1875 — Sep 15-18, Hurricane, esp. Sabine Pass to Indianola, Matagorda Bay, TX — >270

— >270 Blanchard estimate*
— 2 Cedar Lake/Caney area.
— 9 DeCrow’s Point
— 23 East Bay
— 7 Galveston
–176 Indianola
— 2 Lynchburg area
— 1 Lyrehling
— 4 Pass Cavallo
— 27 Saluria
— 1 San Bernard
–>12 Maritime
–264 Total

*Blanchard: We choose to use 270 as the fatality estimate rather than 264, which is our actual tally (to the extent it is reliable from sources cited), in that Roth uses 270, and he is a reliable researcher and source in our opinion. Even though it appears to us that his number may apply to Indianola, we suspect that it also includes losses from other localities in the area such as Saluria and East Bay. Perhaps there was a much larger death toll, though we suspect it would not begin to approach the number 800. However, we choose not to speculate or just assume a larger number far above what our attempts to locate specific information would lead us to believe. The reader can read the information below and come to their own conclusion.

— 800 Snow, E. R. Snow. Great Gales and Dire Disasters. 1952.
— 800 Wikipedia. “1875 Indianola hurricane,” 12-21-2021 edit. (Cites Rappaport/Partagas.)
–? Caribbean – on land
— 1 Cuban fishing village, girl died in severe thunderstorm. No citation.
— 4 Saint Vincent, Mariaqua Valley, woman, three children drowned.
–~3 Saint Vincent, Vale of Buccament, leeward coast. “Several.”
–? Caribbean — maritime
–20 Saint Vincent; ship sank with the loss of twenty lives.
–20 Martinique; British Leeward Islands ship Codfish sank offshore.
–? Texas
— 30 Galveston. No source citation.
–~300 Indianola. Cites Fernandez-Partaga and Diaz. “A Reconstruction…” 1995.
— 4 Pass Cavallo. Two lighthouses and four inhabitants “swept away.”
— 420 Blanchard tally based upon Indianola and “Other Settlements” noted below.
— Blanchard estimate based upon breakouts below.
–176 Indianola
— 400 Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, IA. “The Inundation,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 8.
— 400 Indianola and nearby settlements. Corydon Democrat, IN. “The Cyclone.” 9-27-1875, p.1.
— 400 Jackson Sentinel, Maquoketa IA. “Domestic,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 4.
–150-300 Texas State Historical Association. Handbook of Texas Online. “Indianola….”
— 189 Craig. “Paper 21.” 11-28-1876, Annual Report…Chief Signal-Officer… 1876, p. 347.
–150 Indianola
— 27 Saluria, Calhoun Co., TX. Missing, 13 found. Craig. “Paper 21,” p. 348.
— >3 Schooner Mabel, left MS River day before hurricane, never seen again.
— >3 Bark Nord-Kyn, Lost off Key Vaca, FL reef in hurricane, Sep 14.
— >3 Schooner Serene sailed Sep 10 for Wilmington, NC, never seen again.
— >3 Brig J. W. Spencer, Navassa for Charleston, SC, Sep 11; not seen again.
— 180 Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical…1995. Texas and Cuba.
— 176 Blake, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense US Cyclones…, April 2007.
— 176 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 322.
— 176 Greely A.W. (Chief Signal Officer, USA). American Weather. 1888, p. 169.
— 176 Price. Hurricanes Affecting The Coast of Texas From Galveston to Rio Grande. 1956, A4.
— 176 Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical…1995. Appendix 1. Texas.
— 176 Texas State Historical Association , Handbook of Texas Online. “Hurricanes.”

Cedar Lake ( ?) Matagorda County
–? “Cedar Lake, on the Gulf, reported to have been washed away and the people all lost.”
–2 Cedar Lake/Caney area. George Sargent Sr. and Sarah Ann Sargent Jr.

DeCrow’s Point ( 9)
–9 Buttram. “Indianola Casualties of the 1875 Storm.” TXGenWeb project.

East Bay ( 23) (Also known as East Galveston Bay; eastern extension of Bay.)
–23 Galveston Daily News. “The Storm at East Bay…Settlement Swept Away.” 9-22-1875, p.1.

