The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-05
WAVES RIP OFF TWO
ACRES AT SEA GATE
Carry Away $4,000 Summer
Cottage and Lot II
Stood Upon.
OWNER FIGHTS IN VAIN
Carloads OF Stone Sucked Away
by Ocean-HOuse Pounded
to Splinters.
OWNER FIGHTS IN VAIN

The wind and waves Of Saturday night
and yesterday morning did about $4,000
damage on the ocean front from Manhat-
tan Beach to Norton's Point
Most of the damage was at Sea Gate.
There at one point almost opposite the
lighthouse at Norton's Point more than
two acres of land was washed into the
sea and a $4,000 summer cottage was
reduced to a mass Of splinters.
The rest of the damage along the Coney
Island shore is made ~ OF slight losses
at almost every point. Almost every home
on the ocean SIDE Of Sea Gate was dam
aged. Sea Gates sea wall was torn down
and q large piece OF the lawn sucked away
by the sea
The house which was wrecked was
owned by Philip Torchio. chief electrical
engineer Of the New York Edison Com
pany. who lives In Lawrence Park, Bronx
/ Vile, In the winter. HIS summer home
was at the foot OF Beach Forty-sixth
street. Sea Gate. Two weeks ago Mr..
Torchio refused a cash offer OF $4,000
for the house and land.
Carried Away House-aud Lot Toe.
The high seas not only smashed his
house TO pieces but took away practically
all OF the land that surrounded II. Before
the storm Mr.. Torchio had a lot $50 feet
by 200. Now II Is reduced to a narrow
strip, varying In width from 8 10 20 feet
which runs ths length Of his property.
On Christmas Day the sea WALL which
was about 1875 feet from Mr.. Torch!o $
house. was partly destroyed and some of
the land was washed out in the shape OF
crescent Mr. Torchio advised the Sea
Gate Association TO have the damage re-
paired Immediately. but nothing was done
.l. a "a
began the task OF saving tho building
looked hopeless.
Mr. Torchio went TO Sea Gate Satu rylay
morning to see II ne could save his homo
He hired as many men as he could. half
| dozen or 10. and trisd to build n dixie
which would resist the high waves which
came tumbling over each other to get a,
his house. Each high wave melted foo,
or 90 Of the land and Saturday afternoon
Mr. Torchio figured that the task was
hopeless.
He arranged with tho Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company to have three carloads
Of stone sent down. He and his men
piled II on his lawn. and added to the
weight by piling on 1000 bags filled with
sand.
stone Fails to save Land.
| The waves simply crashed against the
earth and sucked II back. the mass OF
stone sagging a. the earth was eater
from under II. Saturday night no and
his men added three more loads of stons
and 1000 more bags Of sand This die
not stop the waves.
Then. seeing that II was n hopeless
task. he moved all of his furniture Out
into the rain. until he could find shelter
for It. At about midnight the wave,
reached his house. washed away the lant
on which It was built, and an hour later
the building caved In, The waves bea,
It into little pieces, The house was al,
years old and had been owned by Mr.
| Torchio for three years. 1t had fifteer
rooms In IT,
The sea not only took away most Of MIR
Torchio's plot but section OF about two
acres between Beach Forty-fourth ant
Beach Forty sixth streets. The sea wal
around Sea Gate was torn away In man,
places and the waves cut into the lawns
Thousands Of persons went to Cone,
Island yesterday to see the waves, which
some times were twenty feet high, Man,
bulkheads along the shore were broker
down and the boardwalk suffered sone
! what, hut there were fNW instanceG D