History: Edward Farry & Co, Matawan (1891)

The above advertisement for Edward Farry and Company, Main Street, Matawan, successor to Farry Brothers, appeared in the 21 Nov 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal. Edward Farry was a wholesale and retail dealer in the following:

• Hardware, Coal, Wood, Hay, Grain, Feed, Lime, Cement, and general Building Materials.
• Wheels, Hubs, Spokes, Shafts, Rims, Poles, Etc, Etc.
• Norway and Refined Iron,
• Spring, Scroll and Tool Steel of all dimensions.
• Phoenix and Perkin Horse Shoes,
• Steel and Iron Axles, all sizes.
• Seeds for Farm and Garden.
• Agents for Victor Safety Bicycle Co.

The Rhode Island Perkins Horse Shoe Company was based in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, according to a real estate liquidation sale in the 28 Oct 1918 edition of The Milwaukee Sentinel.

Norway was a major supplier of iron in the late 19th century. The Moss ironworks is producing the smoke behind the big house on right. (Wikimedia)

This 1909 post card from an Oregon business was an advertisement for Phoenix horse shoes. The caption says that the horse is bucking because the carriage driver didn't get him Phoenix horse shoes. (Card Cow)

Victor Safety Bicycles catalog.

The 2 Jan 1892 edition of The Matawan Journal showed another ad for Edward Farry and Co. That ad included a number of additional services and items for sale.

Farry Bros, successor to John O Conover, advertised in The Matawan Journal in the Oct 1890 - Jan 1892 period. The ad below appeared in the 22 Nov 1890 edition.

Edward Farry was born 11 Feb 1868 and died 21 Sep 1936. He was the son of John Haggerty Farry (1830 - 1895) and Delia Jane Haywood. Edward was living in Matawan in the 1900 Federal Census with his wife Louise, son Edward (2) and infant daughter Louise. Edward was occupied as a brick manufacturer at the time. The 1880 Federal Census showed Edward as son of John H Farry (50, New York), hotel proprietor in Matawan. Edward had a younger brother, John H Farry, Jr, age 7, and three sisters.. The 1870 Federal Census said his father was a hotel keeper and that his real property was worth $50,000 and personal property was valued at $15,000. Perhaps John Sr retired circa 1890 and the hotel business or the proceeds therefrom passed briefly to the sons?

There's a mention of John H Farry, Jr in the 16 Feb 1895 edition of The Matawan Journal. There had been a great snow storm that marooned John at his sister's house in Wickatunk. He tried to cut a way down the road but was upset in a snowbank and had to walk back to his sister's house. His sister was Mrs Charles Conover.

The Matawan Township Committee paid Farry Brothers $52.34, according to the committee's minutes dated 13 Jun 1891.

Weekday PATH Service to WTC Restored

PATH just announced that they are restoring weekday service to the World Trade Center on Monday 26 November 2012. Trains will run 5 am to 10 pm Monday thru Friday. So those riding the North Jersey Coast train who work in downtown Manhattan can once again get off at Newark Penn Station and ride the tubes to WTC. For further information, see Recent PATH Alerts.

Larry Hagman Dead in Dallas

I was watching BBC this evening when they announced the death of Larry Hagman. BBC emphasized his role as J R Ewing on Dallas to the exclusion of almost anything else. The Americans they interviewed were always quick to point out his role on I Dream of Jeannie, but the BBC kept returning to Dallas.

Above, I thought I'd point out his role as the President's interpreter in the classic Cold War flick Fail Safe.

Mediterranean Chateau Opens in Matawan

Mediterranean Chateau finally opened on 16 Nov 2012 in the old Charlie Brown's Restaurant location on Route 79 in Matawan. I plan to drop by in coming weeks.

UPDATE 2 Dec 2012: The restaurant's Facebook page includes a series of images of their menu. The main dish categories are Fish ($17-21), Shellfish ($16-28, with a $14 vegetarian paella), and Meats ($14-34).

History: Matawan Hook and Ladder Co No 1 Election (1879)

The 22 Nov 1879 edition of The Matawan Journal reported recent election results for officers of the Matawan Hook and Ladder Company No 1 for the coming year.