Galveston ( 7)
— 30 Fernández-Partagás / Diáz. A reconstruction of historical tropical cyclone… 1995, p.48.
— 30 NYT. “The loss of 200 Houses and Thirty Lives Reported.” 9-20-1875, p. 1, col. 3.
— 30 Wikipedia. “1875 Indianola hurricane,” 12-21-2021 edit. No source citation.
—<12 New York Times. “The Storm at Galveston….Houston, Sept. 19.” 9-20-1875, p.1, col. 2. --1 House failed and woman was crushed. --2 Dr. Peet, City Physician, “was lost at the quarantine station…with his grandson…” --4 Workmen at the breakwater. -- 7 Blanchard (based on specific deaths noted in NYT article of 9-19-1875, p1, col. 2.) Indianola (270) Indianola is on westside of Matagorda Bay, Calhoun County. -- 324 Forshey. “The Gulf Hurricane…,” Galveston Daily News, TX. Oct 17, 1875, p. 2. --150-300 Frantz. “Indianola Hurricanes.” Handbook of Texas online. 1952, updated 9-1-1995. -- ~300 Wikipedia. “1875 Atlantic hurricane season.” Hurricane Three. 11-10-2021 edit. -- ~300 Wikipedia. “1875 Indianola hurricane,” 12-21-2021 edit. -- 270 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 8. --15 Looters who were killed “caught pillaging the dead…” (p. 20) -- 250 Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, IA. “The Inundation,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 8. -- 250 Chicago Daily Tribune. “The Indianola Horror.” 9-26-1875, p. 1. (Account of W.D. Kelly) -- 200 Galveston Daily News. “The Great Storm. Indianola Destroyed.” 9-21-1875, p.1, c.1. --150-200 Jackson Sentinel, Maquoketa IA. “Domestic,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 4. -- ~200 Levi, Solomon. Letter to New Orleans Bulletin. -- 200 Palo Alto Reporter, Emmetsburg, IA. “Storm and Flood,” Oct 2, 1875, p. 3. --150-200 Sheppard, Indianola agent/Morgan line, letter to Morgan Line. (Indianola & Saluria deaths) -- 176 Carr, TX Water Development Board. Hurricanes Affecting The Texas Gulf Coast. 1967, p.17. -- 176 Price. Hurricanes Affecting The Coast of Texas From Galveston to Rio Grande. 1956, A4. -- 174 Forshey. “The Gulf Hurricane…,” Galveston Daily News, TX. Oct 17, 1875, p. 2. -- 173 Known dead. Daily Express, San Antonio. “The Lost at Indianola.” 9-29-1875, p1, c3. -- 150 Craig. “Paper 21.” 11-28-1876, Annual Report…Chief Signal-Officer… 1876, p. 347. -- 150 Garlick, Indianola agent, House of H. Saeligson & Co., letter dated Sep 20. --100-150 New York Times. “Texas Coast Disasters.” 9-22-1875, p. 1. -- 150 Snow, E. R. Great Gales and Dire Disasters. NY: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1952. -- 121 Buttram. “Indianola Casualties of the 1875 Storm.” Victoria County, RX, TXGenWeb --64 List of names, mostly from Victoria Advocate of 9-24-1875, noting “Whites in Indianola.” --57 List of names, mostly from Victoria Advocate of 9-24-1875, noting “Colored” -- <100 Childs. A History of the U.S. In Chronological Order…1492…to...1885. 1886, 234. -- ? J Marvin Hunter’s Frontier Times Magazine. “1875 – Mighty Hurricane Destroys Texas Port City. 8-24-2017. Lynchburg area ( 2) (east Houston suburb) --2 Bodies picked up by steamer Fowler, “one of them was supposed to be Hannah Moore.” Lyrehling [?] ( 1) --1 Wife of Dr. Chamberlin drowned; house washed away. Matagorda County ( ?) (Do not know how many of these are in other locality breakouts.) -- 7 Upper part of Matagorda Peninsula. Family of Alex Forstier. -- >4 “The Wm. ‘Billy’ Mitchell entire family were drowned, also a Miss Lizzie Raymond…visiting them…”
–>10 West end of Matagorda Peninsula near light house. Decrow family members and neighbors.
— 1 Peninsula. Mary Ann Vogg, was thrown from family sloop and drowned.
— 2 George Sargent and daughter-in-law, Sarah Ann, drowned.

Pass Cavallo ( 4)
–4 Roth, David (NOAA). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, 21.

Saluria, Calhoun Co. ( 27) (Eastern end of Matagorda Island)
–90% of residents. WikiMili.com. “1875 Indianola Hurricane.” 12-22-2021 update.
–42 Galveston Daily News, TX. “The Great Storm. Indianola Destroyed.” 9-21-1875, p.1, c.1.
–27 Missing. Thirteen others found. Craig. “Paper 21,” p. 348.
–21 (Blanchard note: Count of listed names and counting as “3” entries noted as “family.”)
— ? “The town of Saluria is entirely washed away.”

San Bernard ( 1)
–1 Mrs. Winston. Galveston Daily News. “From Houston. The Storm at Velasco…” 9-23-1875, p1.

Velasco/Old Velasco ( 0) (Merged with Freeport in 1957. Wikipedia.)
–0 Galveston Daily News, TX. “Velasco and the Lower Brazos.” 9-24-1875, p. 1, col. 3.
— ? “…leveled in the storm.” Roth. Texas Hurricane History. NWS. 1-17-2010 update.
— ? “Swept away.” Wikipedia. “1875 Atlantic hurricane season.” Hurricane Three. 11-10-2021 edit.

Other Settlements (150) Blanchard note: We usually are skeptical of such round numbers.
— 150 Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, IA. “The Inundation,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 8.
— 150 Forshey. “The Gulf Hurricane…,” Galveston Daily News, TX. Oct 17, 1875, p. 2.

Maritime ( >12)
–>3 Schooner Mabel, left Mississippi River mouth day before hurricane, never seen again.
–>3 Bark Nord-Kyn, Tabasco for Queenstown, lost off Key Vaca, FL reef in hurricane, Sep 14.
–>3 Schooner Serene sailed Sep 10 for Wilmington, NC, never seen again.
–>3 Brig J. W. Spencer, Navassa for Charleston, SC, Sep 11; not heard of again.

Narrative Information

Childs: “The Gulf of Mexico was visited by a violent cyclone from the 16th to the 19th of September. In Galveston, the water was driven across the island alternately from gulf to bay. Houses were removed, the railroad damaged, and numerous vessels driven ashore. In Indianola over one hundred lives were lost. The place was flooded eight feet deep, and houses, stores, wharves, and the light-house were swept away. Nine-tenths of the houses in the place were destroyed.” (Childs. A History of the United States In Chronological Order… 1886, p. 234.)

