1893 — Oct 1-2, Hurricane Cheniere Caminanda, Gulf Coast esp. LA, MS, AL –1700-2000
— 2,000 Garrison, et al. Historic Shipwrecks…of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. 1989, F-7.
— < 2,000 Gunn, Angus M. Encyclopedia of Disasters (Vol. 1). Greenwood, 2007, p. 158.
— 2,000 Hebert/Jarrell/Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest…[US] Hurricanes… 1993, p. 80.
— 2,000 Jarrell et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense U. S. Hurricanes…, 2001.
— 2,000 Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Houghton Mifflin, 1982, p. 202.
— 2,000 Rappaport, Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. 1995.
— 2,000 U.S. Army Signal Corps. Monthly Weather Review, V. XXI, N.10, Oct 1893, 272.
–1000-2,000 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes, 1964, p. 320.
— 1,800 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes, 1964, p. 213.
— 1,800 Rappaport, Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. 1995.
— 1,800 Sumner. “The North Atlantic Hurricane of Sep 8-16, 1944.” MWR, 72/9, 187.
— ~1,700 Blanchard tally based on breakouts for AL, LA, MS and unspecified maritime.
— 1,607 Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. New Orleans, 1893, 59.
–1100-1,400 Blake, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense US Cyclones…, 2007.[1]
— 799 Heidorn. “Louisiana’s Great Hurricane of 1722,” 2005.[2]
— Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. New Orleans: Hopkins, 1893.
Breakout of Fatalities by State
Alabama: ( 12)
— 7 Gibson, Christine. “Our 10 Greatest Natural Disasters.” American Heritage, 57/4 2006.
–12 Mobile. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
Louisiana: (1,568->2,000)
–>2,000 Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, p. 74.
— 2,000 Gibson, Christine. “Our 10 Greatest Natural Disasters.” American Heritage, 57/4 2006.
—<2,000 Heidorn, Keith C. “Louisiana’s Great Hurricane of 1722.” Weather Doctor, 10-1-2005.
— 2,000 Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Houghton Mifflin, 1982, p. 202.
— 1,568 Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. New Orleans, 1893, p. 59.
— 7 Barthelemy. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 63 Bayou Andre (Chinese). Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 57.
— 40 Bayou Challon. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Bayou Chato. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 24 Bayou Cook. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 57.
— >150 “Bayou Cook Country.” Falls, Rose. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 32
— 11 Bayou Dufon. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 100 Bayou Lafond. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 57.
— 75 Bayou Shute. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, 57.
— 50 Bird Island. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 57.
— 1 Black Bay. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 2 Bolivar Point. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 20 Cabanage Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 100 Chandeleur Island. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 779 Cheniere Caminada. Grimeaux in Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…. 1893, 8.
— 822 “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 57.
— 1 Devil’s Flat. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Empire Mill. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Faesterling’s. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 6 Fort St. Philip. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 4 Grand Bank. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Grand Bay. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 16 Grand Bayou. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
–28-30 Grand Isle. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 17.
— 27 “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 20 Grand Lake. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 4 Grand Prairie. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 28.
— 2 Happy Jack. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 4 Hospital Bay. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 1 Nairn. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 4 Nicholls Postoffice. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, 58
— 2 Old Quarantine. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Oyster Bayou. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 10 Pearl River. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 5 Point Pleasant. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 1 Port Eads. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 5 Razor Island. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 2 Riceland. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Schooner Jambon.[3] Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 17 near Shell Beach. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p.58.
— 15 Simon Island. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 3 Sixty Mile Point. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p.58.
— 7 Socola’s. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 12 St. Malo. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 1 Stockfelths. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 58.
— 1 The Jetties. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 31.
— [4]3 Tropical Bend. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death. 1893, p. 24.
Mississippi: ( 50-59)
— 2 Bay St. Louis. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 4 “ Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm Echoes in Bay St. Louis.” 10-14-1893.[5]
— 1 Biloxi. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.[6]
— 2 Pass Christian. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…in Bay St. Louis.” 10-14-1893.
—>18 Pearlington (Crew of Schooners Alice McGuigin, Angeline, New Union, T. M. Favre.)
— 3 Bark Rosella Smith. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 4 Brig “ “ Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…in Bay St….” 10-14-1893.[7]
— 3 Lugger Raffaeje-Romano. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…” 10-14-1893.[8]
— ?4 Lugger Rosalie of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.[9]
— 1 Schooner Addie Eads. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…” 10-5-1893, 6.[10]
— 6 Schooner Alice McGuigin. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…” 10-5-1893, 6.[11]
— 7 “ “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 7 “ “ US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.[12]
— 6 Schooner Angeline. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…Rigolets…” 10-5-1893, 6.[13]
— 6 “ “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 7 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.
