1854 — Nov 13, Storm, U.S. immigrant ship New Era Grounds, Deal Beach, NJ –240-300

— 300 Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. 1972, p. 69.
–~300 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 397.
— 300 Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 683.
— 284 Monthly Nautical Magazine and quarterly Review, Vol. I, Apr-Sep 1855, pp. 223-224.
— 274 Genealogy Trails History Group. “Greatest Maritime Ship Disasters (in Peacetime).”
— 240 Mikle. “Tragic shipwreck still remembered along Jersey shore.” USA Today, 11-15-2014.
— 240 Savadove and Buchholz. Great Storms of the Jersey Shore. 1993, p. 29.
— 150 Wikipedia. “New Era (ship).” 6-1-2020 edit. [No source citation for death toll.]

Narrative Information

Mikle: “Asbury Park, N.J. …. The clipper ship New Era was carrying nearly 400 men, women and children — mostly German emigrants — when it struck a sandbar during a nor’easter off a desolate section of what was then called Deal Beach on Nov. 13, 1854. Thursday marked the 160th anniversary of the tragedy.

“So high were the ocean swells and so ineffective was the life-saving equipment at the time that 240 people were lost in the disaster. Nearly 200 were trapped on the ship overnight, and many died of exposure as wind-whipped waves washed over them and crew members abandoned ship, leaving the passengers behind.

“Frustrated rescuers, stymied by heavy swells that prevented rescue boats from reaching the sinking ship, built bonfires on the beach to let the survivors know they were still there….

“The ship’s massive anchor, discovered in 1999, now sits at the corner of Elberon and Norwood avenues in Allenhurst, along with a plaque memorializing the victims. And a large wooden section of what is believed to be the New Era recently was found off a jetty in Asbury Park….

“It was around 6 a.m. on Nov. 13. Through the mist and rain, Allen could see that the New Era had run aground at least 300 yards from shore. A driving wind turned the ship around, as waves broke over the vessel. The New Era sank rapidly, and panicked passengers clung to the ship’s rigging in an attempt to keep from being washed overboard.

“The news of the wreck spread quickly and men came from Long Branch, Freehold, Red Bank and near what is now Manasquan to attempt a rescue. Unfortunately the seas were too high for them to reach the boat, so they used a life-car, a buoyant metal, pod-shaped vehicle that could securely carry people from a shipwreck to shore.

“Allen and other men on shore used a cannon-like gun to shoot sturdy lines in the direction of the New Era. If the lines could reach the ship they would have been tied to the mast, allowing passengers to enter the life-car and be pulled to shore by those on land.

“But repeated attempts to fire the lines to the ship failed. About noon, a line finally made it to ship, and a lifeboat was launched from the ship, to be pulled ashore by the rescuers. The captain jumped into the boat along with part of the remaining crew. When 10 or 12 passengers jumped in after them, most were beaten back by the crew. Meanwhile, a portion of the ship collapsed, sweeping 80 to 100 people into the sea.

“A lifeboat was lowered by crew members who were supposed to help bring a rescue line from the New Era to shore. Instead, they cast off the line, abandoned the ship and rowed toward shore. Other crew members lowered another boat and cut the line so no passengers could get on board.

“By now, it was almost dark. Unable to reach the remaining 170 New Era passengers, the frustrated men on the beach lit bonfires to encourage the people on the ship. The night was cold, with a westerly wind, and the waves pounded against the ship as the passengers clung desperately to any bit of rigging they could find.

“Before daybreak, the seas began to calm a bit and the rescuers at last reached the New Era with their surf boats.

“Only 135 passengers — almost all men — were found alive. Within 2 1/2 hours, all of them had been rescued and brought ashore….” (Mikle. “Tragic shipwreck still remembered along Jersey shore.” USA Today, 11-15-2014.)

Monthly Nautical Magazine and Quarterly Review: “We are pained to record one of the most fearful disasters that has ever taken place on our coast, in the wreck of the new ship New Era, freighted with 427 passengers from Bremen to New-York. On the morning of November 13th, after a passage of 46 days, the New Era neared our coast, where, in thick weather, the soundings alone furnish the only tangible evidence of a vessel’s position. At the call of the morning watch, the Captain, after attending to the cast of the lead, retired to his cabin, leaving the second mate in charge of the deck. Added to the discomforts of a lengthy passage, the ship proved leaky, and the working of the pumps had been apportioned as a part of the duties of both passengers and crew. On the last night of the fatal voyage the wind blew a stiff breeze from S.E., which caused considerable sea, and the ship being enveloped in fog, which was scarcely illumined by the dawn of day, when the fearful echo of breakers ran through the crowded decks of the doomed vessel — and before six o’clock the ship struck on Deal Beach, swung broad-side to, and as she settled in the sand the sea made a clear breach over her; a few feeble and abortive efforts were made to get a line to the shore, and failing in this, by means of the boats, the Captain, officers and most of the crew escaped to the shore, and six hours after stranding the deserted ship had no commander, or a single man on board who understood what was being done on shore for the assistance of the unfortunate passengers, none of whom could speak the English language.