Craig: “To the Chief Signal-Officer, United States Army:

“Sir: In accordance with your letter of instructions, dated December 7, 1875, I have the honor to present herewith a report upon the cyclone of September 8 to 24, 1875. The data collected has been taken from the reports of the Signal-Service observers, from the logs of vessels, from special reports forwarded to this office, and from newspapers….

“….During the 12th, 13th, and 14th a high-pressure area covered the country east of the Rocky Mountains (highest over New England and the Middle States),, which evidently caused the cyclone to take a westward course into the Gulf of Mexico. It was especially severe from Navassa, between San Domingo and Cuba, to Texas…The Island of Barbados is the point at which it was first felt, so far as know. From Texas to the Middle Atlantic coast, its progress was more rapid and less destructive than before…. Robert Craig, First Lieutenant Fourth Artillery, Acting Signal-Officer.
….
“Navassa [small island in Caribbean]….Hurricane September 12.
“Friday, 10th. Schooner Serene sailed for Wilmington, N.C.; never heard from.
“Saturday, 11th. Rough sea; no shipping; brig J. W. Spencer sailed for Charleston, S.C.; never heard from; fierce N.E. gale blowing, and developed into a hurricane….
“12th. Hurricane, N.E., accompanied by deluge of rain; houses commenced to go. Trees torn up by roots, and others, 3 feet in diameter, snapped off; quarters, water-house, and wharves first destroyed….railroad torn up; cars (loaded) blown from the track; one building lifted bodily and smashed; all buildings wood….men were lying down and holding onto railroad-tracks; also sought shelter in holes, and in some cases were washed out by the sea breaking over them.
“Toronto found dismasted and abandoned off north Jamaica coast. Spencer and Serene not yet heard from…. [p.339]

“Schooner Tweed, of Nassau, wrecked September 13, 1875, in hurricane off Water-Cay….” [p343]

“Jacksonville, Fla. – Reported off the coast and south to Mosquito Inlet; wind on September 15th (probably 14th) estimated at sixty miles per hour; most severe at 7 a. m….

“Key West. – Arrived schooner Anne W. Collins, Brewster, mater, from Maracaibo to New York; cargo, coffee and hides; broke boom and split mainsail during gale north side of Cuba night of 13th instant; put into Key West 19th. …. [p. 344.]

“Key West, Fla. – Bark Nord-Kyn, Tabasco for Queenstown, with mahogany, was lost on a reef off Key Vacas [Vaca Key], Fla., in hurricane, September 14…. [p. 346]

“Schooner Mabel left mouth of the Mississippi day before hurricane, and mothering since heard from her [p. 347] ….

“Galveston….Wednesday, September 15; wind N., 33 miles; 11 a.m. N.E., 41 miles; 4:20 p.m. heavy rain; 9:49 p.m. immense sea. Old captains refused to go to sea. 10 p.m. wind E.N.E., 50 miles and increasing. Several bridges washed away. Water eight feet above mean tide, and higher than in 1867, extending three miles inland.

“Thursday, September 16: 2 a.m. quarantine houses on breakwater, and harbor-improvement buildings carried away; wind very light, N.E.; 10:49 a.m., wind to E. Storm continued all day. Water fell in morning, but again rose in evening. Fearful night; water from gulf covering island, except a few spots, and highest ever known.

“Friday, September 17: 12 m. to 4 a.m. terrible state of affairs, water on first floors, wind changed toward morning; 4:20 a.m. gale S.E.; at daylight water 6 to 10 feet deep towards fair-grounds, and 30 inches above that of 1867. Between 7 and 10 a.m. wind well toward S. and water fell rapidly; 12:15 p.m. rain ceased; 2 p.m. wind to westward, so that the water from that direction covered everything again, but soon fell; barometer 29.038 and wind S.W.; 4:35 p.m. wind N.W., 60 miles; 9 p.m. wind N.W. at fearful rant; light-ship carried out by current in the evening to the light-house. During night water fell near usual level.

“Saturday, September 18: at 6:55 a.m. wind N., 42 miles. Storm lasted from 4:20 a.m. September 15, to 12 m. September 18, 1875.

“Trinity River, Texas. – Rough at mouth Wednesday evening, September 15; steamer Fannie ran back to canal. Thursday morning, 16th, wind terrific and water over banks; ran up eight miles to Wallisville; 4 p.m. hurricane, barometer falling, water still rising; held by anchor and a tree during night; houses washing away. Friday morning, September 17, was obliged to run up 28 miles to Moss’s Bluffs; 11 p.m. Friday barometer 28.70.

“Houston, Texas. – Storm commenced Wednesday night, September 15, wind N.E.; continued during Thursday. Friday, September 17, 11 a.m. wind ceased; at 2 p.m. wind to N.N.W (destructive) and all afternoon; streets a sheet of water. From Houston to Lynchburg, at Harrisburg, at Midway Landing, and Spring, all under water, &c.

“San Antonio. – No damage and very little rain; wind blew a perfect gale.

“Indianola. – Wind principally N.E., backing to N. and N.W., maintaining gale and storm velocity nearly two days, and reaching hurricane several hours in night of 16th and 17th. Severe inundation from bay, destructive to life and property. Over fifty bodies buried to date, 20th; loss fully 150. Dead cattle in thousands. Coasting schooners to the south 6 to 10 miles inland; three-quarter of buildings varied away; remaining damaged; $1,500,000 loss estimated…. [p. 347]

Sabine Pass, Texas. Water 6 inches over wharves.
….
“Velasco (mouth of Brazos River), Texas. – Water 5 feet higher than ever known; 3 a.m. Friday, September 17, storm at its height; town swept away.
….
“Saluria, Calhoun County, Texas. – Swept away; 27 persons missing and 13 found. Schooner Pedee totally wrecked September 17….” [p. 348.]