— 2 Schooner Centennial. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 1 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.[14]
— 2 Schooner Clementine. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.[15]
— 3 Schooner Della of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.
–2-6 Schooner Eliza B.[16] Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…Rigolets…” 10-5-1893, 6.
— 7 Schooner Guy Freightman. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893[17]
— 3 Schooner Idona of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.
— 6 Schooner New Union. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 5 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.
— ~5? Schooner T. M. Favre. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay…” 10-14-1893.[18]
Other Maritime: ( 67)
— 1 Barge Boss. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 1 Barge Hero. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 6 Bark Annie E. B. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 1 Lugger Innocente. Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 3 Lugger Sunny. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 3 Lugger Three Brothers. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
–15 Lugger[19] Young American. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 3 “ “[20] Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 4 Rosalia (type not noted)[21]Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach…City.” 10-7-1893, 6
— 3 Schooner Bertha. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 5 Schooner Pecourt. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 5 Schooner Premier. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 2 Sloop Alice. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 2 Sloop Bertie. Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 1 Sloop Godelida.[22] Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 2 Sloop Goesana.[23] Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 6 Sloop Laura B. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 4 Unknown Lugger. Daily Picayune, 10-6-1893, p. 6, col. 7.[24]
— 3 Unknown Schooner. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
Maritime Previously Noted Within A State Listing: (56-60)
— 3 Bark Rosella Smith. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 4 Brig “ “ Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…in Bay St….” 10-14-1893.[25]
— 3 Lugger Raffaeje-Romano. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…” 10-14-1893.[26]
— ?4 Lugger Rosalie of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.[27]
— 1 Schooner Addie Eads. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…” 10-5-1893, 6.[28]
— 6 Schooner Alice McGuigin. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…” 10-5-1893, 6.[29]
— 7 “ “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 7 “ “ US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.[30]
— 6 Schooner Angeline. Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…Rigolets…” 10-5-1893, 6.[31]
— 6 “ “ Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 7 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.
— 2 Schooner Centennial. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 59.
— 1 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.[32]
— 2 Schooner Clementine. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.[33]
— 3 Schooner Della of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.
–2-6 Schooner Eliza B.[34] Daily Picayune. “Sixteen Lives Lost…Rigolets…” 10-5-1893, 6.
— 7 Schooner Guy Freightman. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893[35]
— 3 Schooner Idona of Biloxi. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay.” 10-14-1893.
— 3 Schooner Jambon.[36] Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.
— 6 Schooner New Union. Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada…Wind of Death. 1893, 58.
— 5 “ “ U.S. Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.
— ~5? Schooner T. M. Favre. Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm…Bay…” 10-14-1893.[37]
Total Maritime: (~123-127)
Narrative Information
Barnes: “The hurricane season of 1893 was one of the most tragic in U.S. history. In that year, six hurricanes made landfall in the United States between June and October. Four battered the northeastern states with high winds, heavy rains, and flash floods. Two great storms also came ashore on American soil – one from the Atlantic in August and one from the Gulf in October. Each of these two storms would be responsible for killing over 2,000 people, making the 1893 hurricane season the second most deadly in the United States since record keeping began….
“The year’s other deadly hurricane landed near New Orleans on October 2, with a…destructive storm tide. In Louisiana another 2,000 lives were lost. The wind was thought to be at least 100 mph, strong enough to destroy all of the Weather Bureau’s wind instruments in the region. Damages were severe for many miles east of the storm; Mobile and Pensacola lost waterfront properties, and railways were washed away. According to E. B. Garriott’s account in West Indian Hurricanes, ‘The storm was accompanied by a tidal wave which engulfed everything before it, explaining the great loss of life reported, one local account placing it as high as 2,000. The canning interests suffered severely, and there was immense destruction to shipping, the property losses in the aggregate footing up millions of dollars. There was great suffering among the living in many localities, and in some instances, as on the islands, it was necessary to use for food dead animals and poultry that had perished in the storm.’” (Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, pp. 74-75.)
Dunn and Miller: “A hurricane of strength 4 struck the area southeast of present-day New Orleans. This hurricane left behind a trail of enormous destruction, including the death of at least 2,000. On the morning of October 2, 1893, Hurricane Chenier Caminanda, with winds peaking at a speed of 135 mph, struck the area southeast of present-day New Orleans. The hurricane then curved eastward across southeast Louisiana and turned northward over Alabama….
“…on October 1, a hurricane moved between New Orleans and Port Eads on a northeast-ward course, and damage on the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts was reported as phenomenal. Reports tell of a tidal wave which engulfed everything, killing 1,800 persons.. In savagery it appears to bear some resemblance to the Labor Day storm on the Florida Keys in 1935.” (Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, p. 213.)
