1897 — Sep 13, hurricane, southeast TX, especially Port Arthur and Sabine Pass, TX–10-13

–10 Blanchard estimated death toll*

–20-30 NYT. “Hurricane Visits Texas…Wrecks Life…Property at Port Arthur and Sabine Pass.” 9-14-1897, p. 1.
— 29 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 28.
–16 Beaumont
— 6 Port Arthur
— 3 offshore
— 4 Sabine Pass
— 13 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 323.
— 13 Henry, A.J. “Local Storms.” Monthly Weather Review, V.25, Issue 9, Sep 1897, p. 383.
— 10 South Haven Sentinel, MI. “The Storm In Texas.” 9-18-1897, p. 1.

*Blanchard note: Our estimate of ten is based on the ten specifically noted deaths in sources below. As can be seen by reading newspaper accounts, there are mentions of fears of, or unspecified reports of, other deaths. We have searched Texas newspaper archives for the week following the hurricane and can find no substantiation for such reports. We can find that these unspecified reports from early press reporting were picked up by wire services and reprinted in newspapers across the county. It is worth pointing out that we could find no reports of any deaths in nearby Beaumont, which the normally very reliable Roth reported as having lost 16 lives. Indeed, what we have seen is reporting from Beaumont on the damage in Port Arthur and Sabine Pass and offers of from assistance from Beaumont to Port Arthur in dealing with the aftermath. Indeed several Port Arthur victims were buried in Beaumont, yet there is no mention of burials of any Beaumont victims. Thus we conclude there were none.

While our death toll comes to ten, we are aware that the Monthly Weather Review of September 1897 notes thirteen deaths. Perhaps they were aware of deaths that we have not been able to verify through some sort of detail in the reporting – such as name, locale, cause of death. Thus, in the name of conservatism, we have chosen to employ a range of deaths – 10-13.

Louisiana (1)
–1 Louisiana side of Sabine Lake. House destroyed; John C. Brenner, found dead under debris.

Texas (9)

Port Arthur (6)
–6 Houston Daily Post. “Storm On The Coast. Six…Dead…at Port Arthur.” 9-14-1897, p. 1.
–1 Frank Albright, employed at electric light plant.
–1 Infant son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Jackson. (Another account has name as Johnson.)
–1 George Martin, brick mason.
–1 Fritz Michaels, laborer.
–1 Mary Unsworth, 13.
–1 Mr. Wicks, about 40.
–6 Report of Mrs. M. Allen, arriving on train from Port Arthur, stating 6 were reported killed.

Sabine Pass (3)
–3 Tug John Smith “went to pieces…” Mr. Green Moore, Lew Bettis, and Will Ratliff lost.

Narrative Information

Henry/Monthly Weather Review: “There were very few severe local storms during the month. Two West India hurricanes crossed the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts, causing dangerous winds and destructive tides at a few points. The most serious disasters occurred on the Texas Const about 7:30 p. m. of the 13th. Thirteen lives were lost and property to the value of $150,000 was destroyed, the destruction being due to the combined forces of high winds and tide.”

Roth: “September 12-13th, 1897: A minimal hurricane moved into extreme southeast Texas from Louisiana. The pressure at Galveston fell to 29.58″. At New Sabine Pass, water was six feet deep; only 2 buildings were left intact. Sabine Pass had 3½ feet of water in its streets. Port Arthur was nearly wiped out. Winds began blowing a gale there at 10 AM. By 2 PM, Sabine Lake had become a ‘seething, rolling body of water’ (Houston Post). By 6 PM, winds reached hurricane force. The air was filled with flying boards and timber. Conditions improved after 9 PM. Hardly a building escaped unharmed. The newly completed pier was washed away, as well as miles of railroad track in Jefferson County.

“In Winnie, every house in town saw damage. Every rice farm in Taylor’s Bayou was leveled. Winnie reported a $12,000 loss to its rice crop. The storm raged until midnight in these locations. Burnet set a 24 hour rainfall record for September when 3.17″ of rain fell. In Beaumont, winds were high between 6 and 11 PM. The Baptist Church in Beaumont was demolished. Two dozen buildings, including the large new Kansas City Southern railroad depot were totally destroyed.

“Telegraph and telephone lines were downed. It was considered the worst storm at Orange since 1875. Roofs were blown off, trees uprooted, and windows were smashed. Homes in Liberty County suffered as well. Cotton was in jeopardy across much of eastern Texas. In Galveston, sections of roof were peeled off Olympia; its third floor caving in. Smaller ships in the Bay perished in the high seas. The steamer Umberland was delayed getting into port at Corpus Christi due to high seas.

