1919 — Sep 10-14 –Hurricane, Florida Keys, Gulf & Corpus Christi area, TX –727-1,131
–727-1131 Blanchard tally based on State and Maritime breakouts below.[1]
— 900 Sav. Natural Disasters: Some Empirical and Economic Considerations. 1974. 8[2]
— 600-900 Hebert/Taylor. The Deadliest, Costliest…Most Intense…Hurricanes…Century. 1983.
— 600-900 Hebert/Jarrell/Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest…Hurricanes… 1993, p. 8.[3]
— 600-900 Norcross. Hurricane Almanac. 2006, p. 47.[4]
— 600-900 Rappaport/Fernandez-Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones…1994.
— >800 Sun Sentinel, FL. “The 11 Worst Hurricanes,” 2010.
— 787 Epic Disasters. “The Ten Deadliest US Hurricanes.”
— 772 Wikipedia. “1919 Florida Keys Hurricane.”
— 600 Jarrell, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest…Most Intense…Hurricanes…1900- 2000. 2001.
— 500 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database.
— 300 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). 1964.[5]
— 287 Bedient and Sebastian. “An Introduction to Gulf Coast Severe Storms…” 2012, p. 8.
— 287 Blake, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense US Cyclones…, April 2007.[6]
— 287 Landsea. “A Reanalysis…1911-20 Atlantic Hurr. Data.” Climate V21, 2008, 21.[7]
Breakout of Fatalities by Location (where noted):
Florida Maritime ( 127-131) (See Maritime section below.)
–127-131 Blanchard tally based on Florida maritime data below, excluding Spanish Valbanera.
— 123 Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 225, 228.
Texas State Totals (345-1,000)
— 1,000 UP. “Austin Man Triples Flood Death Figure,” San Antonio News, 9-23-1919, 1.
–400-1000 Sun Sentinel, FL. “1919 – Key West, Many Lost At Sea,” 2010.[8]
— 700 San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9-20-1919, 1.[9]
— 500-700 UP. “Austin Man Triples Flood Death Figure,” San Antonio News, 9/23/1919, 1.[10]
— 318-684 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.
— 345-620 Hearne Democrat, TX. “Known Dead From Result of Storm,” Oct 3, 1919, p. 3.[11]
— 300-600 Dunn and Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). 1964, p. 323.
— 286-600 Wikipedia. “1919 Florida Keys Hurricane.”
— 391-500 San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates are Much Higher,” 9/20/19, 1.[12]
— 380-500 San Antonio Light. “State…Take Over Relief Work From Army…,” 9/19/1919, 1.[13]
— 495 Cedar Rapids Republican, IA. “Storm Death List Grows,” 9-24-1919, 3[14]
— 346-399 Blanchard tally based on area breakouts below.
— 300 Llano News, TX. “Toll of Disaster Grows…Storm Swept…Texas Coast,” 9-18-19, 1
— 284 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 9.
— 274 Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” Sep 26, 1919, p. 3.
Texas Regions ( 345)
— 25 Aransas Bay. Hearne Democrat, TX. “Known Dead From Result of Storm,” 10-3-1919, 3
–320 Nueces Bay. Hearne Democrat, TX. “Known Dead From Result of Storm,” 10-3-1919, 3
Texas Localities (318-1,000)
— 7 Aransas Pass. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9-20-1919, 1.
— 3 “ Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” 9-26-1919, 3.
–600-1000 Corpus Christi area. Lightfoot. “The Storm of 1919 Revisited.” TPWMagazine.[15]
— 287 Corpus Christi area official estimate. Lightfoot. “The Storm of 1919 Revisited.”
— 287 Corpus Christi. Sun Sentinel, FL. “1919 – Key West, Many Lost At Sea,” 2010.
— 284 “ TX State Historical Association. “Hurricanes.”[16]
— 175 “ San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9-20-1919, 1.
— 130 “ Galveston News. “Damage…$4,000,000 at Corpus Christi,” 9-16-1919, 1.
— 125 “ Laredo Times. “Corpus Christi Mayor…Conditions Bad,” 9-21-19, 4.[17]
— >121 “ Norcross. Hurricane Almanac. 2006, p. 47.[18]
— ~100 “ San Antonio News. “Governor Issues…Proclamation…,” 9-17-1919.