Falls: “Cheniere Caminada, often spoken of as an island, is really a peninsular, jutting into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the west of Grand Isle, and joined to the mainland by a marshy isthmus which is often covered by water. It is all sand and sea marsh and rises but a few feet above the gulf. There is no vegetation on it save a few stunted bushes, and its only inhabitants are the fishermen and their families. Although less than a mile wide and but about two miles and
a half long its population numbered on that fateful day 1471 souls. [Falls 1893, 6]
“….When morning broke and the sun again looked down on the storm-swept strip of sand, it shown upon but five houses, all that was left of the five hundred that dotted the peninsular the evening before. One of the few survivors was Pere Grimaux, the Roman Catholic priest of Cheniere Caminada. The account he gave a reporter of the destruction of his parish and the havoc in his flock was graphic and terrible The good priest said:
“The population of Cheniere Caminada island was 1471. Of these 696 only are now living; 779 are dead. Historic Cheniere Caminada is no more. The first effects of the storm were felt between 7 and 8 p. m. on Sunday. Everyone apprehended that something terrible was about to happen. The fishermen foreseeing that a serious storm was evident, hastened to beach their craft near their houses. But those precautions availed not, for the wind blew in fitful gusts, increasing in strength and velocity every minute, coming from the south. At 7:30 p.m. huge waves were madly lashing the shore, and in a few minutes they had attained a height of six feet, and later on of eight feet. There was one avenue of safety, and that was to seek the upper stories of the houses, but even that chance for escape was lost, when the wind and waves combined shook the frail habitations, which rocked to and fro and creaked and groaned under the repeated attacks of the furious elements. Soon the houses were being demolished, wrecked and carried away. The wind shifted to the southeast, and for hours shrieked with redoubled fury. Above the thundering voice of the hurricane could be heard the despairing cries, the groans and the frantic appeals for help of the unfortunate victims.
“I was in the upper story of the presbytery, holding on to the sill of an open window, powerless to do anything and exposed to the terrific blasts and hearing the cries of agony of my poor dying parishioners. A more furious attack of the storm broke off one-half of the roof. Notwithstanding the wind, I managed to light a lantern, which I displayed at the window, to serve as a beacon for those who might be fortunate enough to swim or to be cast towards the presbytery. Then I leaned forward and holding up my hands over the waste of waters, I offered a fervent prayer to the Father of all and begged of him to be merciful in his judgment on the souls of so many of his children who were at that moment dying in such a sudden and terrible manner….
“Then there was a sudden ominous lull in the storm. I felt that the worst was yet to come. It was then about 11 o’clock and I saw blacker and denser masses of clouds, swiftly rolling from the southeast towards our doomed island. There was something really appalling in that deceptive column. However, those few minutes of rest were precious and saved the lives of many people.
“Brave, sturdy men went out in skiffs and rowed from house to house, taking in such of the inhabitants as had escaped the first onslaught of the tempest. Many of these people sought shelter in two or three houses known to be solidly built, and this proved eventually their salvation, and in that way nearly 700 persons survived that fearful night.
“During the lull I looked out of the window and saw a young boy about 11 years old, clinging to a piece of timber and floating toward the presbytery. I called out to the men in the skiffs and told them to save that young life. But fate decreed otherwise. Just then the storm burst again with terrific violence and carried off the little fellow, to be seen no more. The wind had shifted and now blew from the west. Whatever of life and property had been spared by the south wind was destroyed by the gale from the west. Trees were snapped like reeds; houses were wrecked in an instant, and soon the Cheniere ceased to exist. Out of 450 houses only four remained, and these were filled with crowds of trembling, despairing people, bewailing not only their own sad, pitiful plight, but crying out the names of loved ones carried away by the merciless floods. All around and about me I could see desolation, death, ruin and wreck. Houses floated by and were seen no more. The church soon followed, I remained alone.
“As far as I could see there was not a vestige of any human habitation. Under my window the seething waters flowed madly on and I could see amidst the wreckage and the seaweed a number of bodies floating on and on out of view. I could not count them. It seemed to me like an endless, ghastly, horrible procession of spectres. Unable to bear that terrible sight any more, I closed my eyes and leaning my forehead on my hand, realized that everything was inextricably lost. I never dreamed that I would live through that horrible ordeal.
“Again I heard those heart-rending cries. Looking on by a strong effort of will power, I saw floating past women and children, some of the women holding in their arms their infants, while some of those unfortunate young ones were tightly grasping the dresses of their mothers. Not a few were clutching even the arms and tresses of the women. Ever and anon one of the little victims, apparently worn out, would release his hold and be quickly carried away by the raging waters after a last frantic adieu.
