Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-12-16
Last Century Aurrlcancs.

The colonists in Louisiana during the
year 1913 were dragging along slug
sishly and miserably rickety sort OF
existence, when, on the 11th of Septem-
Der, there burst upon them a tremend-
Gus hurricane, which lasted three
days. The church, the hospitals and
thirty houses in the modest little ham
let OF New Orleans were Frustrated by
The wind. Three ships that were in
port were completely wrecked, the crops
we're destroyed, very few OF the edit
ces on the embryo farms OF the colony
could withstand the fury Of the hurri-
cane, and were swept away like chat
or autumn leaves. The desolation was
80 widely spread and. so intensely felt
that that the first impulse of the peo-
pie in their despair was TO quit the
colony for ever; and no doubt they
would have executed their design IL
they could have procured means OF
transportation. A company of infantry
that had embarked at Biloxi for New
Orleans svailed themselves OF this fa-
vorable oppol ltunlty for escape, took
possession of the vessel and forced her
captain tG sail for Charleston, where
.hey landed safely with their arms and
baggage. On the 25th of February,
l74l, Beauchamp, the French comman-
der at Mobile. gave In dispatch to his
Government the description of dread
ful hurricane which be gan on the llth
of September, l740, and which pro
duced very extensive disasters in what
was then called the Colony of Louisi-
ana. "The hurricane" he said "was
80 violent that here (Mobile) it blew
down several houses, and among others
the editice which Mr.. BiZetOn had con-
strueted, not only as store, but As
a house of refuge for sailors. Unfor-
Innately it contained all the -four and
provisions destined for the subsistence
of the garrison, waa Obliged to send
the garrison fishing along the coast
for the barrels which had been thrown
Into the water and part of which were
STAYED In. Without this barrel-fishing
We should have run the risk Of dying
of hunger, as our resources were llml-
ted to six or eight barrels ofdour
which were in the fort. 1.-The wind
WAS so furious that if it had continued
forty-eight hours, as all hurricanes
generally do, we should have been in
undated. Fortunately 1t blew only
twelve hours, but with such force that
half OF Dauphine Island was carried
away, and more than three hundred
head of cattle were drowned on the
island. We have lost a greater num-
Der OF them on this coast and at Pasca.
goula. This loss is severely ielt by the
poor population of this section of the
country. The effect produced by the
force of the wind is almost incredible.
There was lying before the guard
house of Dauphine Island cannon of
four pound caliber. The wind trans
ported 1t eighteen feet from where 1t
was. This tact is sworn to by all the
inha bitants of the island. This hurri-
cane, WHICH laSlSO l" Give uOul SS OOSo oA
In she night of the l1th of September,
and ceased on that day at no)n But al
though its duration was not long, 1t
caused much damage. To cap the climax
there came another hurricane on the
18th of the same month, which de-
stroyed the rest of our resources. This
wind, which blew from the north
northeast, and which was accompanied
by heavy rain, caused an overtowing
OF all the rivers from Carolina to this
place. The first hurricane was from
east southeast. Luckily these hUrri-
canes did not pass over New Orleans
and the adjacent country, where all
the crops have turned out to be pretty
abundant. OtherUise the whole COLI
ony would have been in a frtghIul
condition for the want OF provisions.