“On the following morning after every living person had been rescued from the ship, only 143 (including the crew) of the 427 embarked at Bremen, were found to have escaped; making a loss of 284 lives.

“A more frightful loss of life on ship-board has scarcely ever been recorded in the annals of emigrant voyages, reckless as these are sometimes made. Such a shameful neglect of the commonest precautions on approaching the coast, and the subsequent desertion of the helpless passengers, calls for a searching inquiry into the loose conduct and inhumanity of those in charge of the fated ship. It is a grave question of most significant import, whether there shall, or shall not be (as at present), a remedy for such culpable recklessness as this which consigns the trusting passenger to the tender mercies of fate, whenever he sets foot on ship-board. It is notorious that emigrants are landed here safer from their own vessels than from ours, in many cases. We do not hesitate to say, that someone should be made responsible for the safe termination of a voyage by sea, in the same manner that land conveyancers are held for the safety of life and limb. Too many abuses are arising from the common loose construction of that stereotyped proviso found in all bills of lading, viz., “the dangers of the seas excepted,” to permit this time-worn maxim in marine risks to pass unchallenged by scrutinizing investigation. The public mind is fast becoming awakened, and will not fail to adopt some measure for securing the better protection of human life, when it is intrusted to the skill of the nautical mechanic or the fidelity of the mariner. A far greater degree of responsibility must be imposed somewhere.” (Monthly Nautical Magazine and Quarterly Review, Vol. I, Apr-Sep 1855, pp. 223-224.)

Troppoli: “The year 2014 is a uniquely important one in New Jersey history. It is not only the 350th anniversary of New Jersey’s creation, but also the anniversary year for two titanic maritime disasters, both associated with the beaches of Asbury Park. The Morro Castle, a cruise ship returning from Havana, caught fire off the coast of southern Monmouth County and eventually beached just north of the city’s Convention Hall. This gruesome event occurred on September 8, 1934….

“A less well-known maritime tragedy whose 160th anniversary also occurs this year is the wreck of the New Era, a ship transporting German immigrants to a hopeful new life in the United States during the autumn of 1854. In one of history’s many strange coincidences, this ship ran aground on the same stretch of beach as the Morro Castle. The powerful story of this shipwreck spans three centuries and includes not only the wreck of the ship itself, but also the creation of a memorial at the nearby Branchburg Cemetery in West Long Branch, increased funding and improvements to the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the erecting of a monument dedicated to the victims of the wreck by Asbury Park’s founder and long-time mayor James A. Bradley on the Asbury Park boardwalk in1893, the loss of this monument in a storm the following year, the recovery of the ship’s anchor in 1999, the raising of what may be a piece of the New Era’s hull off the coast of Allenhurst in 2009 and finally, a recent search for the lost boardwalk monument in 2012.

“This essay has used three main sources for the events of the wreck of the New Era: The New York Times, a short piece by Stephen Crane, and Julius Friedrich Sachse’s “The Wreck of the Ship New Era upon the New Jersey Coast, November 13, 1854.”Each of these authors, writing decades apart, presents the tragedy from their own unique perspectives.

“The clipper ship New Era was built at Maine’s Bath Shipyard; its crew was English speaking. When she set sail on her maiden voyage from Bremerhaven, Germany on September 28,1854, under the command of Captain Thomas J. Henry, she
was bound for New York. The New Era was what was known as a “packet ship.” During the 19th c., packet ships carried cargo, passengers, and mail on a regular schedule. There were 427 people aboard the New Era. Among the 385 passengers, the majority in steerage and the remainder were the ship’s officers, sailors, and cooks The voyage was cursed by bad weather, disease [cholera], and shipboard accidents. About 50 passengers died during the crossing. On October 20th, heavy seas caused the loss of the ship’s cook stove, located on the main deck, killing or disabling several passengers in the process. This same damaging weather caused leaks in the hull, subjecting the crew and passengers to continual pumping to keep her afloat. Toward the end of the voyage the ship was found to be off course, south of the port of New York, in the treacherous waters of the New Jersey coast. When dense fog was encountered after sighting land on Sunday, November 12th, this confusing condition resulted in her striking a sand bar, stranding the ship 500-yards from the beach in heavy surf, high winds, and a cold rain. Captain Henry instructed the passengers to remain below decks in order to allow his crew to work, even though there was six fathoms of water in the hold. An account in the Times records: ‘His orders, when he had been apprised of the danger, were to keep the ship on the way she was going.’