“A large number of people were saved by holding on to floating debris, such as parts of roofs, timbers, etc. Some of them were considerably bruised and injured, but their lives were spared, and when morning dawned and the storm had somewhat abated, they painfully found their way to houses in which their relatives and friends had found refuge during that eventful night….
“On Monday about 3 a. m. the storm was over. My sister and myself knelt down and thanked the sacred heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Good Help for our safety. We had invoked them in our hour of peril and to them we owed our deliverance. At day break three men came to the presbytery and gave us a ladder to enable us to descend . Then a weary walk began. We waded in water waist deep, our feet sinking into the soil, thus adding to our discomfort and thus impeding our progress. We were on our way to succor the unfortunate people. Not a word was spoken; we looked at each other; we understood what was to be done; tears welled up to our eyes as we went along beholding new and untold miseries at every step.
“Monday and Tuesday we hardly rested, being occupied in burying the dead. More than 400 corpses were unburied. Many could not be found for they had been carried out to the
gulf. On Tuesday, more affliction. We began to feel the want of fresh water: then we realized also that we had no provisions. The excitement and the exertion in giving burial to the hundreds of dead people had made us forgetful of our own physical wants. Now we felt exhausted and at night we were completely prostrated. The odor emanating from the dead bodies, both of man and beast, made the situation all the more unbearable
“The arrival of two boats laden with ice was hailed with joy. We lost no time in melting the ice and mixing it with a small proportion of salt water so as to increase the quantity. Other boats came from the city with provisions donated by the charitable people of New Orleans. This relief was timely, for we had saved nothing at all from the destructive storm.
“Houses had been swept away, luggers, schooners, boats of all description had been lost. We could only lay claim to a few tattered bits of clothing.
“The people of Cheniere and Grand Isle fervently hope and trust that the kind-hearted people of this State will hasten to send them the relief that is so imperatively and immediately needed.
“Most of the inhabitants of the Cheniere are very poor people, fishermen, whose only worldly possessions were their huts and their boats. These they have lost and how will they be able to earn their living? Who will come to their aid and help them to rebuild their humble abodes?” [Father Grimeaux in Falls 1893, pp. 8-11.]
“….Fortunately most of the summer guests had left Grand Isle before the great storm, and this alone is the reason why the mortality there did not nearly approach that at ill-fated Cheniere Caminada. Had the storm occurred a month earlier, its consequences would have been appalling; for when the large summer hotels were wrecked by the winds and their timbers tossed about by the angry waters, had they been filled, as they were during August and September, with women and children, those who would have escaped could have been counted on the fingers….
“When the storm struck Grand Isle on that terrible Sunday night there were about three hundred people on the island, most of them permanent residents. Of these only some twenty-eight or thirty were killed, but many were badly injured and all suffered severely for food and water before the arrival of the relief boats. They retire early at Grand Isle, and when the tempest came nearly all the inhabitants were in bed and many were asleep. Two sailors, Ertivez and Mergovich, who were up and out of doors gave a graphic description of the scene. They said the wind had been rather high in the afternoon and increased to a gale when night fell. About ten o’clock they went out of the house. The storm was then seemingly at its height and they became afraid the island would be overwhelmed, and they determined to try and escape in a boat to the mainland. They ran to a cove where the boat was beached and worked amid the roar of tempest, the crash of falling trees and shattered houses and the thundering of the water on the shore, to launch their frail craft. Then, said they, there came a lull. For an instant that seemed like an age, there was perfect quiet, and then the warring of the elements began again with redoubled force. The wind had chopped around and now blew in almost a directly opposite direction from its former course. The first blow had forced the waters in from the gulf and had set a strong current in shore. The second blow forced back this water and with it that of the bay and the bayous behind the islands, and started a counter current running out to sea. “When these two mighty masses of water met in the gulf off shore a wave was created whose foam decked crest towered thirty feet in the air, and which rushed upon the devoted island.
“By the flash of the lightning which illumined the inky darkness these sailors saw this tidal wave sweeping down like the besom of destruction. What could puny human might do? The sand hills which had been counted upon as a protection were no more than so many straws in the path of this awful wave. It tore them as the incoming tide destroys the sand piles the children build in their play. It swept over them as if they had been but ripples in the sand left by a retiring tide and rushed to complete the work of destruction the wind had commenced. The island was engulfed. Houses were washed away, cattle were drowned, trees were torn from the ground and tossed like straws in its boiling surface . The railroad track leading from one of the hotels down to the beach was utterly destroyed: the ties were torn from the ground and splintered as if by axes in the hands of a thousand woodmen; the rails were wrenched apart and, borne like corks by the angry waters, and tossed hundreds of yards away, some of them wrapped and twined around trees, as if some mighty Vulcan had done it in sportive derision of his human imitators…. [Falls 1893, 16-17, 19.]