“A frightening Union Pacific train ride occurred during the storm between Beaumont and Devers, heading westward towards Houston. Its headlight was torn away, the smoker’s roof was sheared away by the wind, and the ladies coach was twisted. The train only ended up being an hour and 20 minutes late. The bark Ceries and the tug boats Fannie, Florence, Guillotte, and John P. Smith met their fate. Looters invaded the area, but quickly left when threatened with hanging. Sea gulls were blown inland as far as Bryan.

“Six died at Port Arthur, three offshore, four in Sabine Pass, and sixteen others perishing at Beaumont; damage totaled $150,000.” (Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 28.)
Newspapers

Sep 13 Beaumont report: “Beaumont, Tex., Sept. 13. – (Special) – Jefferson county has been storm swept, from reports received by The Statesman correspondent the devastation seems confined almost exclusively to this county, with the exception of Winnie, on the Gulf and interstate railroad, which is just across the line. A conservative estimate of the loss is $150,000 for Jefferson county. The towns of New Sabine Pass, Old Sabine Pass, Port Arthur and Winnie all suffered immeasurably in one of the stiffest gales that ever swept the coast. The greatest loss of life was at Port Arthur where there now lay nine corpses as the result of the storm, while in Sabine Pass harbor three men were drowned. At New Sabine Pass one man is reported dead.” (Austin Weekly Statesman. “Storm Swept.” 9-16-1897, p. 5, col. 6.)

Sep 13: Houston Daily Post. “Storm On The Coast. Six…Dead…at Port Arthur.” 9-14-1897, p. 1:
“Port Arthur, Texas, September 13. – A hurricane last night almost wiped the town of Port Arthur, Southern terminal of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf railroad, from the face of the earth. The wind began blowing a gale from the northeast at 10 o’clock yesterday morning, and as the day advanced it grew stronger. By 3 o’clock it had accumulated a sufficient velocity to churn the usually peaceful bosom of Sabine lake into a seething, rolling body of water. Waves rolled high and the swish and roar of breakers mingles with the doleful moan of the wind and struck terror to the hearts of the timid inhabitants.

“At 6 o’clock the gale became a terrific hurricane, and before the disaster that had overtaken the city could be realized the air was filled with flying boards and timbers, the crash of buildings being destroyed could be heard on every side and the shrieks of frightened men, women and children and wails of the wounded, all of which was shrouded in inly darkness, while rain fell in torrents, made the circumstances particularly distressing to those who retained their presence of mind.

“The hurricane was not a brief visitation like a cyclone. It began the work of destruction a few minutes after 6 o’clock and continued with increasing vigor until about 9, when the wind began to abate.

“As soon as it was considered safe, parties were organized and the work of rescuing the unfortunate who had been caught under the falling houses began. On account of the darkness and continuous rain the rescuers could not work satisfactorily, for it was utterly impossible to reach all the houses which had been blown down. In fact, the damage could not be ascertained until daylight. The buildings in which parties had been caught by the falling walls were reported by those who escaped, however, and within a few hours six dead bodies were taken from the ruins and laid out to await burial.

“When daylight came it exposed a most appalling picture, the damage having been much greater than was expected. In fact hardly a building escaped, and a large majority were totally destroyed….”

Sep 13, NYT: “Houston, Texas, Sept. 13. – A severe hurricane visited the towns of Port Arthur and Sabine Pass last night, inflicting considerable loss of life and property. The number of the dead is variously estimated at from twenty to thirty. The loss at Sabine Pass includes one schooner, four tugs, many buildings, and ten or more persons drowned, including Moore and Bettis, contractors. There is six feet of water in the pass.

“At Port Arthur three-fourths of the buildings were blown down. It is impossible to get a corrected list of the dead and injured. These are known to have been killed: Frank Albright, electric light employe; Fritz Michaels, carpenter; George Martin, bricklayer; Mary Answorth; a six-months-old child; and an unknown man

“The storm blew up from the ocean shortly before 6 o’clock, and by midnight was so fierce that it produced a tidal wave all along the coast. The telegraph wires were blown down, and communication with the outside world was temporarily cut off.” (New York Times. “Hurricane Visits Texas. Ocean Storm Wrecks Life and Property at Port Arthur and Sabine Pass.” 9-14-1897, p. 1.)

Sep 14, Houston Daily Post: “Three Were Drowned…at Sabine Pass…
“Drowned –

Green Moore
Lew Bettis
Will Ratliff.

“Sabine Pass, Texas, September 13. – The most terrible hurricane in the history of Sabine Pass visited that port between 6 and 7 o’clock last night. The wind blew at a terrific velocity for three or four hours. It first came from the northeast and blew steadily for some time, the suddenly shifted to the southeast and came back with even greater force than at first.

