The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-11-05
THE OCTOBER GALES.



The month OF October viii long be MEMORIALS IN
marine annals for the terribly destructive effects Of
the series OF cyclones, hurricanes and gales thae
seem 70 havc swept alike the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans. The telegraph cables have BEEN frolghteA
with Intelligence OF disasters at sea ana wrecks
on rock-bound coasts In which the nropot
ton OF human survivors TO those Loaf voA
extraordinarily small October il generally 4
moderately calm and peaceful monxh, bus
this year 1t seems to have rvsned November I'm th1
fury OF It's storms ana tine destruction 30 alma ana
human lives that follow In their wakes. me AZ
lantic, from the shores OF Europe, along our ed
tended coast and amid the ISLANDS OF the troutcas
have been especially vexed BY these terrific morm6
and since 1t is thronged with craft OF every nattoI
the loss IN property and life has been corregpondy
ingiy great Even the placid Pacific has been VISITED
by hurricanes, aud one great steamer that We know
Of has been forever swallowed up In It's Seacheroua
bosom. We have yet to learn OF the full respts Of
these disastrous october storms among the sailing
craft in mid-ocean Many are yet to 60 on that sad
list OF vessels that have gone to sea never TO N
heard Of more. We already know enough to feet
justified In regarding the past month a. the most
disastrous experienced for many years. Mode!
rate estimates place the number or vessels lost b
wreck, fire, collisions, abandonment or missing Al
nearly seventy. The loss Of property In SHIPS mag
be reckoned &C moro than two millions OF
dollars. not counting the values Of cargoesa
which must have exceeded forty millensa
Especially In steamers class OF vessels generally
regarded particularly safe. has the loss been teri
rible. Ten steamers have perished by stormsr nr&
First the list and first In the destruction Of iii
was the Cambria, OF the Anchor line. which struck
o rock on Instrahull Island, near the entrance oil
Tough Foyle on the northwest coast Of Ireland, and
soon went down in frighrfu gale Of wind ana amid
OF. No. <1n4~e> nA
for Glasgow, and went to pieces during
the night OF october 10, only one man out Of $50
souls on board being saved. the ship was ], o95
tons, and was valued with Its cargo, at over half q
million OF dollars. DID /
The steamer Continental OF the Mexican Pacln6
Coast line was caught In hurricane OF San Lucas
and finally, after sprngng leak, tearing away coal
bunkers and dispacing boilers, foundered at seaV
with loss Of nine lives out OF total OF ITO, pasS
senger5 ana crew. The Continental had valuable
cargo on board. and the ship was worth several
hundred thousand dollars. !.
tween New YORK ana New Orleans, was totally lost
In the hurricane OF the 9th OF october, OH the COAST
OF Florida ana only fragment OF heating wrecs
served TO tell her fearful fate Tlrty-six souls were
lost tn her ana the ship and cargo were OF conside
able value. m sNNHsS- 81 M
for Havana went on shore on MetacamDa Key, pe4
tween Indian Key and Key West. and proved
were saved During Inc latter part OF October tha
steamer Key West, from New York to Charlestoni
went ashore north Of Cape Hatteras and shortly
afterwards bilged and went to pieces, very httld
being saved from her except the officers and crew. 4
The Darien. steamer trading between Europe
and the West indies, was carried ashore by HURT.
cane and totally wrecked, near Santiago de Cubas
October 10, and finally the Varuna, propeller ply3
ing between this port and Galveston, feundered Id
the hurricane on the Florida coast October 20 and
all but Ave Of the passengers and crew were lost3
ID1tockney, We learn that the second matei
George Wilson, Thomas Glennan and JameS
Burns, OF the crew. were the only survivors OF ting
foundered ship. Thirty-six passengers, whose
names have already been published, and ebalanca
OF the oficers and crew went down with the vessen
additional victims OF that most disastrous st0rmd
The value OF the cargo OF the varnna was esti5
mated at over $500, 0oO J &4N41&
seven banks, fourteen briggs and twenty-eight
schOoners wrecked, burned sunk or missing--d
fearful list, which Is more than likely to BID
swollen by reports yet TO reach u.s. Altogethe8
the gales OF the month or october were sucH
as our shpowners and underwriters VIII not I'd
again experience In all their dreadful results. Ting
furious storms Of mid-autumn may presage o sever@
winter, which, at the BEST Is terribly disastr0usE
and we may yet, before spring comes again, chronic
Gle series OF disasters that will equal II not SURF
pass In horrors that OF October. We trust hows
ever that we have seen the worst OF the gales and
that mild and peaceful season may follow the wal
or clements which has so startled and dstur bed I'd
since September last. '