“At about 6:00 a.m. on Monday, November 13th, local residents, perhaps as many as 200 farmers and fishermen ,awakened by the sound of a ship’s bell and the cries of those aboard, appeared on shore to voluntarily assist in rescue and recovery efforts. As day broke, huge swells moved the New Erawithin150–200-yards from the shore. These same waves washed over the decks, filling the hull with water and sinking the ship. As the fog lifted, those gathered on the shore saw that hundreds of men, women, and children had sought safety from the waves by climbing into the ship’s rigging.

“The rescuers’ equipment was minimal, and their efforts were frustrated by the foul weather which prevented rescue boats from being launched from the shore. Shifting winds and water swept eighty luckless passengers from the boom. Witnesses present described the heads of the victims as looking like a flock of ducks on the water’s surface; they soon vanished into the depths.

“By midday, the outside world was becoming aware of the unfolding tragedy. The New York Times reporters sent to the site describe a horrific scene of a ship breaking up, debris and corpses in the water and desperate passengers clinging to the ship’s rigging. They noted that the New Era’s life boats were onshore, and assumed that the ship’s captain and crew had long abandoned the wreck….

“As the night passed temperatures plunged and as the tide rose, savage waves washed over the deck, sweeping into the sea many who had escaped the hold of the ship. The ship’s rigging, was now filled with both the living and the dead, who had died of exposure. Many of those who succumbed dropped from the ropes into the angry sea below. The unceasing, piteous cries and the doleful ringing of the ship’s bell continued through the night.

“When the surf finally calmed at 4:00 on the morning of Tuesday the 14th, boats were launched from shore to rescue those who remained alive on board. The rescuers’ efforts were completed by 8:00 a.m. Several survivors too ill to travel were temporarily taken into the homes of local residents….

“The definitive source for the story of the wreck of the New Era remains “The Wreck of the Ship New Era upon the New Jersey Coast, November 13, 1854,” a paper written by Julius Friedrich Sachse, Litt. D., presented to the Pennsylvania German Society to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event in 1904. The text of this account includes descriptions of the event by rescuers, passengers, Captain Henry and his crew, as well as manifests of those on the voyage and lists of those who died and those who survived. Individual survivors had also written brief narratives of their experiences, but this was the first scholarly account of the event, and had the benefit of having been researched by authors who were fluent in both English and German. As a result, a much richer, detailed and accurate account of the tragedy was obtained and recorded for posterity….”

(Troppoli, Donna. “The New Era: A New Jersey Maritime Disaster Lost and Found.” GardenStateLegaqcy.com, Issue 25, September 2014.)

Sources

Berman, Bruce D. Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks. Boston: Mariners Press Inc., 1972.

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Genealogy Trails History Group. “Greatest Maritime Ship Disasters (in Peacetime).” Accessed 2-12-2010 at: http://genealogytrails.com/main/events/maritimedisasters.html

Mikle, Jean. “Tragic shipwreck still remembered along Jersey shore.” USA Today, 11-15-2014. Accessed 7-10-2020 at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/15/tragic-shipwreck-still-remembered-along-jersey-shore/19101615/

Monthly Nautical Magazine and Quarterly Review, Vol. I, Apr-Sep 1855. “Appalling Shipwreck of the New Era,” pp. 223-224. At: http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Maritime_History/US/USNM(1)_p223.html

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

Sachse, Julius F. “The Wreck of the Ship New Era Upon the New Jersey Coast, November 13, 1854.” The Pennsylvania-German Society Proceedings and Addresses at Reading, Oct. 27, 1905. Vol. XVI. Published by the Society, 1907. Accessed 7-10-2020 at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Wreck_of_the_Ship_New_Era_Upon_the_N/eL-VhYNGKtUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=sachse+the+wreck+of+the+ship+new+era&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover

Savadove, Larry and Margaret Thomas Buchholz. Great Storms of the Jersey Shore. Down the Shore Publishing, 1997.

Troppoli, Donna. “The New Era: A New Jersey Maritime Disaster Lost and Found.” GardenStateLegaqcy.com, Issue 25, September 2014. Accessed 7-10-2020 at: http://gardenstatelegacy.com/files/The_New_Era_NJ_Maritime_Disaster_Lost_and_Found_Troppoli_GSL25.pdf

Wikipedia. “New Era (ship).” 6-1-2020 edit. Accessed 7-10-2020 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Era_(ship)