— 100 “ Llano News TX. “Toll of Disaster…Storm…Texas Coast,” 9-18-1919, 1.
–5 “ Spohn Hospital. Ogilvie, Mary. “Spohn Hospital.” Handbook of TX Online.
— 15 Nueces Bay. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9/20/19, 1.
— 189 “ Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” Sep 26, 1919, 3.
— 13 Odem. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9/20/1919, 1.
— 6 Port Aransas. Llano News TX. “Toll of Disaster…Storm…Texas Coast,” 9/18/1919, 1
— 5 “ Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” Sep 26, 1919, 3.
— 4 Portland. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9/20/1919, 1.
— 10 Rockport. San Antonia News. “Rockport Loss Above Million with Ten Dead,” 9-20-19.[19]
— 9 “ Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” Sep 26, 1919, 3.
— 3 Unk. Location, Sep 22. Cedar Rapids Republican IA. “Storm Death List…,” 9/24/1919
— 72 West Portland. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…,” 9/20/1919, 1.
— 94 White Point. San Antonio News. “391 Bodies Found…Estimates…Higher,” 9/20/19, 1.
Maritime (614-618 {127-131 American})
— 27 Corydon. U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service, Annual Report 1920, p. 15.
— 27 “ Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 225.
— 4 Dredge Grampus (KW). Bridgeport Standard, CT. “Key West a Wreck,” 9-12-1919, 1.
— 36 Larimer. Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 228.
— 36 “ U.S. Bureau of Navigation. Merchant Vessels of…US…1920, 447.
— 32 Lake Conway. Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 228.
— 32 Munisla. Wrecksite.eu. “SS Munisla (+1919).” 7-21-2011 update.[20]
— 28 “ Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 228.
–488 Valbanera (Spanish) Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 290.
Narrative Information
Florida
Sep 11, Iola Daily Register: “Key West, Fla., Sept. 10. – Lower Florida was paralyzed today as a result of the violent hurricane that passed over that section last night….Three hundred and twenty frame buildings practically were razed, two church edifices were wrecked and five retail stores tipped over. The damage is estimated at more than 2 million dollars. Shipping off the coast met with disaster. Several small vessels were sunk and others were driven to the reefs. Tonight a high wind and rough sea prevented rescue work….” (Iola Daily Register, KS. “Florida Storm-Swept,” Sep 11, 1919, p. 1.)
Sep 11, AP: “By the Associated Press. Key West, Fla., Sept. 11. – With daylight today, following the storm of yesterday and a night of darkness, the people of Key West and surrounding territory were able for the first time to survey the destruction wrought by the hurricane that swept through here Tuesday night. Not a house in the city had escaped damage and many were totally wrecked. The harbor presented a tangles mass of fishing vessels and other small craft but latest reports failed to show any deaths other than those on the dredge Grampus. Of the fourteen men on this craft ten were rescued last night, one body was recovered and three are missing.” (AP. “Every House in Key West Damaged…,” 9/11/1919, 1.)
Sep 12: “Key West, Fla., Sept. 12. – Key West has been places virtually under military rule and soldiers and sailors are detailed to assist the police in guarding the city’s storm devastated areas. Forces of men were put at work clearing away the debris strewn in the streets by Tuesday’s hurricane. The government has opened a commissary, where necessities my be purchased….” (Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Key West Factories Lose Heavily,” Sep 12, 1919, 1.)
Florida Maritime
US SIS: “On September 9, 1919, at 11 a.m., while en route from Antilla, Cuba, to New York, N.Y., the steamer Corydon sank during a hurricane in the Bahamas Channel, resulting in the loss of 27 lives.” (U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service, Annual Report 1920, p. 15.)
Singer: “Corydon – Steam freighter (steel), of Detroit, 2,251 tons, built in 1918 at Ecorse, Mich., 253.4’ x 43.7’ x 25.1’. Foundered off the Florida coast during a hurricane, Sept 9, 1919. Twenty-seven lives lost.”
