The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-10-05


company with 'The Odd, of Pearl river, -
among the Malhereux Islands, near the South
shore of Lake Borgne, East of the place now
known as Proctorville About 8, A. NJ, find
ing that the wind was increasing, and had got
round to E. S. f. we contrived to hoist a
piece of one of our sails, and ran into Pearl
river, where we rode out the gale in safety.
Several coasters sought refuge in the Bay Of
st. Louis, and escaped uninjured. The
schooner "Favorite,'' Capt Eldridge, being a
little too late was driven on the East Point,
now known as Henderson's. Other vessels
were lost at different points along the coast,
| The second storm or hurricane took place
on or about the 2Ist Sept, 1921. 1t began
before day, the wind blowing from the East,
| then seered to n. T., ssnd after ~ N. chopped
round to S. E., and continued changing hom
one point to another, until 9, P. NJ, when it
became dead calm for fifteen minutes, and then
burst out from the s. W. for half an hour,
when it gradually abated. In the beginning
Of this gale several schooners ran into our
| Bay, and anchored in the Portage" a deep
cove on its Eastern shore, where they remain
ed safely The schooner Washington, of about
80 tons, had anchored during the night of the
| 21st, outside of the Bay of ST. Louis towards
| Pass Christian. She renamed there until
| about 8, P. NJ, when she began to drag her
anchors, the wind at East. and had nearly
reached the Western shore Of our Bay, when
| the wind suddenly hauling to the n. E. she
| was driven, still dragging her anchors, along
the shore, about $50 yards from land, until
| she neared bend in the coast where Gen
| Ripley, L. S. A., was then encamped There
her anchors held her until night Next
morning she was found bottom upwards, with
| her bows open from deck to keel, some sixty
yards from the water ON the beach, over
which she had been driven until arrested by
| the trees, where the house of James Phillips
now stands. 1t is supposed that some twenty
persons were on board, all of whom perished
During that gale several vessels were en- route
between the Rigolets and Mobile bay. Four
or five were driven ashore at, and near Pass
Christian, among them the sloop James, y
Captain Pigeon, of 60 tons, and the schooner
"Hooky,'' of Sandwich, of 80 TONS This
gale, and that of 1919, washed away a greater
extent of bank along the whole coast, than
any or all that have occurred since
The third hurricane began, just.before day.
on the 18th August, 1881. 1t differed from
the preceding ones in this, that the wind blew
constantly from the same point, without vari-
dlIOAI HOhl IilC IL COulIlleuCeu uIlIu
the night Of the 18th. The wind blew the
whole time from Z. n. E. Though this gale
did not equal in violence the gales OF 1919 and
1921, yet, owing to its protracted duration,
the sea rose higher than it ever has done be-
fore or since. The high-pressure steamer,
Long Branch" then in the mail service be-
tween New Orleans and Mobile, ran in under
the lee of the Eastern shore of Bay St. Louis
early in the morning of the 18th, and lay in
safety upon her anchors during this storm of
three days and nights. A number of vessels
from the eastward sought the same shelter, in
the commencement of the gale, and rode it out
safely, whilst not less than eight or ten were
| driven ashore at different other places along
the coast
The fourth hurricane occurred in August,
1885. 1t inflicted but little damage along our
coast, but was very destructive on the Florida
seaboard. 1t came on in the night, the wind
blowing from the East at first it afterwards
wore round to S. E., from whence came the
most violent part of the Storm which continu-
ed until sometime in the following night The
high pressure steamer, Little Watchman,' .
was driven ashore in the front Bay Of Biloxi,
between what are now known as Lameuse
street and Browns wharf Eight or nine days
subsequently, 4, Eisient but brief gale prevailed,
commencing before day and lasting until 5,
T. NJ, the wind blowing from the East The
schooner 'tRover, of Pennington" Capt Dan
| iel, was at anchor some distance to the East
ward of Deer Island, when this gale begun
She was driven from her anchorage, and
| dragged considerable distance, where she
lost one anchor. She got the other on board
| and putting on what sail she could carry, at
tempted to run into Biloxi Bay, but failing
therein, ran for Bay of St Louis, which she
made without difficulty, about half past eight
A. NJ, where she cast out her remaining an
chor, and rode the gale out in safety
Hurricane No. took place, if l remember
right in September, 1889. 1t began between
| and 10 o'clock, P. NJ and ended about day.