“The wind from the northeast caused the water to run through Sabine Pass like a mill race, and when the wind shifted the water came back with equal rapidity, but the volume was not sufficient to submerge either the old or new town, though the tide at one time crept over the bank and looked threatening. The hurricane did but comparatively little damage to property on land. A saloon building owned by Walter Conkling was blown to pieces and the stock of liquor and cigars was ruined. A second hand furniture store run by a man named Rector was wrecked. These are the only two places seriously damaged in Old Sabine.

“In the new town several residences were blown from their foundations and all the small, hastily constructed buildings were scattered to the four points of the compass. Neither the Clifton nor the Windsor, the two large hotels recently erected by the Sabine Land and Improvement company were damaged in the least, and no one was seriously injured.

“While the hurricane did but little damage on land it played havoc in the harbor and several are believed to have lost their lives.

“The German bark Ceres, 800 tons, parted the lines with which she was moored to the wharves and was blown five miles north, where she grounded and is now in only a few feet of water. The vessel is empty and owing to the soft mud bottom in the lake is believed to be uninjured. Other large vessels were tied to wharves, but their anchors held and they were saved from being blown. When the Ceres parted its lines the captain and the crew escaped to shore and the vessel was left at the mercy of the winds.

“The tugs Florence, Captain Burts; Guillotte, Captain George Wilson, sank, but the captains and crews escaped.

“The tug John Smith went to pieces and it is feared that Mr. Green Moore and Lew Bettis of Orange and a young man named Will Ratliff, who were aboard the tug, were drowned. When the wind struck the tug the parties named and two sons of Mr. Moore were aboard the vessel. It was made fast to a barge and all hands started to escape over the tie line. The two boys were nearly to the barge when the line broke. They had hold of the end tied to the barge and escaped. The other end was attached to the tug. It was in the hands of Messrs. Moore, Bettis and Ratliff. They have not since been seen. The tug was found today only a short distance from where the bark Ceres is grounded.

“A pile driver and barge, on which six men were supposed to be, are missing. No trace of either the barge or the men has been found, and it is feared they have been blown out to sea.

“All the small vessels in the port were either wrecked or badly damaged by the winds, and all the little shanties used as lodging houses for roustabouts were blown away.

“Captains on the various boats at the Pass say that the storm last night was the most severe they had ever experienced, and several of them say that if a similar wind should visit any other port it would destroy every vessel. They estimate the velocity of the wind anywhere from sixty to seventy miles per hour….” (Houston Daily Post. “Three Were Drowned. Were Aboard One of the Tugs Which Foundered.” 9-14-1897, p. 3, col. 1.)

Sep 15: “The Storm In Texas. Ten Killed, Many Injured and the Property Loss Heavy.

“Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 15. – A special to the Star from Port Arthur Tuesday [14th] says: Here six bodies have been recovered, the result of Sunday night’s storm, while at Sabine Pass the recovered death list numbers ten and many are missing. Many were injured, but not seriously. Telegraph and train communication was cut off until Tuesday….”(South Haven Sentinel, MI. “The Storm In Texas.” 9-18-1897, p. 1.)

Sources

Austin Weekly Statesman. “Storm Swept.” 9-16-1897, p. 5, col. 6. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-austin-weekly-statesman-sep-16-1897-p-5/

Austin Weekly Statesman. “The Storm. The Port Arthur Victims Buried…” 9-16-1897, p. 5. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-austin-weekly-statesman-sep-16-1897-p-5/

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Henry, A. J. “Local Storms.” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 25, Issue 9, September 1897, p. 383. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: file:///C:/Users/Wayne/Downloads/[15200493%20-%20Monthly%20Weather%20Review]%20LOCAL%20STORMS.pdf

Houston Daily Post. “Damage At Winnie.” 9-14-1897, p. 2, col. 2-3. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/houston-daily-post-sep-14-1897-p-3/

Houston Daily Post. “On The Sabine Lake.” 9-15-1897, p. 2, col. 1. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/houston-daily-post-sep-15-1897-p-3/

Houston Daily Post. “Storm On The Coast. Six…Dead…at Port Arthur.” 9-14-1897, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/houston-daily-post-sep-14-1897-p-1/

Houston Daily Post. “Three Were Drowned. Were Aboard One of the Tugs Which Foundered.” 9-14-1897, p2. Accessed 9-19-2022: https://newspaperarchive.com/houston-daily-post-sep-14-1897-p-3/

New York Times. “Hurricane Visits Texas. Ocean Storm Wrecks Life and Property at Port Arthur and Sabine Pass.” 9-14-1897, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/09/14/102084710.html?pageNumber=1

Roth, David (National Weather Service). Texas Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: NWS. 1-17-2010 update. Accessed 11-22-2017 at: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf
Also 9-19-2022 at: https://www.weather.gov/media/lch/events/txhurricanehistory.pdf

South Haven Sentinel, MI. “The Storm In Texas.” 9-18-1897, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/south-haven-sentinel-sep-18-1897-p-1/