“Larimer – Steam tanker (steel), of Port Arthur, Texas (owned by The Gulf Refining Co.,), 3737 tons, built in 1903 at Camden, N.J., 325.5’ x 46.4’ x 26.2’. Left Baltimore for Port Arthur, Texas, and Tampico, Mexico, where she picked up a cargo of oil, the headed back to Baltimore. She was last heard from Sept. 8, 1919, by wireless from Sand Key, eight miles south of Key West, in direct line of a hurricane. Never heard from again. All 36 of crew lost.”
“Lake Conway – Steam freighter (steel) of Detroit, 1,948 tons, built in 1198 at Wyandotte, Mich., 251’ x 43.8’ x 18.5’. Left Philadelphia with a crew of 32, Sept. 3, 1919, bound for Havana. Not heard from since. Most likely sank in the September 1919 hurricane. Possible Florida wreck.”
“Munisla – Steam freighter (steel), of New York, 1,697 tons, built in 1916 at Ecorse, Mich., 243.3’ x 43.1’ x 17’. Sailed from Mobile with a crew of 28, Sept. 9, 1919, bound for Havana. Not heard from since. Most likely sank in the September 1919 hurricane. Possible Florida wreck.” (Singer 1998, 225.)
“Undoubtedly the worst disaster off the Florida coast in this last century – in terms of lives lost from a single ship – was the sinking of the Valbanera. The Valbanera was built in 1905 at Glasgow, Scotland…. She could carry 1,000 passengers in three classes.
“The Valbanera left Spain for New Orleans via Havana. On board were 400 passengers and 88 crew members. Almost all the passengers were either Spaniards or Cubans, and most were to disembark at Havana…. The trip was uneventful until she approached Cuba. She arrived off Morro Castle at Havana Harbor on Sept. 9, 1919, but a hurricane was sweeping across the island at this time. Rather than risk trying to enter the harbor, Captain Morton decided to ride the storm out at sea.
“At 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 12, the Valbanera radioed Key West and asked if there were any messages for her. Ten minutes later the Key West station radioed back, but there was no response from her. The hurricane was raging with considerable violence at the time, and it is most probable that the Valbanera sank within minutes after her call to Key West.
“On Sept. 19 the United States Sub-Chaser 203 and the Coast Guard vessel Tuscarora found the Valbanera sunk in 40 feet of water near the Rebecca Shoal Lighthouse, Dry Tortugas….
“It was reported that for a few days after the Valbanera sank, faint calls by wireless were being picked up from survivors of the Valbanera, asking for help. This was never verified, since no survivors or bodies were ever found, even though an extensive search was made. Mot on board were believed to have been trapped inside the ship when she went down.
“The Valbanera must have sunk quite suddenly and without warning. Since there were no survivors, one can only speculate what actually happened. Had she entered Havana Harbor, she might have survived. Instead, 488 people lost their lives in one of Florida’s worst maritime disasters.” (Singer 1998, 289-290.)
Florida and Texas
Roth: “September 14-16th, 1919: A severe hurricane formed just east of the Virgin Islands on the 1st of September. It gained much of its strength between Santo Domingo and the Central Bahamas, one of the favored areas for major hurricane development (track to right). The pressure at Key West fell to 28.81″ as the storm passed by on the 9-10th; gales were experienced for 26 ½ hours due to the storm’s slow movement. The Sand Key Weather Bureau station was abandoned at 1 PM on the 9th. The anemometer was blown away as winds passed 84 mph and the pressure fell to 28.35″ at midnight.
“As it moved over the Dry Tortugas on the 10th, the pressure had dived to 27.51″…a nearby ship reported a pressure of 27.36″. Ten vessels were lost in the Florida Straits, among them included a ship with 488 people on board. Gales began along the entire Gulf coast, yet the Weather Bureau had difficulty keeping track of it due to very few ship reports. Storm warnings were hoisted on the 11th for Texas. People from Galveston took no chances and prepared for the impending cyclone. Fish invaded the Corpus Christi Bay in great numbers that day. On the 12th, a ship about 300 miles south of New Orleans reported a pressure of 27.50″…and Galveston already had a storm surge of 8.8 feet!