• Foreman - S A Lockwood
• 1st Assistant - Benjamin Van Dorn
• 2nd Assistant - Henry Fisher
• President - W K Harris
• Vice President - J Van Schoick
• Secretary - J A Walling
• Treasurer - T L Peterson, C P Van Brackle
• Auditors - Uriah Sickels, T R Mount
• Investigating Committee - Allen Van Pelt, James Roberts, Holmes Boyce

1880 Federal Census

• There was a Samuel A Lockwood, age 27, in Shrewsbury; a Seth Lockwood, age 29, in Woodbridge;  and a Samuel Lockwood, age 51, in Freehold.
• There were two Benjamin Van Dorns on the same page of the census in Matawan Township. One (Benj G, 44 years old, wife Jane) was a farmer and the other (Benj D, 44 years old, wife Cecelia) worked in pottery.
• There was a Henry Fisher, age 46, born in Germany, harness maker, living in Matawan Township.
• There was a W Kramer Harris, age 23, clerk in store, son of Alex H Harris, age 62, dealer in hardware. He lived with his parents and siblings in Matawan Township.
• There was a John H Van Shoick, age 29, in Middletown; a John C Van Shoick, age 59, in Manalapan; and a John H Van Shoick, age 55, in Howell.
• There was a Joel A Walling, age 29, in Matawan Township.
• There was a Thomas L Peterson, age 26, born in New York, in Matawan Township.
• I found no C P Van Brackle in Matawan or environs.
• There was a Uriah Sickles, age 52, blacksmith, in Matawan Township.
• I found no T R Mount in Matawan or environs.
• There was an Allen Van Pelt, age 31, painter, in Matawan Township.
• There was a James H Roberts, age 32, living in Matawan Township.
• There was a Holmes Boyce, age 36, laborer, living in Matawan Township.

Matawan-Aberdeen School Board Write In Election Results Remain Incomplete and Inaccurate at County Website

The Monmouth County Clerk continues to display preliminary results for the 6 November 2012 elections as of 21 November. After more than two weeks, why don't we have official results?

So far, the preliminary data on school board write in results are not only delayed, they are incomplete and wrong. They display the Matawan 3-year slot results as if they were the Aberdeen 1-year results. As a consequence, the site has no heading for Matawan's 3 year slot and displays no results for the Aberdeen 1 year slot. See below for the erroneous posting as of Wednesday afternoon.

Matawan-Aberdeen Reg BOE (Aberdeen) (1Yr Unexp)
13/13 100.00%
Under Votes 6144
Over Votes 0

Vote Count Percent
Write-In 181 57.28%
- James Shea (Write-In) 56 17.72%
- Kathleen Gentile (Write-In) 79 25.00%
Total 316 100.00%

The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch reported that Kathleen Gentile was running as a write-in candidate for the Matawan 3-year slot being vacated by Gerald Donaghue. Gentile is a Matawan resident and ineligible for the Aberdeen slot.

Even if Aberdeen residents incorrectly wrote her in, why are there no posted results for Matawan and no posted results for any of the Aberdeen write in candidates? I hope the county gets their act together soon and gives us our BOE write in election results, official or otherwise.

UPDATE (27 Nov 2012)

The preliminary results have been updated at the Monmouth County Clerk's website.

The one-year unexpired term as an Aberdeen representative on the school board looks to have been won by Joelle Nappi with 91 votes (21%). Art Perri came in a close second place with 82 votes (19%), followed by Pat Phillips with 49 votes (11%) and L William Lamb with 17 votes (4%). 192 write in votes (45%) were not elaborated upon by the county clerk, presumably because voters chose to write in Mickey Mouse, themselves, et al. If there is some other reason behind nearly half the votes not being attributed to particular candidates, such as voter errors or machine errors, I wonder if and how that might possibly come to light?

Check the updated and as yet still unofficial results here.

History: Marc Woods Development, Matawan (1960)

Howard Siegel built a major development in the Borough of Matawan. These so-called "Siegel homes" became the Marc Woods development, which is bounded by Ravine Drive, Aberdeen Road and Matawan Avenue. Below are links to an assortment of early news articles documenting some of the main events in the approval process in 1960 and 1961. The tracts used for the development are identified by name but I didn't find anything solid on those families. Presumably the lands were local farms.

The Matawan Borough Planning Board received Siegel's plan for 167 homes on the 117-acre Siano tract on 15 Aug 1960, according to the 18 Aug 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal. Karl Heuser, the borough's engineer, suggested that the property might better be used for a third lake, but the developer was unwilling to provide the land for municipal use considering his investment in land.

