The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-16
SAVED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
The Weather Bureaus Warnings Dur
ing the Recent Hurricane.

ing the Recent Hurricane.
The weather bureau has issued a series
Of maps showing the path Of the tropical
/ hurricane Of oct. s TO 10. This is the storm
/ that swept up from the Gulf last week.
passing west of Savannah and striking
! the coast at Cape Hatteras.
| There are six maps showing the storm
/ center at s o'clock a. m. and at o'clock
4 p. m. on each day from the time it struck
/ the west coast of Florida until it disap-
/ peared in the st. Lawrence valley.
In its description of the storm the
weather bureau says:
The disturbance belonged to a type OF
tropical storms which originate over the
cast Of the Gulf Of Mexico or ad-
vance westward from the Caribbean sea.
I and recurve over or near northern Yucca
tan. In the case Of storms of the lat
I ter class the disturbances are generally
OF slight intensity until the recurve has
| begun, or their course is too far to the
southwark to admit of their passage be-
ing detected at the Cuban stations Of
observations.
In October during the last ten years
i've storms have advanced from the Car
rihean sea over the Gulf of Mexico; of
this number two reached the west Gulf
coast, two recurved over the Florida pc
Hinsula, and one dissipated over the
central GulE During the same period
five storms apparently originated over
the Gulf Of Mexico. Of which number
three advanced northcastward to the
middle Atlantic and south New England
coasts, one dissipated over southern Ala
bama.
The approach of storms which advance
from the Caribbean sea is usu-
ally detected before or dur
ing the recurve by West In
dian or Key West reports. In the case of
storms which originate over the middle
Gulf, however, an entire absence of re-
ports from the region south of the Gulf
coast and the small diameter of the storm
areas render their approach to the Gulf
coast difficult to forsee.
The first Information relative to the
storm which has just traversed the east
Gulf and Atlantic coast states was con
tanned in dispatches received from Ha-
Dana and Key West the afternoon of the
4th, when evidences of Cyclonic action
central over the east Gulf were reported
During the next twonty-four hours there
were no indications of the storm except
at Key West where the barometer fell
Ola below the normal and the wind
reached velocity of thirty-two miles
per hour.
At noon of the 9Th information signals
were ordered on the Gulf and south
Florida coasts, and shipping interests
were warned Of possible danger. At 12:30
p. m southeast storm signals We're or
dered at Key West. On the morning of
the 9Th there was some indication of a
disturbance in the Gulf southeast OF
louisiana In the evening observers on
the middle and east Gulf and west Flor
ida coasts were notified of the probable
location of the storm. and were informed
that vessels should not leave for central
and east Gulf ports. At Il p.
m. northeast storm signals were
ordered up at Port Eads, and
the observer was informed that a
dangerous storm was central south of
his station and that If possible all YES
sells should be held until the conditions
were more favorable BY the evening of
the It'll the hurricane center was ap-
preaching the middle Gulf coast, and the
wind had reached a velocity of sixty miles
per hour at the mouth of the Mississippi
On the morning of that date the OBJ
servers at New Orleans, Mobile, Pensa-
cola, Cedar Keys and Tampa were in
formed of the movement Of the storm,
and instructed to notify shipping and
warn shipmasters not to leave port Mes
sages containing similar information
were also sent to Observers at Galveston,
Jacksonville, Key West, Savannah and
Charleston, and to the secretaries Of the
maritime exchanges of New York and
Philadelphia.
Messages were also sent TO New 1Ork
and Philadelphia stating that the storm
was approaching the east Gulf
and would probably move northeast,
causing dangerous gales along the south
Atlantic coast. By the morning of the
Sth it had reached the central Gulf coast,
the center being near to and south of
Pensacola. Dangerous northeast gales
were reported on the east Gulf coast, and
the storm was apparently moving to-
ward the south Atlantic coast.
By the morning of the 9th the storm had
moved northeastward to southern Geor-
gia and was central near Savannah. The
display of northeast storm signals was
extended along the Atlantic coast to
Woods Hol, Mass, and observers on the
middle Atlantic and south New England
coasts were informed of the location and
character of the storm, and were di-
rected to distribute this information
widely among shipmasters. Messages
were also sent to the secretaries of the
Philadelphia and New York Maritime Tx
changes stating that it was not safe for
any vessel to leave port, especially for
the south.
BY the evening of the 10th the storm had
reached Maine. BY the morning of the
nth the storm center had reached the
lower st. Lawrence valley with clearing
weather and winds decreasing in force
over New England and along the mid
die Atlantic coast.
The history of the two great storms
which have visited the eastern section of
the United States within the last three
weeks furnishes competent evidence of
the Importance and great value of the
sytems of warnings recently adopted by
the weather bureau. This system pro-
vides for the distribution, by telegraph
from selected conters to all available i'm
portant points and interests, of warnings
OF unusually heavy storms and eXcep-
D
received indicate that the warnings tele-
grapheds in advance of the storm
above referred to, which were particular
ly destructive along our southern coasts,
prevented the loss of many lives and
prompted precautionary measures which
resulted In a saving OF millions of dollars
to maritime and coast interests.