“On the Mississippi….At Tropical Bend [LA] occurred the first loss of life on the river. Here several colored people lost their lives, some from drowning, but most from flying timbers. [Falls 1893, p. 24.]
“The only town of any size on the Mississippi river below New Orleans is Pointe-a-la-Hache, the seat of justice of Plaquemines parish. The ravages of the storm here were frightful. Nearly every house in the little town was badly damaged; many of them were blown down. Its three churches were unroofed, their windows were destroyed, their doors blown in, and they were deluged with water. The jail was unroofed, and the courthouse, just finished at a cost of $16,000, was badly injured; the slates were torn from the roof, the doors and windows were smashed and the massive clock tower with its costly clock, was thrown to the ground a mass of broken bricks. As the demon of the storm shrieked through the place, the air was filled with flying debris; bricks and timbers were hurled through the air as if they had been feathers and straw. The terrified inhabitants knew not what to do; the crashing of houses warned them that death lurked for them in the dwellings that sheltered them, while the missies of destruction which hurtled through the darkness of the night without were almost certain death to anyone who sought to escape in the open air…. [Falls 1893, p. 24, 26.]
“The Grand Prairie extends for a great distance below Bohemia, and also comprises what is known as the Union settlement. This place contains about 100 inhabitants, not more, and but three cabins were left standing. Four casualties occurred here. The names of the dead are Wily Anderson, a son of John Perrot, a daughter of Henry Johnson, one unknown man…. [Falls 1893, 28.]
“All along the Mississippi, on both banks, from Pointe-a-la-Hache to the Jetties, nearly a hundred miles, were strewn the wrecks of boats and luggers, the debris of houses, the bodies of animals, and the ghastly corpses of men and women and little children; while over it all nature, as if in shame of her own deeds, had spread a thick mantle of sea weed swept in from the Gulf of Mexico and a pall of the long marsh grass torn from the prairie which she had scourged in her fury.
“On either side of the Mississippi river, in the marsh land between the river and the gulf, is a stretch of country threaded by numerous bayous, some known by names familiar to all, some with only a local nomenclature, and others so small that they are not deemed worthy of the dignity of a distinct appellation. Along these bayous, great and small, were settlements, places which the hardy fishermen called “home,” where the smile of the wife and the prattle of the babes greeted their home-coming after the day of toil and often of danger. That section to the east of the river is known as “the Louisiana Marsh,” while that to the west, comprising Bayou Cook, Bayou Shute, Grand Bayou, Grand Lake, Bayou Chato and many others whose names would mean nothing to the reader, was known by the generic name of “the Bayou Cook Country.”
“Here, the storm worked awful havoc on both life and property. While the loss of life was not so severe as at Cheniere Caminada, nor as great in proportion as it was at Bayou Andre (where none escaped), yet a death roll of over a hundred and fifty sent mourning and desolation into every household, save where there were no living left to mourn the dead.” [Falls 1893, 32.]
(Falls, Rose C. Cheniere Caminada, or The Wind of Death: The Story of the Storm in Louisiana. New Orleans: Hopkins’ Printing Office, 1893.)
Gibson: “4. Louisiana Hurricane, 1893, 2,000-plus dead.
“The Weather Bureau in New Orleans predicted light showers for October 1, 1893, but as morning turned to afternoon, drizzles turned to downpour, accompanied by an ominous, distant thunder that, as it menaced ever closer, brought stronger and stronger winds. Then, at 6:30 p.m., propelled by gusts whose speeds couldn’t even be measured (they toppled or destroyed all the instruments in their path), 50-foot waves crashed above Chandeleur Island. Two hundred people crowded into the lantern room of the Port Pontchartrain lighthouse as the streets of New Orleans became rivers marked by listing sign-posts.
“Many of the 2,000 killed that day were poor fishermen and their families; the storm is un-officially known as the Cheniere Caminada hurricane, after the island that lost 779 of its 1,471 residents. As the chapel bell tolled in the gale, the hurricane razed all but four of the fishing village’s houses and most of its vegetation, leaving the land empty save for the bodies of more than half the population. “They were killed by the sheer pressure and fury of the wind,” Scribner’s magazine reported the next February. “In the settlements where the storm was worst, not a single child survived, and very few women….in the center of the storm — where 200 fishermen dwelt — not a soul escaped.”
“Those who did survive huddled under collapsed roofs or clung onto anything that floated. One man was rescued 100 miles away eight days later, rafting on a piece of debris.