(Craig, Robert (Acting Signal-Officer). “Paper 21” (Letter from Robert Craig to the Office of the Chief Signal-Officer, War Department, Washington, D.C., November 28, 1876.) Pp. 336-349 in: Annual Report of the Chief Signal-Officer to the Secretary of War for the Year 1876. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1876.)

Fernández-Partagás and Diáz: “….Storm 3, 1875 (Sept. 8-18)….The following information was found to be related to this storm: 1) The vortex of the storm passed between the islands of St. Vincent and Martinique in the night of Sept. 8; it later passed about 120 miles S. of Puerto Rico (Vines, 1877). 2) Havana, Sept. 16. Reports received from St. Thomas and Puerto Rico indicated that the storm commenced over the Windward Island near Sept. 8. Many vessels are ashore in Barbados, St. Vincent and Dominica (The New York Times, Sept. 22, 1875, p. 4, col. 7. 3) The hurricane has been severely felt in Barbados, Martinique, Dominica and St. Lucia. The trading vessel ‘Codfish’ went down at her mooring and the crew of 20 was lost. ….

“Highest registered velocity at Indianola was 88 mph; highest estimated velocity was 100 mph (Monthly Weather Review, Sept. 1875….Weather description at Indianola: On Thursday (Sept. 16) forenoon, wind became more steady and increased to a gale. It blew fearfully. The water was 6 feet on the streets. [end of p.46]

“At 2 A.M. Friday morning (Sept. 17) it veered to N.W. The waves then came chopped, and the houses were washed away or tumbled to pieces (The New York Times, Sept. 22, 1875, p. 1, col. 1 and 2)….

“Estimated losses: 5 million dollars. Over one-half of Galveston was inundated. Loss of 200 homes and 30 lives was reported (The New York Times, Sept. 20, 1875, p.1, col.2)…..

(Fernández-Partagás, J. J. and H. F. Diáz. A reconstruction of historical tropical cyclone frequency in the Atlantic from documentary and other historical sources (Part I). Boulder, CO: Climate Diagnostics Center, Environmental Research Laboratories, NOAA, 1995.)

Greely: “A cyclone…marked by a fearful loss of human life, is that of Sep¬tember 15th, 1875, which, recurving at Indianola, Tex., and nearly destroying that town, moved northeastward across the United States, and left the coast between capes Henry and May. There were serious marine disasters on the New Jersey coast, but these sank into insignificance compared with the fate of Indianola. Hurricane winds of eighty-eight miles per hour were recorded at that place, which, with a general inunda¬tion from the sea, proved fatally disastrous. One hundred and seventy-six lives were lost and three fourths of the town was swept away, entailing a loss of over a million dollars’ worth of property.” (Greely A.W. (Chief Signal Officer, USA). American Weather. 1888, p. 169.)

Price: “1875, 14-19 Sept.

“Struck Indianola. ‘A tremendous gale’. Center moved across coastline to NE [northeast] accompanied by a disastrous inundation from the bay, which caused nearly all the destruction. Lives lost, 176, and three-fourths of town swept away. Highest wind registered was 88 mph when anemometer blew away. Highest wind estimated was 100 mph. Run off from bays cos continuing on 23rd at Galveston (U.S. Coast Survey Ann. Rpt. 1875).” (Price. Hurricanes Affecting The Coast of Texas From Galveston to Rio Grande. 1956, A4.)

Roth: “September 14-17th, 1875: The first indication of a new storm in the Atlantic came from a ship southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on the 1st. Near 12N 27W, the Tautallon Castle encountered a “heavy gale accompanied by all the peculiarities of a hurricane” (Malsch) . A vessel in the Atlantic on the 5th also encountered the hurricane, noting a “terrific sea” and a pressure of 29 inches. Other ships encountered the cyclone around the same time, but did not live to tell their tale.

“It moved west into the Caribbean and grazed the coast of Haiti. On the 12th, the isle of Navassa, off Haiti’s Cape Carcasse, reported seas breaking over cliffs between 45 and 75 feet above sea level, large trees uprooted, and many buildings destroyed. It then passed over Cuba on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. As it passed south of the Florida Keys, many vessels were driven ashore, including the steamer City of Waco (Dunn 1964 ). By the 14th, the Chief Signal Officer in Washington, D.C. believed the hurricane would go to Mobile, and warnings were issued for the Alabama coast.

“At the same time, a shield of cirrostratus clouds led to the appearance of a solar halo along the Texas coast. Around Matagorda Bay, winds gusted to 40 mph that day, backing to a more northerly direction that night. Waters on the bay began to rise on the 15th, as squall moved inland. By the morning of the 16th, increasing tides had broken the high tide mark set in 1871.

“The cyclone made landfall at San Jose Island, before crossing Copano Bay and moving inland. Sand dunes were leveled on Matagorda Island….Old Velasco was leveled in the storm. It wasn’t until 1888 when it was rebuilt four miles upstream of its previous location on the east bank of the Brazos river. The East and West Shoal lighthouses, at Pass Cavallo, were swept out to sea, along with their four light keepers. At Upper Saluria, 90% of the residents drowned.

