Click thru to watch video scenes from a 8mm movie…shot by Raymond Smith, during and after the March 1962 storm. Bill Smith posted this video on YouTube. The pictures are mostly of Brigantine. There are some parts that show Maine Avenue and Gardner’s Basin in Atlantic City. Bill’s father wouldn’t leave the island, so they were in Brigantine throughout the storm.
The water from the ocean and bay met right in front of their house on 27th Street at its peak. They had some water in the house, but were lucky that 27th Street is one of the higher parts of the island.
Editor’s note: Some highlights of this extraordinary video include damage scenes from the north end of Brigantine, the Brigantine Tourist Camp, Seahorse Pier, damage scenes of Brigantine Avenue looking north, Scheible Real Estate (destroyed), and an overturned Army personnel truck that was driven by Bill Smith’s cousin, Joe Anastasi, a Brigantine police officer — he was OK.
Also shown are the Brigantine Island Diner, Hackney’s in Atlantic City, C&H Float Marina, the lighthouse circle and the Jolly Roger Marina. Look for scenes at the height of a failed attempt to rescue a boat from the pounding surf. Watch closely and you will also see what is believed to be Bill Smith’s mother, Catherine “Becky” Smith.
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