Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1888 — FIRST STORM OF THE WINTER. [ARTICLE]

FIRST STORM OF THE WINTER.

The Atlantic Coa»t Strewn with Wreckage irom Meins to C pe H ttiraa. A storm made its appearance off the southeast of Cape Hatteras, Saturday afternoon. The storm moved northward. Snow commenced on the coast. Of New England on Sunday moriiing, and during the day the fall measured about six inches. In the morning the snow in southeast New England had given place to rain,’ but it still continued to snow in the interior. The snow area extends from New England along the middle Atlantic coast as far south as Norfolk, and to the interior as far aB the District of Columbia. The storm raged with violence along the New England coast. At every harbor fishing boats and small vessels parted anchor. Many were wrecked The loss of life was large and would have been still greater, but for the brave efforts of Capt. Joshua James and his volunteer life-saving crew of Hull, Mass., who arp credited with saving twentyeight persons, from variously disabled vessels. On Sunday afternoon a large three-master went broad side on the beacu at Hull. Captain James and his men rushed for the punt gun, breeches buoy, and life-boat of the Massachusetts Humane Society at Stony Beach, and after strenuous efforts they succeeded in bringing ashore the crew of nine men from the schooner, which proved to be the Cox and Green, from Philadelphia for Chelsea, with coal. Hardly had the band of rescuers completed their work at this point before another vessel was discovered on the rocks about an eighth of a mile further from the Bbore than the other. Hurriedly rushing their apparatus to the most available location, they found the distance was to great to allow the use of the breeches buoy, and the surf boat was quickly manned. The waves were tremendous, and it was only after a hard and persistent struggle that Ihe vessel was reached, their boat twice swamping in the attempt. The boat was at last brought under the vessel’s bow, and,the crew of eight men swung themselves into it. The return to the Bhore was a perilous trip, the boat filling several times, but it was finally thrown on shore. The volunteer life-savers continued their patrol of the beach, and at daybreak sighted a third vessel ashore about half a mile northeast of the Abbott. She could not be reached by the breeches buoy, and, as their surf-boat had been demolished, the tireless man started for the Strawberry Hill station, four miles away, and returned with the Humane Society’s boat. This boat withstood the huge breakers and landed the crew of seven men. This schooner was the three-master Bertha F. Walker from Philadelphia for Boston, also"cual laden. The crew were in the rigging several hours before they were rescut d. Capt. Westgate and Matp Thomas were swept ovVrbdaru and drowned. The summer resorts suffered heavily. -At Gape-May-. N. J.. hdf the town was submerged, many cottages being destroyed,, At Manhattan Beach, L. 1., the depot was swept out to sea, the track destroyed, and hotels And cottages demolished. The loss sustained at Long Branch, N. J., will be above $300,00', cottages.sprav houses, hotels, everything along the beach was swept away.