Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsBY ERIC MODEL
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
JOURNEYS INTO NEW JERSEY
A trip to the shore for most of us involves some sand, sun, surf with perhaps a bit of seafood, salt water taffy and a visit to a boardwalk mixed in.
But there's more to the area. It's a place of history that has contributed greatly to today's sense of who and what we are. And most of these spots are virtually overlooked by most who visit the area.
Once off the beach, Cape May is best known for its Victorian flavor and the lighthouse at the point. But Cape May is also a place of nautical and military history.For example, just off Sunset Beach in Cape May, you can still see the remains of the Atlantus, an experimental concrete ship that sank in 1926 while being positioned for ferry service locally.
She was built by the Liberty Ship Building Company in Brunswick, Ga. and launched on December 5, 1918 and was the second concrete ship constructed in the World War I Emergency Fleet.
The war had ended a month earlier, but the Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and also to transport coal in New England. In 1920, the ship was retired to a salvage yard in Virginia.
In 1926, the Atlantus was purchased by Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld to be used as ferry dock in Cape May, N.J. for a proposed ferry between Cape May, N.J. and Cape Henlopen, Del. The plan was to dig a channel into to the shore where the Atlantus would be placed. Two other concrete ships would be purchased to form a Y-shape where the ferry would dock.
In March 1926, the groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the construction of the ferry dock. The Atlantus was repaired and towed to Cape May. On June 8, a storm hit and the ship broke free of her moorings and ran aground 150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach. Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none were successful.
Since then the Atlantus has become a tourist attraction seen by millions. People used to swim out to the ship and dive off, until one young man drowned. At one time, a billboard was also placed on the ship.
These days S. S. Atlantus can be seen at Sunset Beach in Cape May, N.J..
A sign on the beach reads:
S. S. Atlantus
Broke loose during storm (June 1926) went aground. Attempts to free her were futile.
Unfortunately the ocean has taken its toll on the ship and she has broken apart. Starting in the late 1950's, the ship began to split apart in the midsection. So if you're going to get a look you'd better do so in a hurry. Some feel that it's only a matter of time before the last of her remains crumble beneath the waves.
Nearby, there is an interested story to be told — the newly restored World War II Lookout Tower Museum & Memorial. The Museum on Sunset Boulevard is actually Fire Control Tower No. 23, New Jersey's last freestanding World War II tower, part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. There you can learn about Cape May's important role in America's homeland defense efforts during the war years.
There are evening Lantern tours, where a guide will light your way as he or she describes Fire Control Tower No. 23 and Cape May's pivotal role. Climb to the top of the tower and learn how to aim the big guns at the entrance to Delaware Bay.
And most interestingly, World War II veterans from the Cape May area come out to the tower on Saturdays and Sundays to share their first-hand war experiences with the public. In sharing their stories from around the world, it brings the tower to life and gives the public a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made during the war.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the lantern tours, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
Up the coast, Atlantic City is best known for its present day casinos, as well as its historical connection to the now departed Miss America Pageant. Less known is that the largest pipe organ in the world is to be found in Atlantic City at the Convention Hall.
Specifically, it has more pipes than any other organ — over 33,000. It also holds the record for being the largest and loudest music instrument in the world.
Built between 1929 and 1932 by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company of Merrick, N.Y., it was designed by Atlantic County State Senator Emerson L. Richards, who specified almost every detail from its physical construction to the sound made by its stops.
The organ features some 450 ranks of pipes from 314 stops. Add in the 23 percussions (i.e. piano, chimes, castinets, drums) and you've got a total of 337 stops. A 100-inch "Grand Ophicleide" is considered the loudest stop in the world. According to the folks at Guinness Book of World Records, it's volume is "six times louder than the loudest locomotive whistle". If you're into these things a full list of all the stops can be found at http://www.organrecitals.com/acch.php.
To many the core of the organ sound is the classical church-type organ but influences can also be heard from the theater organ and from other schools of organ building such as Baroque.
In addition to the Midmer-Losh organ in the Main Auditorium, the Hall's ballroom is home to one of the largest theater-type organs ever built. It was completed in 1929 by W.W. Kimball of Chicago, Ill. and is said to have provided a blueprint for the Radio City Music Hall organ in New York. This instrument has 55 ranks of pipes controlled from a four-manual console.
Monthly tours of the organs are provided by the Atlantic City Hall Organ Society. For more information visit http://www.acchos.org.
Finally, off the coast in Egg Harbor, the Renault Winery, has been in business for almost 140 years.
They produce and sell wines. The place is also a resort these days.
Less known, it exhibits what is described as the world's largest collection of wine goblets and champagne glasses. An "Antique Glass Museum" houses the Renault's priceless champagne & wine glass collection dating back to medieval times. Visitors to the winery can also get a peak at a private collection of antique winemaking equipment. Of course, there is a gift shop full of wine to bring a liquid souvenir home To learn more about the winery and its exhibits see http://www.renaultwinery.com.
If you find that rain has put a damper on your beach and boardwalk plans, you might contemplate these and other places that beckon for discovery "down the shore" beyond the usual suspects.
Eric Model explores the "offbeat, off the beaten path overlooked and forgotten" on SIRIUS-XM Radio and at journeysinto.com.
