The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-04
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.I


New York. January 3.-The storm.
Island and New Jersey coasts during
the day, greatly increased in Intensity
tonight, and several points along these
coasts are in danger of being washed
away The situation is most grave at
Seabright. ~ j.. where the heavy
waves have washed away almost every
vestigc of the seawall and bulkheads,
leaving a large portion OF the town.
including hotels and costly summer
homes exposed to the sea-
Early this evening" the velocity OF
the wind at Seabright was between
sixty and seventy miles an hour. The
unusually high tide at noon was held
I'm by the powerful wind. and much
damage has been done by the water.
Another high tide will be In shortly
after midnight, and IL the wind min
tains its present velocity. much of
Seabrfght and adjacent villages are in
danger of being swept into the ocean.
The Octagon Hotel. ut Seabright.
which was one OF the heaviest suffer
ers during the recent storm, was prac-
tically n total wreck tonight. The
dining-room collapsed this afternoon.
portion of the building all of the por-
tons which remained standing were
undermined. George NJ Sandt, the
proprietor. estimated that the damage
already done will exceed $175.000. Ha-
ley's fish market and numerous other
places Of business were demolished.
while the wrecks of magnificent sum
mer homes line the beach for miles.
Railroad Communication Cut on.
All railroad communication between
Seabright and the mainland was cut
off this afternoon. and gangs of work
men have been rushed to the scene in
an cndeavor to remove the tons OF sand.
q . ht-t 1ax fr@,
road tracks. The roadbed has been
washed away at several places. and it
viii. be some time before the regular
schedule can be resumed.
A, Normandie, a few miles north OF
Scabright. the waves tore through a.
large bulkhead and carried away more
than half mile OF the Central Rail-
read roadbeds. All hopes of repairing
this break were abandoned tonight,
when it was found that the tide had
rot receded from the record high level
touched to-day.
The fishermen and their families have
deserted their homes along the beach,
and many are fearful that all OF their
possessions will be washed away. Sew
eral hundred persons left SeabriEht
and the villages for the mainland this
evening. Automobiles and carriages
are being pressed into service to re-
move household effects, oHi Ing to the
railroad being out of commission.
The EIammel section of Rockaway
Beach suffered the heaviest damage
OF any OF tho points along the south
shore OF Long Island. More than 200
FAMILIES were driven from their homes
during the day by the record high
waters and many more were prepar-
Ing to leave to-night should the seq
advance. Heavy damage was done all
along the south shore by the high
winds, which averaged around sixty
miles m hour all day. Hundreds OF
small boats were driven ashore, and
many OF those which had been hauled
up for the winter were demolished or
dana ged.
at Edgemere. a few miles east OF
Rockaway, the waves crashed over thu
eighteen-foo bulkhead and the Edge
mere Club, Hotel Lorraine and many
summer cottages were damaged
Damaged by Wind and waves.
The Arverne Hotel and Arverne The
atre. the latter being bull. on piling,
were damaged by the wind and waves
and 1t was believed that the UNDER
pining Of the thr?t"e had been so weak
ena6 thst If the g<le continued through
the right the structure would coI-
lapse into the water.
Tho northeast gale which has boon
raging along the New Jersey coAst FOR
the past eighteen hours, has severely
crippled the electric light and pow ar !,
service at all points betweon Seabr,ght
and Asbury Park. Wires have been
blown down and in many cases poles
have been washed away where the lines 4
crossed from the mainland to tho penir-
sula. Asbury Park was practically in Il
total darkness tonight telephone and
telegraph communication was Spas
modic. The Asburv Park Press did
not publish Tonight. owing to the
power being cut on,
Late Tonight the waves wore wasf,s, \
ing out the, founeatlon of the large
summer home or Washington b. COM 4
nor, the New York banker. at Seas Il
bright, and twas feared that with tha