“Rumors had spread that the hurricane made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi and the storm warnings were dropped. Even as the Bay became frothy early on the 14th, the Weather Bureau advised it would be smaller than the 1916 hurricane, and winds would only be 40 mph. Soon after, hurricane flags were put back up. Padre and Brazos Islands were quickly submerged. West winds of 40 to 50 mph swept the Lower Rio Grande valley, damaging a few buildings. Brownsville reported 4.75″ of rain during the storm; see chart on the right for rainfall records set during this hurricane. Later that day, the storm moved inland 25 miles south of Corpus Christi while the storm continued its slow forward trek, putting the city in the dreaded right-front quadrant of the system, where the highest winds and storm surges normally occur. Corpus Christi’s number was finally up. Winds of 110 mph and a pressure of 28.65″ were experienced. Storm surge there was sixteen feet.
“Timbers from the docks at Port Aransas became battering rams, destroying buildings on their way inland. Residents on North Beach took an 18 hour trip across Nueces Bay, but it was no pleasure cruise. People clung to whatever they could find to survive the trip amongst ten foot waves. Fifteen hundred cattle were driven off Padre Island into the Laguna Madre. After the storm, the beaches were littered with debris and bodies, which were quickly buried in a mass grave near White Point. A ten foot storm surge along the Matagorda peninsula inundated the area, causing damage to agriculture.
“The S.A.U.& G. railroad west of Odem was washed out. Summer houses in Victoria were leveled and the cotton crop was destroyed. An eight foot storm surge overwashed Sabine Pass. At Port Aransas, the steamship Media was lifted onto the docks. As the storm passed inland, San Antonio saw the pressure fall to 29.48″ and winds southeast of 34 mph. Over 310 lives were lost. Heavy rains were experienced across much of Texas (see map above (after Ward & Grice)). Damage estimates were at $20 million. During the storm’s life, Miami, Burrwood in Louisiana, and Galveston all reported winds at least as high as 60 mph, indicating this storm’s large size. This storm led to a breakwater off Corpus Christi in 1925, and ultimately to their seawall by 1940.” (Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, pp. 38-39.)
Sun Sentinel: “Key West was hit by the most powerful hurricane in its history on Sept. 10, 1919. It was the only hurricane to form in the Atlantic that year. The storm killed more than 800 people before it was done — the exact total will never be known.
“More than 500 were lost on ten ships that either sunk or were reported missing. The steamer Valbanera was found between Key West and the Dry Tortugas sunk with 488 aboard, according to Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys. All were lost. Storm damage included severe damage to the Key West-Havana docks and buildings in Key West and major devastation in Corpus Christi.
“The barometric pressure measured at Dry Tortugas was 27.37 inches — the fourth lowest ever measured in the Atlantic, according to the Weather Service. Key West had gale force winds (sustained winds over 39 mph) for 38 consecutive hours. Some places in the Keys had over 13 inches of rain. The maximum sustained winds were 110 mph.
“The storm maintained that strength across the Gulf of Mexico, where something even more frightening happened. According to the Corpus Christi office of the National Weather Service, they “lost” the storm on Sept. 13. With no ship reports and only sporadic observations along the coastline, the Weather Service began a desperate attempt to find the hurricane center.
“Coastal offices sent special observations by telegraph every two hours to the Washington headquarters. At midnight on the 13th, they had little to go on to determine the storm’s location, and Weather Service headquarters in Washington finally called for the Corpus Christi office to “take all possible precautions against rising winds and higher tides especially if [the] barometer begins to fall steadily.”
“It did. The hurricane hit Corpus Christi, Texas, on Sept. 14, with 16 foot waves, at least 125 mph winds and catastrophic damage. Despite reports of severe damage in Key West, many in Corpus Christi were unprepared, apparently believing the storm was heading for Louisiana.
“The official death toll was 287 in Corpus Christi, but according to the National Weather Service, the estimates of the actual count there range from 400 to 1,000. The official list only counts those who were positively identified, and city official wanted to downplay the death toll in the national media for fear of hurting tourism….” (Sun Sentinel, FL. “1919 – Key West, Many Lost At Sea,” 2010.)
