The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-12-14

The colonists in Louisiana during the
year 1898 were dragging along slug
gishly and miserably riokety sort Of
existence, when, on the 11th of Septem-
ber, there burst upon them 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
tho wind. Three ships that wore in
port were completely wrecked, the crops
were destroyed, very few of the edif-
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. Tho desolation was
so widely spread and 80 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 II
they could have procured means of
transportation. A company Of in fan try
that had embarked at Biloxi for New
Orleans availed themselves Of this IA
vorable opportunity for escape, took
possession Of the vessel and forced her
captain to sail for Charleston, where
they landed safely with their arms and
baggage. On tho 26th Of February,
174l, Beauohamp, the French comman-
der at Mobile, gave in dispatch to his
Government the description of 4 droad-
full hurricane which began on tho l1th
Of September, 1740, 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 (Moblle) it blew
down several houses, and among others
the ediflce which Mr.. Bizeton had con-
strueted, not only as a store, but as
house Of refuge for sailors. Unfor-
tnnately 1t contained all the flour and
provisions destined for the subsistence
Of the garrison, was obliged to send
the garrison a fishing along the coast
for the barrels which had been thrown
into tho 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 wore llml-
ted to six or eight barrels Of -four
which were in the fort. "rho wind
was 80 furious that II it had continued
forty-eight hours, rs all hurricanes
generally do, we should have been In
undated. Fortunately 1t blew only
twelve hours, but with such force that
half OF Dauphino Island was carried
away, and more than three hundred
head of cattle were drowned on the
island. We have lost greater num-
Der OF them on this coast and at Pasca-
goula. This loss is severely felt by the
poor population of tins section of the
country. The effect produced by the
force Of the wind Is almost Incredible.
There was lying before the guard
house Of Dauphino Island a cannon Of
four pound caliber. The wind trans
ported 1t eighteen feet from where 1t
was. This fact Is sworn to by all the
Inhabitants Of the island. This hurri-
cane, which lasted twelve hours, began
In the night Of the 1lth Of September,
and ceased on that day at noon. 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, whloh de-
str0yed the rest Of our resources. This
wind, which blew from the north
northeast, and which was accompanied
by heavy rain, caused an ovcrnowing
of all the rivers from Carolina to this
place. The first hurricane was from
east-southeast. Luckily these hurri-
canes did not pass oyer New Orleans
and the adjacent country, where all
the crops have turned out to be pretty
abundant. Otherwise tho whole col-
ony would have bsen in frightful
condition for the want OF provisions.