New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-21
LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY
DAMAGE TO THE SHIPPING
YET THE PEOPLE Do NOT DESPAIR

Iexas is at the northeast corner of Calves
ton island. Behind the island is the much
famed bay. and north of the city is Calves
ton Pass. On the Gulf shore is tie beach,
and toward this quarter the location of tie
DIVE llings of the poorer classes tends. The
island is sand and low, it's natural level
being hardly enough protection against the
wash of the Gulf. Many natural obstacles
exist to prevent commercial uss of the loca-
tion and harbor, dangerous bar being the
most formidable. But it has been sci led
and built up by hardy, industrious, enter
prising and ambitious people, and grows
daily with their Efforts. 1t is peculiarly
exposed to storms and overflow and few
details. from the Galveston Ne,rS, of storms
OF earlier date, show what exertions are
necessary to prevent destruction
In 1878 the fleet Of Lattte was scattered
and .olr vessels driven ashore at Virginia
Point and the crews drowned.
Hotto..,.. !sg. ;;ao ;;a.o wins; ~ ~, . iy O., ', +.
days, the brig Elba was driven ashore and
the half dc2en houses on the island blown
down.
A Acyclone in October, 1872, damaged the
shipping, the water ross in the streets, and
the Episcopal Church was blown down.
Ia the cyclone Of September, 1854, though
| Matagorda was de troyed and the water
rose in the streets of Galveston the latter
escaped damage. The steamer Nick Hill
was lost.
nntnhar 1850 La
ing its highest velocity on the third and
subsiding only on the fourth at z. NJ.
Streets and stores were flooded, shipping
destroyed, the wharves nearly demolished.
June 9, 1871, a gale that had been blow.
ing for several days reached its greatest
velocity of forty miles an bour Small
vessels were wrecked, larger ones driven to
sea, the city damaged by water and St
Patrick's Church bio gn down.
From Sept, mber l. to A. The rainfall was
| four@temths of an inchi greatest velocity OF
the wind twenty-tour miles per hour, with
the mean direction from The northeast;
mild storm; lowest barometer 20 90.
October | to 3, a cyclone ragged, whaves
lest and crew Of one drowned.
The details of storms in September since
then as furnished the Ncws by Signal
Officer Hutchinson, are as follows:
1S72-From September | to T. Rainfall
33 inches: greatest velocity of the wind
twelve miles per hour, mean direction east
southeast; mild storm; lowest barome ter
299l
ls73-From September Il to %. Rainfall
32O inches; greatest velocity of wind four.
teen miles per hour: mean direction south
east; lowest barometer - 80.
lS7i-From September to IL. Rainfall
i,ji inches, greatest velocity, tgenty miles
per hour; mean direction east-southeast;
lowest barometer 90 ST. In this storm a
brig was wrecked and buildings were
blown away.
All these great storms have come from
the east. When the wind shifts to the
northwest the danger is gone and it only
remains to count the cost.
Ga Wednesday last, September il, at
eleven o'clock, gale from the northest was
blowing at the rate Of forty miles an hour,
the barometer showed $3.50, and knowing
ones began not to prepare for, but expect
the worst. That the city could be protected
BY grading of 81 fett when General
Beauregard had declared 67 above mean
low tide necessary, was fallacy that the
storm would soon expose. At three o'clock
Al ~. 60 f,rt, fnttpt nj loo
the tide was rising, the shipping seeking
refuge, the rain falling in torrents and the
streets flooded. The waves were breakin e
across the east end and people sought re-
iuge on the somewhat higher ground on
the west.
The horse cars were stopped, poultry,
dogs, pigs and household effects began TO
float out into the streets, and buildings to
shake and crumble. At nine O'Clock at the
Hospital toats were necessary, and it
seemed as if the Gulf were claiming the
island for its own. At the Point the en-
ployes of the government, working to I'M
prove the harbor, were forced to the city,
and fascines and material were washed
away while the buildings tottered. The
barometer fell to 1850 and was still going
down. The wharves we're going to pieces,
and dozen small houses were floating
around the streets. The guests at the
Ocean House left early in the day, and at
this honr there was no communication with
the beach. The wind blew steadily from
the northeast but decreased to thirty'hve
miles.
Up to this time danger had been appre.
hended from the bay, but the pressure on
the water was not from that direction. IL
seemed to be far out in the Cult, and drove
its waters regardless of the slackening OF
the wind that first raised its fury. All the
streets were flooded from one to four feet,
ever where travel still went on, and the
water kept rising.
In the morning the barometer was 1888,
the wind mol theast, changing later in the
day to east, and the rainfall 6.4S 1t blew
steadily all day, and the barometer fell at
nine o'clock at night TO 29:43, the wind We
locity being thirty-fve. The water rose
still higher, and on the beach it was seen
it was two feet higher than in 1854.
Then the barometer fell still lower, until
at two o'clock the next day it was 29oa;
but the wind had changed to the southwest,
and Saturday morning there was north
wind blowing forty-two miles, barometer
of 1916 and falling water.
The damage done was immense. page