“Almost immediately relief boats sailed from New Orleans with supplies and drinking water, although not soon enough for one resident of Buras, Louisiana, who wrote the Daily Picayune : ‘In the name of the residents and greatly suffering persons of the 4th and 10th wards of this parish of Plaquemines, I call upon you in the name of humanity and aid us….The whole people here are destitute….The few stores…are badly damaged and what they have left…is nowhere sufficient to suffice the wants of sufferers. Without exaggeration…I will say that if prompt aid is not given, the many sufferers may have to resort to terrible means to obtain food for the starving.’
“Once the dead of Cheniere Caminada were buried in shallow trenches—or, when room ran out, burned where they lay—the survivors abandoned the island. (Some came back years later, only to be annihilated by a second hurricane in 1915.) All told, the storm caused $5 million in damage, ruining apple and rice crops, sinking 285 ships, washing out railroads, and even flooding the distant Patent Office in Washington, D.C. The hurricane, having killed seven more people in Alabama as it continued northeast from Louisiana, finally died in the ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on October 5.” (Gibson, Christine. “Our 10 Greatest Natural Disasters.” American Heritage, Vol. 57, No. 4, Aug-Sep 2006.)
Heidorn: “….In 1893, the Cheniere Caminanda Hurricane of early October hit a region still reeling from a hurricane strike in early September. This storm, so named after the town Cheniere Caminanda where 779 died, struck suddenly on 1 October. Estimates of winds at 100 mph (160 km/h) and a measured pressure of 28.65 in Hg (970.2 hPa/mb) in the storm (though not necessarily the eye) would rank it as a Category 2 hurricane (Saffir-Simpson Scale). The estimates of fatalities have been given as high as 2000, though most lists of deadly US natural disasters do not include it.” (Heidorn, Keith C. “Louisiana’s Great Hurricane of 1722.” The Weather Doctor, 10-1-2005. At: http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/lahurr1722.htm )
Ludlum: “The Louisiana bayou country was submerged by a storm wave surging from the Gulf of Mexico on October 1-2, 1893, and 2000 people died.” (Ludlum 1982, 202)
USA Signal Corps: “This so-called Gulf hurricane advanced suddenly and unexpectedly northeastward over southeastern Louisiana on the afternoon of the 1st. The early history of this storm…is almost entirely unknown to us at present….The observer at New Orleans, La., reports:
October 1st, a severe and destructive storm began about 6:30 p.m., continuing through the night. Much damage was caused throughout the city. About 2,000 lives were lost along the Gulf coast south and east of this section. The storm was severest in the Louisiana Delta and in the Plaquemines Parish, where it was attended with great loss of life and property. A velocity of 48 miles per hour was recorded in the city at 8:20 p.m., after which the record was lost, owing to the anemometer getting out of order. A velocity of 65 miles was attained at West End, when the instrument became unserviceable.
“Mr. Kerkam, as Secretary of the Louisiana State Weather Service reports:
No complete record of the wind velocity or rainfall of the storm can be obtained, since all instruments in the path of the hurricane were blown down, and in the case of Port Eads destroyed. It is evident, however, that the wind must have blown at the rate of 100 miles per hour in the vicinity of Pointe-a-la-Hache and along the islands on the coast. While the wind worked great havoc, yet the immense wave of water that swept over the devastated section engulfed and swept away everything in its path. It is probable that the center of this hurricane passed midway between New Orleans and Port Eads on its northeast course, since the path of greatest destruction was in that neighborhood.
“It is said that over 1,500 lives were lost on the coast by drowning; the destruction of property, and the orange, rice, and other crops was very complete.
“Crossing Louisiana in a northeasterly direction, the center struck the coast of Mississippi a little west of the Alabama boundary line….
“The observer at Mobile reports:
Rain began 8.25 p.m. of the 1st, with rapidly falling barometer, and by 11 a.m. of the 2d a heavy southeast gale was blowing. The extreme velocity of the wind several times reached 80 miles. The rain continued throughout the day, ending at 7:30 p.m. At. 2.15 p. m. the barometer began to rise, and at 2.30 began to rise as rapidly as it had fallen. Great damage was done to property. The prostrated trees lay in one general direction from southeast and south. The water was 4 inches higher than in 1852, the severest of any previous storm recorded. In the marsh truck farm section nearly every house was swept away, and farms were destroyed in Mobile County. Seven lives were reported lost.”
“The observer at Pensacola reports:
October 3d, a severe storm struck this place about 4.45 a. m. Rain began at 5.20, accompanied by high wind attaining a maximum velocity of 66 miles southwest. at 8.46 p. m. From 6 to 10 a. m. the average hourly velocity was 34 miles, and from 10 a. m. to noon 40 miles per hour were registered. Considerable damage was done, the greatest occurring along the water front. Railroad communication was entirely cut off by washouts, and great damage was done to shipping.
