page_title: 1899 Carrabelle hurricane
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: 1899 Carrabelle hurricane / Impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Railroad depot wrecked in storm- Carrabelle, Florida. Image taken
context_page_description: The 1899 Carrabelle hurricane caused significant damage in the Dominican Republic and the Florida Panhandle. The second tropical cyclone and second hurricane of the 1899 Atlantic hurricane season, the storm was first observed south of the Dominican Republic on July 28, 1899. Shortly thereafter, it made landfall in Azua Province, Dominican Republic with an intensity equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Early on July 29, the system weakened to a tropical storm, shortly before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean. It then moved west-northwestward and remained at the same intensity for the next 24 hours. The storm made landfall near Islamorada, Florida on July 30. It then brushed Southwest Florida before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm began to re-intensify on July 31 and became a hurricane later that day. Early on August 1, it peaked with winds of 100 mph, several hours before making landfall near Apalachicola, Florida at the same intensity. The storm quickly weakened inland and dissipated over Alabama on August 2.
context_section_description: News reports indicate that a "violent" hurricane struck the Dominican Republic on July 28. Three large schooners were wrecked at Santo Domingo; only one crew member on the three vessels survived. "Great" damage was reported along coastal sections of the country, while a loss of telegraph service impacted most of interior areas.
  Due to "somewhat threatening" weather conditions on July 30 and July 31, advisories were issued to stations across Florida, warning of the potential for strong winds. As a result, 40 vessels, coasting schooners, and spongers remained at port in Cedar Key. According to the displayman at Cedar Key, "they [the ships and sailors] would have sailed and some would have been lost" had they not received warnings.
  At the time of the storm, it was described as "the most disastrous cyclone that ever visited this section of Florida". Losses from the storm in Florida reached at least $1 million. The city of Carrabelle was devastated as only nine houses in the city remained. According to the mayor, about 200 families were left homeless. The New York Times stated that, "Carrabelle is literally wiped from the map." Losses in the city reached approximately $100,000. One fatality occurred in Carrabelle when a house collapsed on a woman; numerous other people in the area sustained injuries. At least 57 shipping vessels were destroyed, including 14 barques, 40 small boats, and 3 pilot boats. Losses for these ships collectively totaled about $375,000. At the Chattahoochee, then known as River Junction, a mass meeting of citizens was held on August 4 to collect money for the victims of the storm in Carrabelle.
  Additionally, 13 lumber vessels were beached. A 30-mile (48 km) portion of the Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad was washed away. A passenger train was blown over 100 yards from the track, injuring many passengers. Many boats at the harbor and the wharfs in Lanark were wrecked. The local summer resort of Lanark Inn was blown into the Gulf of Mexico. Large portions of stores and pavilions in the city were damaged. At McIntyre, virtually the entire town was destroyed, except for only two mill boilers. The city of Curtis Mill was completely destroyed. Additionally, the resort city of St. Teresa suffered significant damage. A total of fifteen ships either destroyed or beached at Dog Island, including the Benjamin C. Cromwell and James A. Garfield. At least 15 people were reported missing. Six drowning deaths were confirmed in association with this storm.
caption: The destroyed Railroad building in Carrabelle, Florida
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