Texas General
Epic Disasters: “This hurricane struck the Keys as a Category 4, and Texas as a Category 3. US mainland losses are recorded as 287, but more than 500 more people apparently were lost at sea as the storm destroyed ten ships.” (Epic Disasters. The Ten Deadliest US Hurricanes.)
Landsea: “In 1919, storm 2 hit the Florida Keys and south Texas as a category 4 hurricane in both locations originally, killing 287 people, and causing about $14 billion in damages if the same system were to hit today. The Florida Keys landfall retained the 927-mb central pressure in HURDAT and along with the moderately sized 15 n mi RMW gave winds of 130 kt, keeping the system as a category 4 at that location. However, in south Texas, the hurricane is reanalyzed to have had a central pressure of 950 mb, a large 35 n mi RMW, and a low environmental pressure of 1006 mb, giving winds of about 100 kt, and it was downgraded to a category 3 for this second U.S. landfall.” (Landsea. “A Reanalysis…1911-20 Atlantic Hurricane Database.” Climate V21, 2008, 21.)
Texas Chronological
Sep 15: “San Antonio, Sept 15.—A two o’clock telephone message which managed to get through from Corpus Christi says that there were several deaths there from drowning. Water reached the second story of some of the buildings. A section of the city is under martial law.” (Mexia Evening News, TX. “Martial Law in Corpus Christi. Several People Drowned,” 9/15/19.)
Sep 19: “Corpus Christi, Tex., Sept. 19. – At noon today, state authorities took over the relief work in the storm devastated district of the coast, at the request of Governor W. P. Hobby. Col. W. D. Cope, acting adjutant general, who arrived last night from Austin, relieved Lieut. Col. John A. Porter, Q.M.C., military relief officer, and militia officers replaced regular army personnel in the relief organization he has perfected here.
“Following the request of Mayor Gordon Boone at the same hour a censorship over all outgoing news dispatches was established….
“No increase has been made in the estimate of 500 dead through the stricken district, though the number of recovered bodies today was raised to 380 with the finding of five more bodies in Corpus Christi….
“The establishment of the censorship today was believed to have originated in the opinion of Corpus Christi business men and other prominent citizens that some correspondents were sending out needlessly alarming and inaccurate reports of storm conditions and while it was not intended in any way to hinder the outgoing of news, it was deemed necessary to insure accuracy of press reports. It was believed that the censorship would bot be imposed upon The Light and The Associated Press.
“State Martial Law Ordered.
“In taking over control of the situation, the Texas adjutant general declared state martial law in Corpus Christi and all portions of Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas Counties that were swept by the hurricane. His command at noon numbered 336 militiamen, including members of the Second Texas Cavalry, and the Ninth Infantry….
“Of the 500 or more believed to have lost their lives in the storm, only a few have been identified. The bodies are being buried as rapidly as they are found and this has caused much difficulty in effecting identification. It is realized that while the total dead probably will be known approximately within a week or two, the complete list of names probably never will be available….” (San Antonio Light. “State…Take Over Relief Work From Army,” 9-19-1919, 1.)
Sep 21: “Thousands Are Homeless and Suffering From Effects of Storm.
“The following telegram received here yesterday afternoon by Colonel B.B. Buck, commander of the Laredo district, tells of the horrible conditions existing in Corpus Christi and the need for further assistance. The telegram reads as follows:
Corpus Christi, Tex., Sept 16, 1919. Col. B. B. Buck, Commanding Officer. Fort McIntosh, Texas.
Your telegram addressed to commanding officer received….More than 3,000 people homeless and destitute and greatly in need of food and financial assistance. All kinds of food supplies will be appreciated.
Gordon Boone, Mayor.
“….Much anxiety exists here…concerning the fate of thirty-five members of the Thirty-seventh Infantry from Laredo who arrived at the rest camp area at Corpus on last Saturday, reaching that place just as the hurricane was gaining volume. The following telegram received by Colonel Buck this morning concerns this matter:
Corpus Christi, Tex., Sept 17, 1919. Col. B.B. Buck, District Com., Ft. McIntosh, Laredo, Texas.
