Lower coast gazette., 1909-09-25
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER Is, 1909.
The September Storm of 1909.

AAS'NJ va ~ NSAor "
Louisiana experienced a hurricane exceeding in
its intensity any that has occurred during the
last forty years. The great storm of October
flrst, 1893, when so many persons were drowned
upon the Lower Coast, was a storm far more
disastrous so far as loss of life was concerned,
but was Of far less intensity, though of longer
duration. The October storm of 1905 was one
without precedent in the height Of the waters
driven against the low lands on the eastern bank
OF the river, the waters from the rear then
reaching higher levels than any known to the
oldest inhabitants, but the storm of this week
surpassed all of these in intensity, in the height
OF the waters and in the damage done. The
Grand Island Railroad on the West Bank of the
river was put out of business entirely for most
of the week. By actual measurement on the
east bank at one Of the draining machine ca
nails, the flood stood sixteen inches higher than
the waters of 1905.
Some singular features attached to this storm
that are very worthy of consideration. The
great disasters that have occurred from storms
in Louisiana and especially our so-called equi-
noctial, or autumnal storms, have generally oc-
Cured after a number of days of easterly winds
and a gradual rise in the attacking waters, thus
creating the foundation for the final attack Of
greater or less intensity. The storm that de-
stroyed Last Island in 1856 was one of this kind.
The storm that destroyed Galveston in 1901 was
one of these prolonged storms, but this hurri-
cane OF 1909 was announced by the U. S.
Weather Service as appearing in the Gulf Of
Mexico and trending westward. The winds had
been a little easterly and the back waters on
the east bank a little higher than usual, but not
at all high in the ordinary sense Of that term,
and this was the case on Sunday the 10Th. The
storm attacked the Louisiana coast on Sunday
night and on Monday morning it was found that
the Louisville and Nashville trains could not
get into New Orleans. During the day the
storm increased in intensity and much damage
was done in New Orleans. Monday night at
7:30 the storm climaxed and the wind shifted
and the storm rapidly abated, but the damage
was already done.
The cane crops are many of them whipped
into threads by the wind Of Monday and later
submerged by the wind driven floods of water
from the rear. What the final results will be
with these cane crops it is almost impossible to
say, but it is generally recognized that the Sit
uation looks worse during the disaster than the
subsequent results indicate.
AS for the rice crop, and this especially
among the planters far down the coast who fol-
low the wet method Of planting and do this at
later dates than the so-called dry method, and
hence have a later harvest, that which was not
previously harvested IS practically all lost. The
rice fields have been one vast sea of storm dri-
ven water, the rice shocks and the rice stacks
have been overthrown by the storm and the rice
has t1oated off, and if not entirely lost, will by
the resulting damage be scarcely worth any ef-
forts made to secure any part Of it. At this
writing it is almost impossible to make any
reasonable estimate of the injury done and the
Senaral distress is so great that we shall hope
that the fears so generally expressed will not
be realized in any full measure.
The orange crop, which is a very conspicuous
feature in Plaquemines parish crops, has been
off the trees by the storm, with the
fruit in its present immature condition and the
crop promises to be a failure to the extent of
two thirds at least. Many skihs, gasoline
and other boats have been lost or
wrecked, or seriously damaged in some way.
Hundreds OF persons have been marooned on
the Lower Goast unable to get away because of
the lack OF transportion facilities, but SO far as
heard from, no lives whatever have been lost.
The increasing intensity of the storm Mon
day evening excited some apprehensions as to
the overturning of the railroad cars by the in
tensity Of the ~easterly gale then blowing, which
reported to have exceeded sixty miles per
hour. The intensity Of the gale was of suhh-
duration to inundate at least two thirds of
the parish Of Plaquemines and the inupdation
:sme with a audiences unparalleled in the his
tory Of the parish and cannot we'll be described
expressed in other terms than a tidal wave
suddenly developing and overwhelming first the
East Bank and then the West Bank. San Fran
had her earthquake, against which no
preparation could have been made,
It were 70 have hid more elastic water
maine. Plaqaemines Parish has had it's tidal
at 1900. which M human oynorionco ond