light. The wind came from the East, but
wore round to the N W. 1t was scarcely
felt East of the Bay of st. Louis where the
wharves and bathing houses were carried away,
but no vessels damaged. The low pressure
steamer, Merchant was driven ashore in
the bend near st. Joseph's Island, nine miles
West of Bay st. Louis, but the bottom there
being soft she was relieved sometime thereaf-
ter without serious injury. Further to the
Westward this gale was very severe. New
Orleans was partially inundated by the water
from Lake Pontchartrain ships were driven
from their moorIngs in the river at the lake
end of the Pontchartrain Railroad, all the
steamers and other vessels lying there were
driven high and dry, and the buildings more
or less damaged by the wind and waves.
The sixth hurricane occurred in August
1852. 1t differed from any that preceded it
1t was scarcely felt in New Orleans or on the
lake. At Bay of st. Louis the wind was very
high, but without any variation, from tie NJ
W., which being off the land, and blowing
directly out of the bay, it drove the water
back and there was no sea. As the greatest
damage from these storms is occasioned by the
abrazion of the waves, no harm was done at
this place; though the wind was terrific, not
one of the numerous coasters lying here,
loaded and unloaded, suffered any injury.
Further eastward at different points this storm
varied considerably in its course A channel
was cut by the waves through Ship Island,
and through several parts of the Chandelier
Islands, where there was considerable loss of
life and stock. In Mobile Bay the wind blew
first from the East, and afterwards from S. E.,
driving large ships ashore. In the city the
wharves were destroyed, stores and ware
houses inundated, and a number of small
craft driven into the streets
The seventh hurricane / have witnessed
occurred on the 18th Sept, 1856. A writer
for the Handsboro' Democrat pronounces it
the most violent one experienced in this lati-
tude. In my opinion it may not be COM
pared either in violef."e, duration or conse-
quences with those of 1919, '21 and 81 The
same writer alleges likewise, that the storms
along the coast generally came from the N. W.
and vary to f. and S. E. Ny experience is
quite the reverse. With the exception of that
M 1852, every hurricane that | have wit
messed began at East and varied to North
East. afterwards to South East, and finally to
South West.
The storm of 1856 began early in the morn
ing of the 18th Sept, with the wind at East;
it gradually increased all day, and during the
whole night, the wind still rising from the
same quarter, until daylight on the 10th,
when it began to moderate. From s A. NJ.
to A. NJ. there was dead calm. 1t then
began to rain in torrents, and in a moment
the wind sprung up from the South West
and for about three quarters OF an hour blew
from that direction more fnriously than ever
a perfect tempest. The water plain in the
bay of st. Louis rose about four and a-half
feet. The wharves and bathing houses had
been swept away long before daylight but no
damage had been done to the shore until the
wind came from S. w. Then it tore UP the
bank, and prostrated the trees, fences, &c.
The low pressure packet steamer Creole
arrived at our wharf about IL O'Clock in the
night of the 18th. The wind was then blow
ing very hard from the East, but she sue
ceeded in landing some passengers. On leav-
ing the wharf, finding the wind from the
eastward too violent to make headway, she
steered under the shelter cf the east point of
our Bay (Henderson's Point), and there an
chored during the night, perceiving that she
dragged her anchors, she got up steam and
ran into Jourdan river, up the head of our
Bay, where she lay in perfect safety. During
this awful night two schooners, lying near the
western shore of Bay St. Louis were driven
ashore near Coward's place, but were subse-
quently got off without difficulty. Two other
schooners, which had been anchored near the
centre of the Bay, rode out the storm in
safety.
Since 1877 we have had numerous blows
or gales besides those have referred to, but
they cannot be claimed as storms-though
many Of these elbows" have compelled our
coasters to seek shelter, and the Bay Of 81.