The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-01-05
Fifty Miles Of the Coast Smash
ed Into Tangled Mass
Of Wreckage and
Desolation.
GREAT PROPERTY LOSS
Not in Thirty Years Has Such storm
Struck Vicinity and Done
SO Much
Damage.

limited Press Leased Wire Service.1
SEABRIGHT, N. j., Jan. 5.-Pros-
trate from the smashing attack OF
mountainous seas this morning, this
summer resort and others for five
miles along the beach near here today
faced ruin when the storm died down
early today after having wrought
more than s1,000,o00 damage in Sea-
bright alone. High tide which came
at a. m. failed to bring serious trou-
Bile from the sea, heavy, soggy
snow beating down the gale which
had been dashing the sea shore and
damaging scores of costly cottages
and laying fshermen's settlements
into one tangled mass Of wreckage
The light of day saw scene of DESC
lation along the coast. The old New
York Hotel at Long Branch, N. j.,
burned to the ground early today. For
time the American house adjacent to
1t was in danger but hard work saved
1t from the flames. All along the sea
near Seabright, costly cottages litter
the beach and the sands are strewn
with costly furniture, antiques and
house decorations of all sorts.
The loss to summer cottagers will
! be SO great that the impression is
4 strong this section of the coast will
never entirely recover from the blow.
Few of the cottages, it is believed,
Il will ever be rebuilt on the same sites
Mayor Elliott of Seabright does not
s openly share this viewebnt has called
a meeting Of the council for this af-
ternoon when rehabilitation plans will
be formulated.
Not in thirty years has such a storm
. struck this coast.
All night long, scores of watchmen,
their smoking lanterns bobiLg through
the mirk, patrolled the beach. When
heavy, wet snow began to fall, the
wind died down considerably. When
shortly after two a. m. the dreaded
hour Of high tide came, The fury of
the waters was SO allayed that COM
paratively little further damage was
done
Today the only structures in serious
danger were the Camp Fitzgerald and
Achelis cottages and the Episcopal
church at Galilee, but daylight saw
big gangs toiling to save them, with
good prospect of success.
More than fifty miles along the Jer-
sey and Long Island coast felt the
4 fury of the storm and throughout all
that part Of the coast, scores of fam
lilies suffered today as severe wind
4 swept in the snow from the sea. One
death from exposure has been re-
ported. The victim was Ellsworth
Cottren of Highlands, wac perished
when isolated by the storm on Plum
Island Fears also are felt for the
safety of Captain C. D. Matthews and
This crew on the schooner Ruperta
which was off Ocean City when the
storm was at its fercest and from
which nothing has since been heard.
1t Is feared she sunk with all on board
To aid in the work of cleaning up
the debris of the storm, even the
school children Of the town were
pressed into service today. All the
schools were closed and tsle sturdiest
of the boys toiled with their fathers
in an effort to prepare for further
trouble which is sure to come II the
wind rises and the sea again runs
high All along the water front the
timbers are piled high, while among