Evening journal., 1915-04-05
TEN MEN lose LIVES
AS BARCES CO down
Broke Adriit Off Henlopen
During Sixty-Mile Gale
on Saturday
LIFESAVERS UNABLE
TO GET BOAT STARTED

JOnn Il. hernan, assistant secretary |
of the Maritime Exchange. Of Phila- |
delphia. reached this city last night. /
on his way home after thrilling ex-
perience at the Delaware Breakwater
during the storm Of Friday night and
Saturday. He told of the death Of 10
men and the wrecking Of two barges
during the terrific gale.
The bodies of three OF the lost were
flung up on the shore of the break
: water yesterday afternoon. The ten
were drowned almost under the eyes
Of the lifesavers from the Cape Hen
lOpen station and the coast guards
along the breakwater These men
ashore were helpless to do anything,
for TO send boat out in the swirling
seas was an impossibility. MIR. Herman
said the wind blew with steady
velocity of 60 miles an hour all OF
Friday night and Saturday, and for
a period on Friday night more than
20 miles an hour were registered.
Mr.. Herman went down to the Della
ware Breakwater on Friday TO make
an inspection. When the storm came
up on that night. and continued
through the next day he was unable 70
get across the three miles OF open
water to the shore. The sea was
running like the rapids at Niagara
and no bOatman would tempt fate by
crossing. Even yesterday. after the
storm had subsidized, the sea was so
high that IL was late In the afternoon
before he could get a hoatman 10
bring him to the mainland so he could
take a train and return TO his home.
4 LII.
with coal wrecked, was the toll eXactcd
by the storm that ragged of the Delaware
Breakwater during the northeast hurri-
cane that set in Friday night Mr.. ker-
nan said. "Iis gale was accompanied
with binding sheets OF snow and rain,
that made matters worse. The two
barges that went TO pieces of the break
water were the property Of the Consoli-
dation Coal Company, of Baltimore
They were IN tow OF the tug Cumbcr-
land and bound for Boston. The Cum.
herlnnd had three barges, but saved one,
The two lost were Nos. 6 and Q. The
one saved was No. %. Captain Sven.
son, in command of the tug, told me
there were five men on each barge
Three bodies had come ashore when
left there yesterday afternoon Ihel
p were identified as Captain John johnson
of Baltimore, who commanded Barge No
81 9: Carl larsen, of Gothenburg. Sweden
e and Dempsey Jarvis, who was known 4
come from North Carolina. On the bod
2 OF Jarvis were found 500 and a patheti
] card which was inscribed;
"If ! am found sick, please send m
- TO the hospital Ii | am found dea,
e please bury me and say nothing abou
@ it.
II "The death Of these men was tragil
e The life-saving crew from Cape Henlope
q and other men had 10 stand by on IN
n shore helpless to save them and see tn
a men drowned in the raging sea. On
brave fellow swan with almost suporhu
Y man effort. and for time it looked n
20 il he surely would reach the shore ~
q got within few hundred feet Of ih
beach, then threw up his hands IN des
pair aud went down.
"The barges and tug got caught in
the full force of the blow when of
the Hen and Chickens Shoal. Captain
\ SwensOn says he ran for the Break.
water, looking for a place of safety
y While doing so the hawser attached
to barge No. % and extending Ia
I, barge No 3 parted. Barge No % was
J. o'clock on Saturday morning. Captain
u Swenson made a brave effort to re-
s. cover the lost barges. but 10 was an
y inpossibility. He finally was forced
S to run off shore in order to save hi.
= tug and the other barge The barge.
y literally were smashed to bits, tn,
e shore being strewn with the wreck
r age"
j. Mr.. Herman said the newly installed
II wireless station at the breakwatei
picked up several calls for help from
the sea. One was an S. o. S. call: bu
as the station is in incomplete shape
e IL could not be ascertained where Oh,
q calls came FROM
e The bodies of the three seamen las
Il night we're sent TO an under
c teker's establishment at Lewes, Del
4, Mr.. Herman explained that the news
h Of the drowning Of the men had no
j reached Philadelphia earlier because
n the wind had torn down the wlrpl
a 10 the breakwater and put all telegraph
II and telephone instruments out of bust
e ress.
IS "The force OF the wind and waves,
Is Mr. Herman said, "wns plainly evidcu
n from the manner in which the wreckac
OF the bargcs came ashore Large plank
- and timbers were ground and spin
tered, as if by an explosion Cred
b. should be given to Captain Swenson {,
l. the brave attemrt be made TO save III
n 10 men. Several TIRES the cantain ra
n his tug close to the two drifting harg,
J; and twice thrown line partrl
/" Finally the wind drove the tHg wifi
e toward the shore and realizing tha
d his tug. crow and that Of the 9th,
/ barge were in peril. me captin steere
IT course for the open sea TO avoid di'
y aster.
>" Captain Swcuson told me he passe
T. cut oft the Chesapeake Cares in mil
?: weather There was no evidence whai
" ever Of storm The wind was hlowin
r from the southwest aud gradually vecrc
K. To the east. Then il blew from n
5 northeast and n gale care down mo
d the tue and her t0ws before the nc
IS realized. He sold the velocity OF Il
wind increased from a mild breeze to