The 1 Sep 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal said Marc Woods would include 172 houses on 117 acres of land called the Siano tract, plus another 70-80 homes on 52 acres adjacent to the Siano property, just to the west, called the Esposito-Kravitz tract. The latter tract, also referred to as the Esposito-Kravitz-Smith tract, had recently come available because the school district's option to buy it had been abandoned after a local $2.5 million bond issue to build a new school failed.

The 27 Oct 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal (pp 1, 14) reported that the first 75 homes of the new Marc Woods development would not be connected to the sewer lines because the State had determined the borough sewer system was so overtaxed that it was polluting Matawan Creek.

The borough was planning a million dollar improvement to the sewer system that would increase both capacity and reach. The new system would expand to include all but the Freneau section of the borough. In the meantime, however, the Council could not approve such a major use.

The 27 October edition of the paper happened to record the 22 October dedication and first use of the new borough hall in the former Farmers and Merchants National Bank building on Main Street in Matawan.

The 6 Mar 1961 edition of The Red Bank Register said the new development would be attached to the borough sewer system and would include both tracts mentioned above. Units were expected to be available by September 1961 and sell for $15,000 to $17,000.

Reddi-Made Gender Roles

Lots to chew on about gender roles in this short whipped cream commercial.

Holiday Eve and NJ Transit

Ah! The Jersey Coast commuter has to be a hearty soul. Holiday eve and our train left NYP 20 min late then developed mechanical difficulties at Secaucus and was eventually terminated at Newark. So we needed another train but NYP suddenly developed indefinite signal problems. At this point NJT is seeking a spare train in the yard to take us to the shore. If that happens, we'll be the only westbound train on the tracks. How cool is that? I'm trying to remain positive. The train approacheth. Supposedly. ... I feel like I'm in Trains, Planes and Automobiles 2.

UPDATE: My commute home on the night before Thanksgiving ended up taking slightly over 3 hours when it should have been about half that. To be fair, this commute was a few weeks after Hurricane Sandy and the system has had many problems. Then again, investment in public transportation is embarrassing low, so these problems aren't simply a result of a bad storm.

NJT Coastline Train Slow But Sure on 1st Day Back

I caught the 647 at Ab-Mat, which arrived at 7:30. Slow ride to South Amboy; got there over half an hour later. Ride over Raritan trestle to Perth Amboy a bit slow. Lots of leaves and branches on tracks until we joined the NE Corridor. So far an uneventful quick ride along the corridor.

Trains Back. Commuters? Not So Much

The trains are back but where are the commuters? The lots at Ab-Mat are light as are the platforms. Perhaps the holiday or the high cost of one way tickets is keeping folks away? The crew seem glad to be back to work and are being nice. Its a slow ride as they work out the kinks.

Ticket Machines at Ab-Mat Rail Station Glitching

I went to the Aberdeen-Matawan train station this evening and bought my train tickets for the morning. All of the machines were registering a Windows error, but I was able to overcome the software glitch and buy my tickets. However, the error returned to the machine when I was done. Should be interesting in the morning since no one, not even regular commuters, will have tickets except those with mail subscriptions.

History: Rochester Lamp Company (1891)

Rochester Lamp Company, 1891

The 21 Nov 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal included an ad for the Rochester Lamp Company, 42 Park Place, New York City. Matawan area residents would have taken boats into downtown Manhattan in those days to do shopping, thus the local advertising. 

The ad said their lamp's "marvelous light [was] purer and brighter than gas light, softer than electric light and more cheerful than either." It's interesting to see an oil lamp company wrestling to maintain a market share of the lighting market as electricity was cutting into the gaslight business. Just like oil heating companies today, the argument was safety. The ad said the lamp was "all metal, tough and seamless, and made in three pieces only, it is absolutely safe and unbreakable."

42 Park Place is near the intersection of Park Place and Church Street, not far from the World Trade Center and the Woolworth Building.

The Lampworks, of Hurleyville, NY, purveyors of antique lighting and accessories, has a brief online history of the Rochester Lamp Company. Included on the page is a biography of Charles Stanford Upton, who founded the company in 1884. Edward Miller and Company manufactured the Rochester lamp from 1884 to 1892.

See also How Rochester Lamps Helped Light Up the World, by Donovan A Shilling (The Crooked Lake Review, Dec 1993)

How to Obtain Credit from Optimum Online for Recent Service Outage

Those who lost service with Optimum Online can get credit by visiting the company's website and using their Live Chat Support feature. It isn't too easy to find. Click Support, then Contact Us, then Chat. The Chat icon is buried at the bottom of the Contact Us page under a secondary Contact Us section.