“Indianola was adversely affected by the tempest. By noon on the 16th, wharves were being carried away by the invading storm surge. By 6 PM, the Signal Office collapsed. The eye passed overhead Indianola just after midnight on the 17th. Tides reached fifteen feet above the normal high tide. Three-fourths of the town was swept away…270 lives were lost [ellipsis points in original]. The highest wind measured was 88 mph, before the anemometer blew away. Later gusts were estimated between 145 and 150 mph. Winds were estimated to be sustained near 100 mph at the storm’s peak. Winds slowly abated during the evening of the 17th. Twelve new bayous were carved out by the storm, as the waters receded quickly back into the Gulf. Boats were carried 9 miles inland. Looters caught pillaging the dead were killed, 15 in all. After the storm, Indianolans considered a move further inland; however, political ambitions interfered, and the matter was forgotten about.

“In Galveston, northeast winds began on the night of the 14th. The wind was ‘higher and harder’ than in 1867. Winds reached gale force by 11 AM on the 15th. Buildings began to be crushed by the increasing tides at 2 AM on the 16th. By the 17th, the tide had risen to 6.48 ft above mean low water…tides up to ten feet were seen around Galveston Island. Winds were highest from the northwest, 60 mph, after the storm passed by…estimates of 110 mph were made by several on the scene. The pressure fell to 29.05″. The 6.48” deluge of rainfall set a record for the date. Two channels were cut across the east end of the Island, with one prolonging the Bolivar Channel. Several houses were swept away from the east end of the Island. The Santa Fe railroad bridge was obliterated. The Beardstown, while in Galveston Bay, was blown into the mud flats and eventually sank (Guthrie).

“At Harrisburg and Houston there was a ‘terrific gale’. The water was driven up from the bay higher than known before. Several buildings were destroyed in Wallisville, with moderate damage experienced in Beaumont and Liberty. In Austin county, the storm raged for 48 hours. Cotton plants were stripped and trees fell in great numbers. The railroad from Port Isabel to Brownsville was put out of commission. The steamship Australian, loading with cotton, went ashore near St. Bernard. The bark Edward McDowell went aground in eight feet of water. Boats were pushed five miles inland. Out in the Gulf of Mexico, the steamer Paisana, its hull loaded with $200,000 in canvas bags, was lost of its way from Brazos Santiago to Galveston. After this hurricane, on October 1st, cautionary signals for hurricanes consisting of a red flag ten by eight feet, inset with a black rectangle, went into use (image of pattern to the right). At night, these flags were to be illuminated so those on land and at sea knew when to expect the next storm.” (Roth. Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, pp. 21-22.)

Newspapers

Sep 14, New Orleans Republican: “The following telegram was received by N. Garom, sergeant, signal service, United States army:

Washington, September 14, 12:00 A.M. A hurricane reported last night in Cuba, and reports from Florida indicate that it may be approaching, and there is need of caution in the Gulf. Inform interested parties. H. W. Howgate.”

(New Orleans Republican. “An Approaching Storm.”9-15-1875, p. 1.

Sep 16, National Republican, DC: “New Orleans, Sept. 16. – The gale yesterday on the Gulf extended from Key West to the Rio Grande. The tide at Atchafalaya bay is reported the highest it has been for eighteen years. There has been no telegraph communication with Galveston today.” (National Republican, Washington, DC. “Hurricane in the South.” 9-17-1875, p. 1.)

Sep 16, National Republican, DC: “St. Louis, Sept 16. – A special dispatch from Galveston, Texas, to the Globe-Democrat says a large part of the city was under water last night from the effects of an unusually high wind from the north. No great damage was done, though several of the wharves were somewhat injured, and a considerable number of persons were compelled to vacate their houses. The railroad bridge was still standing, but whether it would continue to resist the great pressure of water against it was not known.” (National Republican, Washington, DC. “Galveston Inundated.” 9-17-1875, p. 1.)

Sep 17, Dallas Daily Herald: “New York, September 17. – A special from Houston, Texas, pronounces the storm at Galveston the heaviest since 1867. The east end of the city is submerged, and the small houses in that locality are being washed away. All communication with the beach is cut off, and the horse cars on several of the routes have stopped running, the routes being impassable. The workmen at the breakwater are cut off from the city. The waves are breaking upon the Strand at the east end of the city, and great fears are entertained for safety of the workmen. Meantime the water is steadily rising and the wind apparently increasing. The barometer is at this time still falling, and the indications are that the storm has not reached its height. A house on the gulf shore has been washed away, as are the stables of the Ocean House. Great destruction of property is expected in that locality, but the amount is impossible to approximate, as communication with that locality is cut off. At the City Hospital the waves are breaking against the building, and the fence is washed away. There are rumors of several shipwrecks, but nothing definite can be learned tonight. The wharves are submerged and freight much damaged. The Diana, of the Direct Navigation Company, steamed out in the stream for a berth haven. She has not been heard from since, though no fears are entertained for her safety. Nothing but the wildest rumors can be heard at present.” (Dallas Daily Herald. “The Gale at Galveston.” 9-18-1875, p. 1.)

Sep 20, from Houston, Evening Star, Washington, DC: “New York, Sept. 20. – A Herald special from Houston, dated the 19th, says:

As soon as the people saw the storm coming they began to prepare for it. All or nearly all the goods on the lower floors were hoisted to the second and third stories and thus saved. The damage to goods is very light. On the east end of the island [Galveston] the storm was the severest and did most damage. All the houses down in what is known as the East End are destroyed, or nearly so. The Ocean House is no more. The Texas and Gulf City cotton presses are destroyed; and also the factors’ press. Darby’s new block of three-story houses was badly damaged by the wind. The street car tracks in the East End are torn up and several cars have been demolished. The car buildings are also ruined. Some of the sewers of the city are badly damaged, and some of the outer streets are washed away. A great many houses were unroofed and a great number of shade trees were blown down. The water has subsided at this time, except what may be standing in the low places.