One hundred and twenty-five identified dead to date. Bodies being washed ashore hourly. Captain and Mrs. B. M. Egeland bodies identified. Twenty-two men of Company L 37th Infantry missing. Private Frank Dial, Supply Company and Cook Katsicies bodies identified….
- P. Johnson, Lieut. Medical Corps.
“….The civil and military organizations administering affairs under martial law at Corpus Christi, have issued an edict that no visitors shall be permitted to enter Corpus Christi at this time….
“Ed. Brooks, local agent of the Humble Oil & Refining Co., who was in Corpus Christi last Saturday night en route to Gregory, across the bay from Corpus to visit his parents, says a veritable gale from the southeast was prevailing in Corpus at midnight when he left in an auto over the causeway for Gregory. He remained at the home of his parents during the storm on Sunday. On Monday morning he went down to Portland and there the first gruesome results of the storm met his gaze, for the sea was giving up its dead at that time and thirty-three dead bodies were on the beach there. Many of these bodies were in such bad shape that they had to be buried late that day without being identified. Monday afternoon Mr. Brooks went to White Point, seven miles from Portland in a wagon, and on the beach of Nueces bay there nine miles northwest of Corpus he saw some sickening sights, as during the day sixty-one bodies had been recovered and placed in the schoolhouse, which had been converted into a temporary morgue. Most of the bodies were unidentified, and were probably those of tourists in Corpus, and had to be buried soon after found, as the effects of the salt waster caused rapid decomposition….” (Laredo Times. “Corpus Christi Mayor Wires Conditions Bad,” 9/21/19, 4.)
Sep 22: “Corpus Christi, Texas, Sept. 22 – The list of dead and missing from the tropical hurricane and tidal wave that struck this vicinity of September 14 was raised to 495 tonight with the announcement of the finding today of three additional bodies and the posting of twenty or more names of persons who are known to be missing and believed dead. Two thousand persons were fed today at soup kitchens established by the Red Cross.”
Sep 23: “Austin, Tex., Sept. 23. – Total dead to the Texas Gulf storms are from 2,000 to 3,000, according to T. W. Wolling, a business man of Austin, who returned from Corpus Christi today after a futile search for the body of his brother-in-law…Wolling said 1,500 bodies had been buried in trenches around the shores of Nueces Bay. He said a party of which he was a member buried 50 unidentified bodies in one trench.. The official reports of the Corpus Christi relief committee now place the total death list at from 500 to 700. Several persons have estimated the total dead at 1,000 however.” (UP. “Austin Man Triples Flood Death Figure,” San Antonio Evening News, 9/23/1919, 1.)
Sep 26: “Fuller reports received to date from the devastated storm area of which Corpus Christi, Texas, was the center only serves to swell the death roll of Sunday’s hurricane of September 14, and confirm earlier estimates that the total property damage will exceed $20,000,000.
“It is daily becoming more apparent that the destruction wrought by the storm will surpass all previous estimates, both as to life and property, as news filtering in from in from the surrounding country with the partial resumption of wire communications continues to emphasize the appalling magnitude of the catastrophe.
“Plans for dragging Nueces Bay for bodies known to be held in the large amount of wreckage still floating in the back waters are being discussed, though the physical difficulties of the task may prevent its fruition.
“It is now believed that there is little hope of reclaiming the additional victims, and the conviction is growing that the final chapters in the terrible disaster must be written with the total
death list locked in the waters of Nueces and Corpus Christi bays.
“A final check of the storm dead, according to latest figures obtainable is as follows:
Buried at Corpus Christi, 68
Buried on north shore Nueces Bay, 189.
Dead at Rockport, 9.
Dead at Port Aransas, 5.
Dead at Aransas Pass, 3.
Total, 274.
“….Fifteen hundred homes, stretching along the beach for twenty-three blocks at Corpus Christi, were crushed and hurled away or wrecked by the tidal wave, which reached a depth of fifteen feet in some places. Over much of the beach section not an indication of former homes now remains, except here and there a bath tub or part of a brick chimney.