“The hurricane center moved slowly northeast over Georgia to Cape Hatteras, and seems to have been dissipated on the 5th; violent winds, heavy rains, and local storms attended its progress through the south Atlantic states. The observer at Savannah, Ga., reports:
October 3d, rain began early morning and continued at intervals until 6.50 p. m. Between 12.30 and 1 p.m. a funnel-shaped cloud was reported about one mile east of the station. It was composed of innumerate streamers extending downward to within a few feet of the ground. Its rotary motion was from right to left. The time elapsing from its appearance to disappearance was about 4 minutes, and its course was from southeast to northwest. Debris was thrown toward the west and northwest. Heavy rain preceded the cloud. The stern of an iron-clad steamship, moored at the wharf, was blown 20 feet.”
(USA Signal Corps. Monthly Weather Review, “Oct 1893,” p. 272.)
US Life-Saving Service: “The schooners Alice McGuigin, with a crew of seven, Angeline, with a crew of seven, and New Union, with a crew of five, of Shieldsboro, Mississippi, which sailed from Pearlington to Ship Island Mississippi, were lost, with all on board, in the gale of October 2, 1893.” (US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…1895,” 357. 1896.)
Sources
Hebert, Paul J., J.D. Jarrell, Max Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes of This Century (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS-NHC-31). Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Feb 1993, 41 pages.
[1] Authors note “Total including offshore losses near 2000.” (p. 7, Table 2 Note c)
[2] Heidorn states that 779 died in the town of Cheniere Caminanda.
[3] “Schooner Jambon was capsized between the lake and bayou Johnson, and the crew of three men drowned.
[4] Our number — Falls writes that “several” lives were lost.
[5] “Four men from Bay St. Louis were drowned and two [additional] bodies found on the Bay beach. The men drowned were named Capt. Sentelli, Mart Torsi, Malestesta and Frank Ergo. The bodies found here were that of an unknown colored man and Chas. Charlot, col., from Pass Christian.” Transcribed in Hancock County Historical Society, Bay Saint Louis, MS. “Disasters in Hancock County.”
[6] Possibly a reference to William Shepherd: “The Louisville and Nashville railroad bridge between Ocean Springs and Biloxi is a complete wreck, nothing being left but the pilings and the iron draw. Wm. Shepherd, one of the bridge tenders, was swept off and drowned on the morning of the storm.” (Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis. “Storm Echoes in Bay St. Louis.” 10-14-1893; transcribed in: Hancock County Historical Society, Bay Saint Louis, MS. “Disasters in Hancock County.”
[7] “The brig ‘Rosella Smith,’ belonging to Capt. John Poitevent, Henry Howard and three sailors lost.”
[8] “…wrecked off Biloxi. Laivanore Carmelite and John Marl were the only two saved out of five aboard.”
[9] Crew size not noted. We guestimate four in that this may be the same boat referenced by the Daily Picayune as the Rosalia, “lost in sight of Bush Island,” with a crew of four. (Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.)
[10] The captain, name not known.
[11] “Captain Stephen Peters and five sailors…” Elsewhere in the article it is written that “The schooners Alice McGuigin and Angeline have been discovered bottom upwards, three or four miles from the mouth of Pearl River. The names of those supposed to be lost are Anderson Thompson, Tobias Young, Samuel Young, Dan Johnson, Albert Burton, Steve Peters, Cord Galloway, Eli Galloway, Henry Galloway, Ed Grant, Louis Banks, Wm. Delavery, Guy Freightman, John Walker, Perry Harris, John Baker, Eli Peters, Allen Peters, Philip Peters, Elijah Williams, Geo. Scott, and two young men from New Orleans, all colored. One of the last mentioned is supposed to be named Manuel Munro, and is a cigar-maker by trade. The steamer Dial has just arrived from Ship Island, bringing the bodies of two of the crew of the schooner Alice McGuigin and one of the schooner Angeline. The drowned men are John Walker, John Baker and Ed Grant. The captain also reports two other drowned men picked up by him, one white and one colored.”
[12] Writes that “The schooners Alice McGuigin, with a crew of seven, Angeline, with a crew of seven, and New Union, with a crew of five, of Shieldsboro, Mississippi, which sailed from Pearlington [MS] to Ship Island, Mississippi, were lost, with all on board, in the gale of October 2, 1893.
[13] “The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer long strait in Louisiana…and follows a generally eastward course [from Lake Pontchartrain] to Lake Borgne which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico.” (Wikipedia. “Rigolets.” 6-4-2013 update.) Article text notes that the loss was “near the Rigolets,” and that the dead were Captain Stephen Peters and 5 sailors.
[14] “Of the lives lost, reported above, one was lost from the schooner Centennial, of Shieldsboro, Mississippi, which was wrecked by striking the wharf at Waveland, Mississippi, October 1, 1893.