The destruction of life in the city was small. It cannot be truly estimated yet, but not more than a dozen lives have been lost. It is supposed that not less than $3,600,000 will cover losses sustained in the city. The people whose property was destroyed are being cared for by the city. Nothing has yet been heard from Redfish Bar.

From specials at various points it is learned that the storm has extended to Austin, and that the crops have been seriously injured. In the city of Austin a great amount of damage was done to the buildings. What is known as the Herkley prairie represents a perfect sea of water, and cattle were seen swimming in many places. Several times the train had to stop and stock be driven from the track, on which they sought to keep from drowning. All Hempstead three churches are said to be blown down, and other damage done; loss not known.

Bayou City, with its shaded avenues and floral walks, presents a scene of devastation. Merchants and professional men have suffered very heavily. A gang of men were engaged all day yesterday in hauling cotton, and at dark hundreds of bales had been saved. At the compress the destruction is much greater than at first reported, and those who visited the locality say it must be put down as a total loss. Bayou water standing around the wall will undermine all the masonry, and necessitate the rebuilding of the whole work. This loss at this season of the year, just when its business is commencing, is the cause of universal regret. The Central railroad track under the compress is broken and under water in several places. The office and warehouse of the Direct Navigation Co. are under water, and the extent of damage is not known. At Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Indianola, and other coast towns the loss is estimated at $1,000,000.”

(Evening Star, Washington, DC. “News from Houston.” 9-20-1875, p. 1.)

Sep 21, Galveston Daily News: “The Morgan steamer Harlan, Captain Lewis, from Indianola, arrived this morning. Coming into port with her colors at half mast created intense excitement and a large crowd gathered on the wharf notwithstanding the early hour of the steamer’s arrival.

“The destruction of Indianola is almost complete. But five business houses are left standing….The people are suffering for food and clothing, and the beach for twenty miles is strewn with dead bodies.

“The following, from correspondents of the News and business houses here, tells the woeful tale, as facts could be ascertained at the time:

Indianola, Sept. 20, 1875.

Eds. News – We are destitute. The town is gone.
One-tenth of the population are gone.
Dead bodies are strewn for twenty miles along the bay.
Nine-tenths of the houses are destroyed.
Send us help for God’s sake.
W. H. Crain, Dist. Attorney Sixteenth Judicial District.

“Captain Fowler kindly permitted us to copy the following letter, from the agent of the Morgan line at Indianola, to Chas. A. Whitney & Co., at New Orleans:

Indianola, Sept. 20, 1875.
Messrs. Charles A. Whitney & Co., New Orleans, La.”

Gentlemen – It is my painful duty to advise the almost entire destruction of Indianola by the storm, from the 15th to the 17th instant….The destruction of property in the town has been immense, over 200 houses having been swept entirely away, and those that remained have been torn all to pieces. The loss of life here and at Saluria will approximate 150-200. At Saluria, I understand, the whole four of the pilots, with the exception of Capt. Sim Brown, are drowned….

Henry Sheppard, Agent.”

“….Lost. Dr. John H. Leak, Mr. W. Coffin, mother and family, Mrs. Madden and family, Mr. Contret and family, nearly all of Mr. J. Morrison’s household – twenty-one in number, Rev. Mr. Jope and family.

“We buried eighteen bodies yesterday, and will continue until all the dead are deposited in their last resting place.

“You can not imagine the extent of the disaster….All the churches in the town are swept away. So is the Masonic Lodge. The Court-house is safe….

“At Saluria, out of forty-five persons, Capt. Jim Brown and two of his family were saved. They took refuge in the light-house, and were thereby saved. Capt. Brown is now the only surviving pilot at the Pass.

“All but two of Capt. Decrow’s family were lost at Decrow’s Point….” (Galveston Daily News, TX. “The Great Storm. Indianola Destroyed. Two Hundred Lives Lost. The Beach Strewn With Dead Bodies.” 9-21-1875, p. 1, col. 1.)

Sep 22, Galveston Daily News. “Velasco Swept Entirely Away”… “Houston, Sept. 21, 1875.
“The steamer Fowler, Capt. Connor, arrived at her moorings in the bayou at 5 P.M., bringing an immense freight, eighty-six passengers and two families of the Lynchburg sufferers. One of the families is named Moore….Two dead bodies…had been picked up near Lynchburg. One of them was supposed to be Hannah Moore….”

Sep 22, Galveston Daily News: “The suffering and loss of life and property at East Bay during the storm are terrible. Out of twenty-eight human beings, only five are known to be alive. These got along without disaster until Thursday night, when the water began rising very rapidly. They hastily made a raft, and fastening a skiff on the top of it for still greater security, the five saved, who were the family of Mr. Robert McCarty, set sail on their fragile ark for a haven of safety. Friday they reached a partially submerged house on the prairie, when making the raft fast to it they went into the upper story of the house. The wind and waves soon came with such violence that the house was broken up, and hastily putting together a few boards which were left of the house, Mr. McCarty with his family, got on the new raft, as the old one had been driven off by the force of wind, and were once more at the mercy of the flood. On this they drifted about until Saturday morning, when they saw their own boat, which had floated off Thursday night when the flood commenced at the East Bay, and Mr. McCarty swam to it and, getting in it, came to the rescue of his family on the raft.