Once you click on Chat, fill in your account details and select Hurricane Sandy Service Issue as the reason for your chat. I was first in line. You'll need to confirm your name, address and phone and provide them with the outage date range.

It took me about 5 minutes to get my credit. It was quite painless. I received just over $40 credit for an outage of 12 days. Don't wait too long as you might only have 30 days to apply for your credit.

Middletown EMT Arrested After 4 Month Investigation

According to North Jersey, the Passaic County Sheriff's Office snared a Middletown, NJ first aid squad member in what they allege was attempted lewdness with a minor under 13 years old and attempted endangerment of the welfare of a minor. The sheriff's office pretended to be a 12 year old girl from Passaic County while  this retired Army sergeant allegedly exposed himself in live webcam sessions and tried to lure her into meeting him at the mall and going horseback riding together. These cops do God's work.

12th Annual Music of Gratitude

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Lincroft is hosting the 12th annual interfaith Music of Gratitude event on Sunday at 4 pm. Given the stormy times we've been through and storms yet on the horizon, it may seem odd to pause and show gratitude, yet if you're reading this maybe there is cause for thanks.

Oklahoma Baptists to the Rescue on NJ Bayshore in Wake of Sandy

A hundred Baptists from Oklahoma came rushing to New Jersey's Raritan bayshore to help us with downed trees and muddy, flooded basements in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. This team was based out of a Baptist church in Middletown and expected to be in the area for a couple of weeks.

I stopped by one of their first work sites in Cliffwood Beach to seek help. They were at a scene of absolute devastation at the corner of Cliffwood Avenue and Greenwood Avenue. The workers were like ants, cutting tree branches and trunks and hauling and moving the remains of a large tree that had crushed at least two roofs when it fell. A woman took my information and within days they were in my backyard, dealing with a tree that had damaged my roof and gutters and continued to menace my home. It was still attached to the trunk and leaning hard against the deck, ready to fall. It threatened to kill or injure any unfortunate soul who got under it and to crush my deck if not taken down properly. They did a great job.

Here are some photos of them at work.

Inkspeare

Maria Diaz, the writer of Inkspeare ("To blog or not to blog. . . ."), published a blog article with photographs about her neighborhood in Cliffwood Beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and in anticipation of the Nor'easter that was then approaching. She also wrote a blog article about her preparations for Sandy, again with a lot of interesting photographs chronicling the steps she took to ready her house and precious keepsakes.

Maria is a free-lance writer and writes about that, but some of those articles can easily apply to anyone who runs their own small business. For example, she recently wrote a broadly-applicable series on building your brand (Building Your Brand, Building Your Brand - The Challenges, and Building Your Brand - The Rewards). She writes poems, posts photos of her watercolors, tells us about her cat, and updates us on a wide range of projects she's pursuing.

Her blog is quite interesting and of local origin. I recommend it.

Train Service Returns Monday to Ab-Mat Station

While morning traffic jams at NJTPK Exit l4 are always nice, Im glad to hear the trains will be back at Ab-Mat on Monday after a lengthy suspension in the wake of Sandy.

New Commute Courtesy Sandy

Lots of buses at Ab-Mat station this morning. Long ride in rush hour to Liberty State Park, so 6 am is likely better than 7l5 am. Incoming took 3 hrs after short subway ride. Connections are easy.

History: Horse Car Railway Bill in New Jersey (1887)

Robert S Green, Governor of New Jersey (Wikimedia)

According to the 7 May 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal, New Jersey Governor Robert Stockton Green signed a horsecar railway bill on 30 Apr 1887. The article was mostly an opinion piece by the editor, who made vague complaints of unfair competition by Keyport against Matawan's potential interests in the development of a horse-drawn tramway in the Bayshore.

The 9 Apr 1887 edition had reported that the bill passed the Senate 14-0 and the Assembly 35-6. This second page item contained the full text of the bill.

The Horse-Car Railway Bill

     An act relating to the turnpike roads within incorporated towns and boroughs in this state.

    1. Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, That any street railway company duly organized pursuant to the law may construct and with horses may operate street railways for the transporting of passengers and chattels for hire upon and along such portion of any turnpike road as enters and is located within the limits of any incorporated town or borough in this state, and upon and along such portion of such turnpike as extends outside such limits for the distance of thirteen hundred yards in either direction, after having obtained the consent of the owners of such turnpike so to do; provided that an ordinance or resolution authorizing the construction of such railway shall have been first passed or adopted by the commissioners of any such town or borough, and that the written consents of not less than two-thirds of all the persons owning lands abutting on such portion of such turnpike in each and every incorporated town or borough shall have been first obtained and filed in the office of the clerk of the county wherein such turnpike is situate.

