The Penn's Grove record., 1914-01-09
JERSEY COAST
STORM RIPPED
Ask Federal and State Aid to
End Ocean Disasters.
SEABRIGHT IN NEED OF HELP
Many Towns Victims of TumuItuous
seas-s710,oooe is Loss to seabright
Property -HercuIean Struggle to
sops iroads of the Ocean.

Especial Trenton Correspondence
Trenton.-Reports tabulated here
by officials interested in sea coast and
riparian affairs show that more than
81, 600 is the estimate Of damage
wrought by the coast hurricane thai
started late Friday night and con,
tinued Saturday and Sunday with al
most undiminished fury. Seabright
was cut off from the world both by
train and wire communication. Many
families who lost all they had in the
storm fed in wagons to Long Branch
and n~eighboring towns. The damage
in Seabright was at least $3.50, 900.
The heaviest item was the total loss of
the Octagon Hotel, owned by the
George M. Sandt estate of Red Bank,
and valued at $150,O00 All day the
waves steadily gnawed at the founda-
tons Of the structure. At 4 p. M. it
toppled over with a crash that was
lost in the, roar of the storm. The
hotel was built in 1870 by Sandt.
George Elliott, Mayor of Seabright,
was among those who saw the old
landmark go down. He was deeply az
fected. This is the worst yet" he
said. IT was here when the town was
ruined by fire, but it did not hit me
like this" Elliott has lived here more
than thirty-four years, He said he
would issue at once an appeal for re-
lief funds. Hundreds of families are
homeless and to be cared for. Some
thing must be done to protect the
ravaged beach from further inroads
by the sea. Elliott said he would ask
the Legislature to pass an act enabling
the borough to protect the property
of private citizens on the sea front.
This is impossible under the present
,aw. Marooned by the storm on Plum
Island, a Highlands waterman, ELS
worth Cottrell, was found dead from
exposure. Services were held during
the storm in three churches In Sea-
bright and the people prayed for re-
lief. There was little else that they
could do. The Rev. Father Egan, of
the Church Of the Holy Cross; the
Rev. 0. F. Dufield, of the First Meth
odist Church, and the Rev. Benton
Dale, of st. Georges Church, led these
services. 1t was about this hour that
the main part of the Hotel Octa,
gon fell into the sea, leaving only a
small part of 100000 structure stand
Ing. The crash could be heard for
nearly a mile. Men were at work try
Ing in vain to shore up the hotel, and
they got warning just in time. eour
~autoists, who had pushed through the
police lines, ran for their lives. A still
larger crowd in the afternoon saw the
waves wreck the Peninsula Hotel near
by, carrying the heap of tangled wreck
age out to sea. Only a small annex
remains. The owner, Mrs W. w.
Dederer. of New York, witnessed the
destruction of her property.
The Dederer House, between the
two larger hotels, was undermined
and washed away at noon. Five min
utes after the building toppled into the
sea not a whole timber was left. The
loss is $4,000. At the same hour the
homes Of six fishermen toppled into
the ca. The local Y. M. C. A., with
volunteers. had carried out the furni-
ture just in time. Four of the prop
erty owners were Henry Anderson,
Wesley Rayner, Stewart Cook and
Mrs. Robert White. Hundred Of auto
parties found a way into Seabright,
though the railroad was blocked by
flood In one direction. Curio hunters
were a nuisance, and Police Captain
Green ordered his men to shoot any
one looting.
Cottages owned by summer visitors
were destroyed, one owned by Mrs.
J. Joseph being valued at $4,000; a
second, the property of N. M. Naptal,
worth $4,000, and the third. belong
ing to W. A. Brady, that cost $4,000.
These are total losses. Washington
E. Conner. who spent 100000 in bulk
heads and grounds for his beautiful
summer home, suffered heavy loss.
His bulkhead looked as though use
less. Mayor Elliott announced that
he did not seek aid for individuals.
The rich men Of Seabright can take
care Of those whose houses have been
destroyed. But a meeting was held
in the Town Council Chamber to agree
upon an application for Federal aid,
the construction Of sea wall or protec-
ton from the ocean to avert another
such disaster. Already $3,864 has been
collected to construct q bulkhead to
protect the homes Of the fishermen.
More money is required. Mayor
George w. Elliott and the villages
other officials are in straits. There Is
only about $4,000 in the treasury. If