“Instead of sailing at once for Galveston they first went to their old home at East Bay, where they found all the houses there totally destroyed, save two, of which only a part remained to mark the former settlement. There are little hopes entertained of the safety of the others of the inhabitants of that place.

“The McCarty family reached this city in safety Sunday night, where they received the food, shelter and medical treatment of which they were so much in need, and are all now entirely recovered from the effects of their lat exposure to the elements.” (Galveston Daily News. “The Storm at East Bay. The Settlement Swept Away By The Waves.” 9-22-1875, p.1, c.8.)

Sep 22, Galveston Daily News: “A gentleman …this morning brings to the News…Cedar Lake, on the Gulf, is reported to have been washed away and the people all lost….” (Galveston Daily News, TX. “Loss of Life at Cedar Lake.” 9-22-1875, p.1, c. 9.)

Sep 30, Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye: “Eye Witnesses’ Accounts of the Horror.
“Cincinnati, Sept. 23. – A Times southern special says parties who arrived from Indianola last night, and who were there during the terrible cyclone, fully confirm the most sensational report of the destruction of life and property there. Of three hundred houses only five were left. Thursday night when the storm was at its height, the water in the city rose over six feet in two hours. The wind was blowing at the rate of eighty-eight miles an hour driving the water and breakers through the city at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, sweeping everything in its way. Several small settlements numbering a total population of one hundred and fifty were swept away, making with the two hundred and fifty lost at Indianola, a total of four hundred lives lost….

“Sunday, it is stated, Mexicans began robbing the bodies washed to the plain, four to six miles back of the city, chopping off fingers, hands, and ears from the men and women, to obtain their jewelry. As soon as this was heard of in the city, a party of citizens went out and killed five Mexicans whom they caught at their devilish work.

“New Orleans, Sept. 22….The storm began on Wednesday evening, and increased in violence until Thursday morning, when the gale burst upon the town with all its fury, the water in the bay rising rapidly, but it did not create any general feeling of alarm until late on Thursday morning. Then the sea began to swell rapidly, rising over six feet in two hours, and quickly nearing the flood mark of 1867; and yet the horror-stricken people, almost paralyzed with fear, did not even then seem to realize their danger, none of them making efforts to escape. In fact they could hardly have done so, as the wind was then blowing a hurricane. An hour later the water rose above the flood mark, and at 4 o’clock that afternoon the wind was driving it through the streets at the rate of 12 or 15 miles an hour, the velocity of the wind at the same time being 88 miles an hour, as measured by the observer at the hour named. It was then that the citizens of the place saw that there were no means of escape, for back of the city was a large open plain, covered with water for three or four miles, and to the depth of from four to eight feet, and huge breakers washing from the bay inland as far as the eye could see.

“At night the water in the city had risen to a depth of seven feet, the citizens in the meantime having taken refuge in the second stories of their dwellings, there to remain, anxiously awaiting the dawn of day. The gale seemed to increase during the night, the barometer at one time falling 28:95, and on the following morning a scene presented itself that beggars description. In every direction could be seen houses, some crushed entirely, while others had been carried by the wind and waves blocks away. Others, too, were moved across the streets, and lay…[unclear] and half full of sand, their occupants having either been drowned in their dwellings, or sought safety in the waves, and, seizing shutters, doors, or pieces of furniture, were carried by the heavy sea against the houses, in which very many were killed, while again others, torn and bruised, were carried out of the city into the plain, only to meet death by drowning.

“But five or six buildings of any description were left uninjured, and not until Friday morning did the wind change and the water begin to recede. On Saturday it had returned to its level. All day Friday, or from the time it was safe to venture out, men could be seen with rafts, visiting, when they could be found, the remains of their houses, in search of their wives and children, who had been either drowned or crushed by the houses falling upon them.

“Later in the day, when the water had sufficiently receded to permit it, a general relief committee and patrol was formed by those who had escaped. Their work began by searching for bodies in the debris of fallen buildings, and in this work they met the most horrible sights. In several instances entire families were found covered up in the ruins – father, mother, and little ones lying huddled together in what was once the upper stories of their buildings, where they doubtless sought safety. In one or two cases, husband and wife were found clasped in each other’s arms, where death caught them, and together they were hurled into eternity, almost without a moment’s warning. The search continued, bodies being found buried in the sand, some entirely nude, and so bruised and mangled, by being thrust against buildings, that they could not be recognized.

“Providing rudely constructed coffins – the only ones that could be obtained – these remains were hastily buried. Up to Monday night, ninety dead bodies had been recovered, some of them at a distance of four miles from the town, where they had been carried by the flood.

“New Orleans, Sept. 23. – Christiana’s Point was entirely swept away by the storm. The United States revenue cutter lying at Velasco was capsized, and was carried to sea, having, as is supposed, been abandoned by her crew. A schooner loaded with supplies for Indianola sailed yesterday afternoon. Additional supplies have been ordered by steamer to-morrow. The Mayor of Galveston yesterday received a communication from Boston, Mass., signed by the Mayor of that city, in which he is instructed to draw at sight for five thousand dollars for the immediate relief of citizens of Galveston, Indianola, and other coast towns of Texas….” (Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, IA. “The Inundation,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 8.)