Manchester, New Hampshire added horse car in 1877. (Wikimedia)

     2. And be it enacted, That any turnpike or plank road company may sell, convey, assign and by written instrument of conveyance transfer and set over to any such street railway company any such portion of any such turnpike or plank road, together with all rights, title and interest to and in such turnpike or plank road, together with all franchises and appurtenances thereto pertaining, including the right to impose and collect tolls thereon, whereof such turnpike or plank road company shall be seized, enfranchised or invested, and any such street railway company may purchase, acquire title to and hold and enjoy the same, and may become invested and enfranchised with, and may exercise all such franchises and rights to the same extent and fully and in similar manner as therefore held, enjoyed and exercised by such turnpike or plank road company and subject to the same penalties and liabilities thereto attached for failure to maintain such road in good condition and repair, provided that the provisions of this section shall not take effect until the provisions of the first section shall have been fully complied with.

     3. And be it enacted, That the track and road bed of any such street railway upon such turnpike road shall be constructed in such manner as shall offer no unnecessary obstruction to travel upon such turnpike, and where any repairs thereunto may afterwards become necessary, it shall be the duty of such street railway company to make the same without delay, and if not so made, and after five days' notice shall have been given to such company the commissioners of the town or borough which such repairs may be necessary may cause the same to be made at the expense and charge of such street railway company, and the property of such street railway company shall be liable to distraint therefor; nothing in this act contained shall apply to any street railway within any city of this state.

     4. And be it enacted, That all laws and parts of laws conflicting herewith, in so far as they conflict herewith, are hereby repealed, and that this act shall take effect immediately.

Free Shuttle Service Between Aberdeen-Matawan Station and Battery Park via Liberty State Park

New Jersey Transit is offering free bus service between Aberdeen-Matawan Station and Liberty State Park and a free ferry service between the park and Battery Park in downtown Manhattaan. From the Battery you can catch a number of subways, which seem to be running now.

Good resources for details include:

• The NJ Transit Customer Notice as of Nov 9th, which includes a map that shows service from Aberdeen-Matawan train station;
• The Battery Conservancy's Visiting The Battery page, which describes the various subway lines and buses available and provides related links.
• The New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) provides the latest Service Status of its subways, buses, and rails in the top left corner of its home page.

 I am unable to identify the ferry service involved or provide any schedule details based on available news releases and no one seems curious enough to find out. If you've ridden this new shuttle or otherwise know something about the ferry service aspect of this commute, kindly add a comment below.

Hurricane Sandy Update - Election Day 2012

Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) has been restoring power in Hazlet and Keyport, both east of Aberdeen and Matawan, but so far we're still waiting. Rumor is that power is due in the next day or two, but there's no firm information yet. Matawan residents held a big meeting at St Clement's to discuss the power situation, but JCP&L didn't attend so I doubt anything was resolved except to be upset and frustrated. Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach residents are just hunkered down, hoping that rumors of month-long delays in power aren't true.

When you cross Matawan Creek on Route 35 at night heading north, the place is totally dark. Major intersections are uncontrolled. Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach residents not only have no heat or lights, there are no traffic signals. Cliffwood Avenue has cones and signs forcing you to head north several miles to the Morgan drawbridge at Cheesequake Creek, where you can finally make a U-turn. When there was a long line to get gas at the Wawa station at Cliffwood Avenue, I had to exit onto Route 35 North and make a six mile detour to get home. Amboy Avenue intersection is a bit more serious, with two school buses blocking vehicles from crossing Route 35. I guess some folks misbehaved. Suffice it to say that it's super dangerous to cross the highway at an uncontrolled intersection on Route 35. I encourage you not to try it.

We went out to Holmdel on Route 35 South and had dinner at Chili's last night. We waited 40 minutes for a table and the place was beyond jammed. People were there with their kids dressed in Halloween costumes -- Monday was the official holiday this year. Route 35 is alive and well from Home Depot in Keyport to Holmdel. A guy in line at Wawa told me on Monday that the lights are on to Middletown on Route 35 and to Atlantic Highlands on Route 36, but his statements are of unknown reliability.

