Message in a bottle by Dennis Komsa surfaces 50 years later, Superstorm Sandy credited with discovery
Not everything about Superstorm Sandy appears to have been negative.
photo Jason A. Howie via Flickr
Fifty years ago, a 12-year-old boy named Dennis Komsa wrote a note, sealed it in a glass jar, and cast it into the Atlantic Ocean while he was in New Jersey on vacation with his family.
About a week after Superstorm Sandy hit, Norman Stanton was wading through storm debris outside his sister’s home when he noticed a glass jar that sat away from the other trash.
He propped it on the deck and got back to work.
The jar that Komsa threw in the water was long forgotten. That is, until Sandy found it.
The Ball mason jar carrying a note, a 1958 nickel and an envelope with a return address got caught in the superstorm’s surges and rode the waves into Sharon Roher’s driveway just less than a quarter of a mile where it was tossed into the sea.
To whom it may concern, Please fill out the following questions and mail. This is a scientific experiment by Dennis Komsa, age 12.”
It included his Paterson address and noted that 5 cents was enclosed to buy the stamp needed to reply.
Here’s what Komsa wanted to know:
Where was the jar found?
When was it found?
How was it found?
“Anything else which might help me?”
“Things happen for a reason. I guess it’s good it came to shore. It shows anything is possible,” Komsa said, surprised by the discovery.
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