“From Start street, where the business section on the beach terminated, to Dan Reid street every one of the 900 beach homes has been destroyed, most of them beyond trace, while here and there a mourning palm tree, hanging low its oil-begrimed leaves, marks the spot of some former show place. In this section the bay line has changed, the water having established a new line varying from fifty to 200 feet inland from the former position. This change extends from the business district to the end of the north beach and out as far as Carroll street.
“Thirty-six injured persons are in the relief hospital and twenty-eight are in the convalescent ward at the county court house, all with injuries suffered in the storm. Nine of them are United States soldiers.” (Hearne Democrat, TX. “The Storm Death List Increases,” Sep 26, 1919, p. 3.)
Oct 3: “Corpus Christi, Tex. – A revised summary of the casualties made public this week by the bureau of information places the known dead in the vicinity of Corpus Christ! as the result of the hurricane and tidal wave which swept over the South Texas gulf coast Sunday, Sept. 14, at 320. Of this number 157 were identified, leaving 163 in the list of those still unidentified.
“The known dead in the vicinity of Rockport, Aransas Pass and Port Aransas is officially given as 25, bringing the death roll in the storm-swept area up to 345. In Corpus Christi alone the list of persons still unaccounted for contains 275 names, making a grand total of 620 for the affected
districts, including known dead and missing.” (Hearne Democrat, TX. “Known Dead From Result of Storm,” Oct 3, 1919, p. 3.)
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[1] As one can see from the death toll estimates below, figures cover a disconcerting large range. There seems to be some consensus around 600-900 and 600-1,000 deaths for Texas. So, for the low end of our range we take 600 for Texas and 127 for the maritime (mostly FL and Gulf) losses, for a total of 727; and for the high end we take 1,000 for TX and 131 as the high end of maritime losses for a total of 1,131.
[2] All deaths. Sav notes: Wind 110mph at Key West, Fla ••tides 16.0 ft. at Corpus Christi, $22 million damages.
[3] Notes “Over 500 of these lost on ships at sea; 600-900 estimated deaths.”
[4] “The official death toll from the great hurricane of 1919 is estimated to have been between 600 and 900.”
[5] Not used as low number. If report of 391 recovered bodies in TX is correct, and we have no reason to belief it isn’t, then this number is clearly too low.
[6] Not used as low number. If report of 391 recovered bodies in TX is correct, and we have no reason to belief it isn’t, then this number is clearly too low.
[7] Not used as low number. If report of 391 recovered bodies in TX is correct, and we have no reason to belief it isn’t, then this number is clearly too low.
[8] “…according to the National Weather Service, the estimates of the actual count there [TX] range from 400-1,000. The official list only counts those who were positively identified, and city officials wanted to downplay the death toll in the national media for fear of hurting tourism.”
[9] “Observers who have worked through the [hurricane] district put the death estimate as high as 700, but this figure is regarded as exaggerated.”
[10] Official estimate of the Corpus Christi Relief Committee.
[11] 345 refers to known dead; 620 includes known missing.
[12] The number 391 relates to recovered bodies; 500 relates to estimated deaths, based on 150-200 missing.
[13] The number 380 relates to recovered bodies; 500 relates to estimated deaths.
[14] This number appears to include missing as well as bodies recovered.
[15] “The official death toll for the Corpus Christi area was 287, but realistic estimates put the total at between 600 and 1,000.”
[16] “…on September 14, 1919, the center of a hurricane moved inland just south of the city [Corpus Christi]. Tides were sixteen feet above normal, the wind rose to 110 miles an hour, and damage was estimated at $20,272,000. Some 284 persons perished.” Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas Online, “Hurricanes.” This, however, appears to incorporate other than Corpus Christi fatalities.
[17] From Sep 17 military telegram referring to 125 identified dead and “Bodies being washed ashore hourly.”
[18] Norcross makes no estimate of Corpus Christi deaths. He does note that “Bodies of 121 people and 87 survivors were washed seven miles inland across Nueces Bay to the north of the city, where the water rose to the second floor of the downtown buildings.”
[19] The Rockport entry in The Handbook of Texas History, does not note death toll, but notes the hurricane “nearly leveled the community.”
[20] Cites Shipwrecks of Florida by Steven D. Singer.