We found Optimum Online hotspots near the Staples and McDonald's in Hazlet and in downtown Keyport on West Front Street. We've been visiting Espresso Joe's for internet and power, but we've been buying stuff to support the shop for its kindness. McDonald's in Hazlet has its own internet service but no outlets. We found the Optimum service stronger when we sat in our car with our laptops.

We've been blessed with friends who've helped us with our electric line that came down, a bow saw to deal with a down tree, and a generator to help with the dark and cold nights. The Southern Baptist Convention has sent its Yard By Yard teams into Cliffwood Beach to help with downed trees, another blessing. They're based out of the New Monmouth Baptist Church in Middletown. Give them a call at 732-671-5998 and they'll fill out a work order and see if they can help you with downed trees or removing mud and debris from your basement and yard. The lady I spoke with today said there are a hundred Baptists here from Oklahoma helping the Bayshore. Her team would be here until Nov 16th but more teams would be coming.

We voted this morning at One Aberdeen Square. Parking is a bit of an issue but the cops are there to direct the festivities. With seven districts voting there, it should get interesting as the day goes along. Best advice is to get in and get out quick so others can vote. Remember in Aberdeen to vote for Art Perri as a write in candidate for the Aberdeen slot on the school board. And remember the two referendum items. I'm recommending No votes on each, but do what you feel is best.

Be kind to your neighbors in this time of struggle. And be patient as you can.

2012 Elections - Voting in Aberdeen Township

Most of the usual polling locations in Aberdeen Township are being moved due to damage or outages resulting from Hurricane Sandy. Voting will take place on Tuesday, November 6th as follows:

• District 1 and District 2 will move from Cliffwood Firehouse to the town hall at One Aberdeen Square.
• District 3 and District 4 will move from the VFW to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 5 and District 12 will move from Cross of Glory Lutheran to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 6 and District 13 will move from the High School to One Aberdeen Square.
• District 7 and District 9 will move from the EMS building to the Aberdeen Firehouse on Lloyd Road.
•  District 8, Distrct 10 and District 11 will stay the same as usual.

Filling Gas Cans at Wawa in Cliffwood

Wawa at Cliffwood has a line of folks with gas cans as well as even-number tagged cars on Cliffwood Avenue. They parked in the Goodwill lot and walked over with gas cans or waited in their cars as attendants checked their tags at the driveway.

Matawan Presbyterian Worships Post Sandy

Life goes on at First Presbyterian Church, which is holding service without electricity. Power is another matter.

Sandy's Wrath at Cliffwood Beach - Photos

Cliffwood Beach took a big hit along the shore road and seawall. Mayor Fred Tagliarini and Councilman Greg Cannon visited my home and made sure our power outage and downed power line were reported to JCP&L. We're expecting power maybe next Thursday.

Macadam broken near Treasure Lake at seawall.

New sidewalk and rail looks fine at Cliffwood Beach. This view is east from Treasure Lake towards Keyport, which suffered greatly.

This view of the seawall is towards Cliffwood Beach. (west from Treasure Lake)

Macadam near seawall undercut by waves that crossed the seawall.

The new stone placed with the seawall sidewalk project was tossed twenty feet into the grass, a sign that the Raritan Bay created waves of 30 feet or more to cross the seawall.

The west end of the Cliffwood Beach seawall is stripped of its sand covering. Looks like it was sandblasted. Debris from the bay covers the sidewalk but isn't an obstruction to walking.

The west end of the seawall at Cliffwood Beach.

Cliffwood Beach from the west end of the seawall, looking west towards Laurence Harbor.

West end of the seawall has no more sand covering. The nearby beach is also stripped bare.

The west end of the seawall from the shore road.

The shore road at Cliffwood Beach is covered in sand. The guard rails were torn apart. All phone poles were either topped off or totally destroyed. Wires and transformers are mixed in sand and seawater..

Lakeshore Drive in Cliffwood Beach is buried in sand. Whale Creek bridge to Middlesex County in distance.

Lakeshore Drive toewards Midnight Point neighborhood of Cliffwood Beach.

The Raritan Bay formed a streambed towards Lakeshore Drive.

Pumping station near Greenwood Avenue in Cliffwood Beach.

Utility road off Greenwood Avenue is blocked by a tree.

The house closest to the water, at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and West Concourse, was flooded. Note the metal fence is grossly shredded by wave action. A number of houses on that end of West Concourse took in water in basements.

Sandy Aftermath - 1

Tree down in my backyard in Cliffwood Beach.