, 1908-03-04
HURRICANES OF THE WEST INDIES,
AND THEIR CAUSES, IN A COMMUNI-
CATION FROM CAPT. LANGFORD
TO Mr.. BONAVERT.
("Ph1osophical 7ransactions"1698, reprint
ed in"Zhe Gallery Of Nature a"d Art"181G.

It has been the custom Of our French and
English inhabitants Of the Caribee Islands
to send about the month of June, to the
native Caribbees of Dominica and ST. Vim
cent to know whether there would be any
Hurricane that year and about ten or
twelve days before the hurricane came they
would constantly send them word, and it
very rarely was erroneous, as I have observ-
ed in five hurricanes in the years 1867, 1868,
1860, 1865 and 1867. From one Of these
Indians, I had the toAoaoimg prognostics.
All hurricanes come either on the day of
the full, change, OF quarters of the moon.
If it be to happen on the full moon, observe
these signs during the change: The skies
will be turbulent, the sun redder than usual,
a great calm, and the hills clear of clouds, or
fogs over them, which in the high lands are
seldom, so likewise in hollows, or concaves OF
the earth or wells, there will be a great
noise, as of O storm, and at night the stars
will look very large with burs about them,
and the Northwest sky very black and FOUL
the sea smelling stronger than at other
times, and sometimes for an hour or two on
that day, the wind blows very hard wester-
" out of it's usual course. On the full of
the moon you have the same signs with a
great bur about the moon, and frequently
dDOdU UAO PlAA' 1AO RISAO HNoA"
observed on the quarter days Of the moon
in July, August and September, the months
when the hurricanes are most frequent the
earliest I ever heard of was the 18th July
and the latest 9Th September, but the usual
month is August.
The method of avoiding the danger is to
keep the ship sailable, with good store of
ballast, the ports well barred and caulked,
the top masts and tops down,the yards laced
apart, keeping the doors and windows OF
the ship fast, and she will be as we'll as III
other storms thus the ship being in readi-
ness, she may stay in the road till the storm
begins, which is always first at north SO to
the north west, till it comes round to the
South east, and then it's fury is over. So
with the north wind they may run away to
the south, to get themselves sea room, for
the drift of the southwest wind where it
blows fercely. By these means, I have by
Gods blessing preserved myself IN two hur-
ricanes at sea, and in three at shore, greatly
to my advantage, as I lost not a sail, yard or
mast in two great hurricanes.
The causes of these hurricanes according
to governmental observation Of nay TIME are
these.
It is known to men of experience, that to
the southwark of the tropics, there is con-
stantly q trade wind or easterly WIND
(Which goes from the north 10 bne souGnedSCt
all the year round except where there are
reversions of breezes,and inlets near the land
so that when this Hurricane, or rather whnl-
wind, comes in opposition to the constant
trade wind, then it pours down with such
violence as exceeds any storms OF wind. In
the hurricane at Nevis, I saw the high
mountain that was covered with trees left
in most places bare.
1t is remarked by all men, that have been
in those parts where the sun comes to the
Zenith, that at his approach towards it there
is always fair weather, but at his return
southwards, it occasions, off the north parts
of the equinoctial, generally much rain.
and storms as tornados, come on several
points, but before it comes, it calms the con-
slant e~asterly winds and when they are
past, the easterly wind gathers force again
and then the weather clears up fair.
The wind being generally between the
tropics and the equator easterly unless at
such times as before mentioned, meeting
with the opposition of these hurricanes,
which come in q contrary course to that
trade wind, causes this violent whirlwind ION
the suns leaving the Zenith of Barbados,
anil these adjacent islands by which the