[15] Identified as a Biloxi boat which was found capsized “with crews all gone.” The bodies of Capt. Wm. H. Patton and Hugh miller, of Biloxi, were found.
[16] Our guestimate based on the statement that “The four schooners above named [Alice McGuigin, Angeline, New Union, and the Eliza B] had on board, altogether, twenty-three men, and it is supposed that all are lost.” Accounts vary on the fatalities on the first three named vessels. We add the low and high figures and subtract from 23.
[17] A Pearlington boat; “Jno Delavrey, captain; Guy Freightman, Jno. Walker, Jno. Baker, Perry Harris, and two unknown New Orleans young men were lost.”
[18] A Pearlington, MS boat, “found bottom up; crew lost.” (Given crew size of other Pearlington boats lost the figure of five appears to us a reasonable approximation.)
[19] A sailing boat type traditionally used for fishing. (Wikipedia. “Lugger.” 4-26-2013 modification.)
[20] This article notes that the boat, identified by name, but not by type, was “of Biloxi.”
[21] “…lost in sight of Bush Island.”
[22] An oyster boat – captain lost, two crew lived.
[23] Writes that “Captain Mertel and his son were lost…” off Clinton.
[24] “One lugger was found in the marshes with four dead men lashed to the rigging. They could not be identified.” Transcribed in: Hancock County Historical Society, Bay Saint Louis, MS. “Disasters in Hancock County.”
[25] “The brig ‘Rosella Smith,’ belonging to Capt. John Poitevent, Henry Howard and three sailors lost.”
[26] “…wrecked off Biloxi. Laivanore Carmelite and John Marl were the only two saved out of five aboard.”
[27] Crew size not noted. We guestimate four in that this may be the same boat referenced by the Daily Picayune as the Rosalia, “lost in sight of Bush Island,” with a crew of four. (Daily Picayune. “Storm Survivors Reach the City.” 10-7-1893, 6.)
[28] The captain, name not known.
[29] “Captain Stephen Peters and five sailors…” Elsewhere in the article it is written that “The schooners Alice McGuigin and Angeline have been discovered bottom upwards, three or four miles from the mouth of Pearl River. The names of those supposed to be lost are Anderson Thompson, Tobias Young, Samuel Young, Dan Johnson, Albert Burton, Steve Peters, Cord Galloway, Eli Galloway, Henry Galloway, Ed Grant, Louis Banks, Wm. Delavery, Guy Freightman, John Walker, Perry Harris, John Baker, Eli Peters, Allen Peters, Philip Peters, Elijah Williams, Geo. Scott, and two young men from New Orleans, all colored. One of the last mentioned is supposed to be named Manuel Munro, and is a cigar-maker by trade. The steamer Dial has just arrived from Ship Island, bringing the bodies of two of the crew of the schooner Alice McGuigin and one of the schooner Angeline. The drowned men are John Walker, John Baker and Ed Grant. The captain also reports two other drowned men picked up by him, one white and one colored.”
[30] Writes that “The schooners Alice McGuigin, with a crew of seven, Angeline, with a crew of seven, and New Union, with a crew of five, of Shieldsboro, Mississippi, which sailed from Pearlington [MS] to Ship Island, Mississippi, were lost, with all on board, in the gale of October 2, 1893.
[31] “The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer long strait in Louisiana…and follows a generally eastward course [from Lake Pontchartrain] to Lake Borgne which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico.” (Wikipedia. “Rigolets.” 6-4-2013 update.) Article text notes that the loss was “near the Rigolets,” and that the dead were Captain Stephen Peters and 5 sailors.
[32] “Of the lives lost, reported above, one was lost from the schooner Centennial, of Shieldsboro, Mississippi, which was wrecked by striking the wharf at Waveland, Mississippi, October 1, 1893.
[33] Identified as a Biloxi boat which was found capsized “with crews all gone.” The bodies of Capt. Wm. H. Patton and Hugh miller, of Biloxi, were found.
[34] Our guestimate based on the statement that “The four schooners above named [Alice McGuigin, Angeline, New Union, and the Eliza B] had on board, altogether, twenty-three men, and it is supposed that all are lost.” Accounts vary on the fatalities on the first three named vessels. We add the low and high figures and subtract from 23.
[35] A Pearlington boat; “Jno Delavrey, captain; Guy Freightman, Jno. Walker, Jno. Baker, Perry Harris, and two unknown New Orleans young men were lost.”
[36] “Schooner Jambon was capsized between the lake and bayou Johnson, and the crew of three men drowned.
[37] A Pearlington, MS boat, “found bottom up; crew lost.” (Given crew size of other Pearlington boats lost the figure of five appears to us a reasonable approximation.)