Sep 30, Jackson Sentinel: “The news received on the 22d from the recent flood disasters on the coast of Texas shows that the storm had swept over the whole line of the coast, and, in addition to the damage done at Galveston, that at least nine towns had been nearly or quite obliterated, namely: Indianola, on the west shore of Matagorda Bay, having about 2,000 inhabitants, where but three houses were left standing and from 150 to 200 lives were lost; Saluria, on the Matagorda Island; Sabine Pass; Calcasieu; San Bernardino; Buffalo Bayou; Lynchburg, a town of about 2,000 inhabitants; Matagorda, the capital of Matagorda County, and Cedar Lake. A large number of lives must have been lost, and the destitution and suffering of the survivors were very great. One dispatch to New Orleans from Indianola says: ‘Send us help, for God’s sake!’…. Acting Mayor Davis, of Galveston, telegraphed to the Mayor of St. Louis on the 22d, appealing for aid and saying the survivors in the towns destroyed had lost everything, and that provisions, clothing and every necessary of life were needed….

“Mail accounts received on the 23d of the recent storm and flood disaster at Galveston, Tex.,, represent the loss of property as far exceeding in amount that given by previous telegraphic reports. Three hundred houses were swept away, and the destruction to railroad bridges and other improvements would run the aggregate loss up to between $3,000,00 and $4,000,000. It was thought on the 23d that the total number of lives lost along the coast by the storm would reach, if not exceed, 400, and several small towns back from the coast are reported to have been swept away.” (Jackson Sentinel, Maquoketa IA. “Domestic,” Sep 30, 1875, p. 4.)

Oct 17, Forshey/Galveston Daily News: “We shall entitle this hurricane the Indianola Cyclone, for the reason that its greatest destruction of life and property was visited upon that little city of the Texas coast. For violence and duration, and for the desolation and death it caused, it has no equal in these regions, excepting, perhaps, the Natchez tornado of May 7, 1840….

“Commencing on the western shore of the Gulf, at the southwest end of Matagorda Island or Corpus Christi, in lat 27½ and longitude 97½ west, we describe a line running through Goliad, Victoria, Colorado and Austin counties; as also thence to Walker, Trinity and San Augustine counties; through Sabine, Natchitoches, Catahoula and Concordia parishes, Louisiana; through Adams, Marion and Jackson counties, Mississippi; thence southeast through the Gulf to lat. 26 east and lon. 87 and thence westward through the Gulf to the place of beginning. Thus the limits will be found approximately between latitudes 26 and 32 and longitudes 87 and 97½.

“The length of area swept at different times in the four days storm may be taken at 900 miles, and the breadth, so far as known, at 459 miles. Over this area the winds and waves raged with varied violence, carrying death and desolation in its track, and pouring such floods of rain as have no precedent in our recent records. The center of destructiveness and the ravages of the storm were visited upon Indianola; but the route of central violence may be reckoned at forty miles of width, and lying from Aransas and Matagorda Island, Saluria, Indianola, Matagorda, and Velasco, Houston, Harrisburg, Lynchburg and Wallisville….

“Vessels were swamped and wrecked to a number which cannot be given, but the stoutest vessels of sail and steam, in the track, were either destroyed, or rent and torn, and drifted at the mercy of the seas and winds. The number of wrecks between Corpus Christi and Sabine, large and small, has been vaguely estimated at reaching hundreds.

“The human habitations leveled, wrecked or greatly damaged, must reach 1200 or 1500; the small city of Indianola, the towns of Saluria, Texana, Matagorda, Quintans, Velasco, Lynchburg and Wallisville were utterly destroyed; while the villages of Cedar Lake, Trespalacios [on Tres Palacios Bay, a NE extension of Matagorda Bay], San Bernard, East Bay, and a number of settlements, were swept with…destruction.

“The number of human lives lost by the storm can never be known. In the list published for Indianola, 174 names are catalogued. Not less than 150 others may be safely added. Fortunately the central violence did not pass over Galveston, or the loss of life and property must have been quadrupled.

“The velocity of the wind within this area varied from 20 miles to 100 miles, through our limits are intended to reach only the area within which the wind at some time had a velocity of 35 miles per hour. The greatest observed velocity was measured at Indianola, and reached a rate of 88 miles per hour at 5 p.m., 15th, but was estimated to be 100 miles that night. This velocity was probably the greatest felt on the coast, but the lowest barometer noted, except a single doubtful case, was 28.45, on board the Texas, about 160 miles south from the mouth of the Mississippi, at 2 to 4 a.m. of the 15th….

“Where, then, did the storm originate? The earliest notice of its violent from comes from the steamship Texas on Tuesday evening, at 170 miles southeast of the Balize, or the mouth of the Mississippi river. At that moment the wind was nearly lull at New Orleans, a calm and rather pleasant moonlight night….At Indianola the barometer began to recede Tuesday evening, 14th, and continued next day with a brisk northeast wind, but did not reach its maximum violence of rain and wind till afternoon. Then it blew a hurricane, and hourly observations were commenced and continued twenty-four hours. This thirty-six hours seems to have been used by the storm in traveling west from the place where the Texas was at 2 a.m., 15th, to the shores of the Gulf along Matagorda Island.

“Contrary to all experience this storm swept westward till it reached the Gulf shores, spread out its area along the Gulf eastward, to about Sabine, and stood still over its area of destruction for about two days, and then moved off eastward, reaching its destination or its exhaustion on Friday night or Saturday, in a furious north wind, as observed from Galveston to New Orleans, all nearly at the same time. (Forshey. “The Gulf Hurricane…,” Galveston Daily News, TX. 10-17-1875, 2.)

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