northeast,
increasing in terrific force until long
after midnight. This wind stirred up
an angry sea and caused OF the
biggest tides in years, in fact n of the
life saving men says that the tide on the
front was the highest that he had wit
messed for twenty-five years. No dam
age to speak of was done on the front
except the washing away of the lower
end of the board wall for a distance of
about a square and two or three APP
proaches to the walk and some damage
to the cement cutters at the ends of
the streets, which Will only take a few
days to repair. The damage was done
at high tide on Wednesday morning
between eight and nine o'clock. AT
this hour the stretch of boardwalk above
referred to was swept away. 1t has
been known for nearly a year that the
piling under this portion of the walk
were rotting and Council has had new
piling on the ground for the past three
weeks, but there had been some delay
in letting the contract for pumping
them in. This weakened condition of
the piling was responsible for the
wrecking of the walk, as it is very
likely that it would have stood had the
new piling been in place. The cause Of
the trouble at the Crest was due to the
wreckage of the Holly Beach board
walk and the new piling which the wa
ter picked up and put in motion. The
stringers, which were 6 by II inches
and thirty-two feet long, swept down
the beach, battered down the ocean end
of the Crest pier and then acting as a
battering ram butted into the Crest
board walk, greatly damaging it for
several squares in the middle of the
Crest. In no place was the boardwalk
entirely swept away. This was the
chief cause of all the damage. Some
of the piling washed down the beach
and were wedged in the boardwalk
and also in the new Jetty. 1t is a mat
ter of regret that the Holly Beach
officials neglected repairing the board
walk on the front. A few days work
would have placed it in a good strong
condition against such a tide. The tide
was one of the heaviest in the history
of the island and was a supreme test of
the efficiency of the Holland dyke late
ly put in by Baker Bros. along the
whole front of Wildwood Crest and
goes to prove that the protection of
that front is perfect and permanent.
No damage was done to the middle
and upper part of the island.
The preliminaries for the rebuilding
of the State road to Holly Beach are
receiving attention and the work will
probably be under way early in the
spring. Among the alterations con-
templated is the filling in of the small
Ter streams over which bridges were
built so as to do away with all but the
larger bridge over the thoroughfares.
Five Mile Beach is entitled to as fine
a road as can be provided and the
farmers on the mainland as we'll as
many others will find very useful
Cape May Star.
Mrs. Katherine Larkin, of Adams,
N. Y, is expected this week to arrive
and will pass the winter with her
daughter, Mrs. w. A. Macdonald,
Burk avenue. She will be accompanied
by George Rankin, grandfather of Mrs.
Macdonald, who will pass the holidays
here.
A Players club has been organized
here with DR.. Rankin Reiff, president
and treasurer; George A. Patton, bust
ness manager; r. H. Donnelly, stage
manager; Mr.. Worden, assistant stage
manager. The play, "When We Were
Twenty-one,n will be given in the near
future for the good of the town. An
orchestra of ten pieces, with Joseph ii.
I1eIlZ ds ulIectOI, mas aiso pSSh AOAmou
in connection with the club.
Professor Henry Chalmers expects to
attend the State Teachers Association
to be held in Atlantic City next week.
Jean Stroll and George Krider, of
Berwyn, Pa, were V Sunday guests
at the Havilla.
H. Franklin Graves, of West Cape
May, has been engaged to teach the
third grade in the public school.
Before buying Christmas gifts for
your lady friends be sure and see Miss
Scott's stock of pretty things;you'llno not
regret it. 2lS Andrew avenue, Holly
Beach.
Christmas exercises will be held in