1933 — Sep 15-16 Hurricane, coastal NC (21), VA (2-4), PA (1) –23-26
–23-26 Blanchard range.[1]
–21 AP. “Hurricane Death Toll Given at 21.” Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg, VA, 9-20-1933, p1.
–16 Known dead (and seven missing). United Press, 9-20-1933.
North Carolina (21)
–21 Barnes. North Carolina’s Hurricane History (Third Edition). 2001, pp. 68, 73 and 304.
–21 Mitchell. “Tropical Disturbances of September 1933.” MWR, Sep 1933, p. 275.
–21 Extreme eastern NC. Souder. “Severe Local Storms,” Monthly Weather Review, 61/9, Sep 1933, p. 291.
–21 VA Dept. of Emer. Mgmt. History: Virginia Hurricanes. Aug 2016 update.
–20 Blanchard tally of individual deaths from locality breakout section below.
On land — Breakout of North Carolina hurricane-related fatalities (where noted).
–8 Carteret County.[2]
–1 Beaufort vicinity (presumably). Baby blown from mother’s arms by high wind.[3]
–2 Merrimon, Back Creek. [4] Drownings, females.[5]
–1 Merrimon. Crushing; house failure; daughter, 17, of Herbie Carraway.[6]
–1 Dare County, Nag’s Head area, Sep 15. Fisherman drowned.[7]
–1 Craven Co. South River, ~New Bern. Drowning; South River overflow; Mrs. Ella Delmar.[8]
–1 Hyde County, Middletown. Drowning when house collapsed; Meltissa [unclear] Carter.[9]
–4 Unidentified (two black and two white men).
Offshore — Breakout of North Carolina hurricane-related water fatalities (where noted).
–1 Off NC Coast. Sep 15.. Seaman on motorship Sun swept overboard by wave and drowned.[10]
–4 Long Bay Bay. Schooner Dale. Drownings upon capsizing. Barnes 2001, p. 71.[11]
Pennsylvania ( 1)
–1 Wilkesbarre. Miner (John Wasilewski), 45, trying to escape flooding Truesdale mine.[12]
Virginia (2-4)
–4 Portsmouth, Sep 19. Unidentified bodies found on shore, thought to be from fishing party.[13]
–2 State. Virginia Dept. of Emergency Mgmt. History: Virginia Hurricanes. Aug 2016 update.
Narrative Information
Barnes: “….The September hurricane of 1933 left many scars on the North Carolina coast. In all, twenty-one were dead and damage estimates topped $3 million. The Red Cross estimated the area of greatest suffering to be a nine-county region
Mitchell: “Tropical disturbance of September 10-21.– Although conditions were disturbed over and east of the Leeward Islands[14] from the 7th to the 9th, it was not until the 10th that a definite center could be located. This center was then about 300 miles northeast of the Island of St. Martin. By the morning of the 11th it was evident that the disturbance was one of considerable intensity, and it was so stated in the advisory issued at 10 a.m. of that date. This disturbance continued to move northwestward with gradually increasing intensity until the 15th, when it recurved and moved almost directly northward. Its center passed slightly west of Cape Hatteras about 8 a.m. of the 16th, after which it moved north-northeastward for about 12 hours, and then northeastward, reaching Nova Scotia the morning of the 18th, and extreme southern Iceland on the 21st.
“Storm warnings were ordered at 4 p.m. of the 14th from Jacksonville, Fla., to Beaufort, N.C. At that time the disturbance had not begun to recurved and it was apparently headed for the northern South Carolina, or southern North Carolina, coast. At 10 p.m., storm warnings were extended northward along the coast to the Virginia Capes. The following morning the storm center was about 350 miles east of Savannah, Ga., and the indications were that it would reach the North Carolina coast not far from Cape Lookout in about 12 hours. Accordingly, hurricane warnings were ordered displayed at 10:30 a.m., from Wilmington to Cape Hatteras, and northeast storm warnings north of the Virginia Capes to Boston.
“At 4 p.m. whole-gale warnings were displayed north of Hatteras to the Virginia Capes. At 8 p.m., the center was about 100 miles south of Cape Hatteras, moving almost directly northward, and the hurricane warnings at Wilmington were changed to northwest storm warnings at 9:30 p.m. At 10:30 a.m. of the 16th whole-gale warnings were ordered along the coast (but not at Baltimore and Philadelphia) north of the VirginiaCapes to Atlantic City, and hurricane warnings were changed to storm warnings north of Wilmington to Hatteras. The 2 p.m. special reports indicated that the storm was beginning to recurved toward the northeast and that the cventer would pass some distance east of Cape Henry and the whole-gale warnings north of Hatteras to the VirginiaCapes were changed to northwest storm warnings at 4 p.m. At 8 p.m. the storm was central about 125 miles south of Atlantic City, apparently moving northeastward. At 9:30 p.m., northeast storm warnings were extended north of Boston to Eastport, Maine, and whole-gale warnings on the coast north of the VirginiaCapes to Atlantic City were changed to northwest storm warnings. The following morning when the storm center was about 150 miles east of Atlantic City, whole-gale warnings were ordered displayed from Provincetown to Nantucket, Mass.
“The principal damage done by this storm was from a short distance south of New Bern, N.C., to the Virginia Capes. The following is quoted from a report by the official in charge, Wilmington, N.C., relative to a trip of inspection of the storm area:
…Very little damage was noted until a point a few miles southwest of New Bern was reached. Great damage was done by wind and high water in New Bern and vicinity; many telephone and power-line poles blown down, numerous large trees uprooted or broken off, and houses and other buildings injured by falling trees and in some cases unroofed. At least one tree 4 feet in diameter in the heart of the city was uprooted. Water reached a height of 3 to 4 feet in some of the streets which is about 2 feet higher than the previous record which occurred in September 1913. Along the highway from New Bern toward Beaufort at least 100 trees 10 inches or more in diameter were blown down. In Morehead City and Beaufort damage was apparently slightly less than in New Bern, but old residents in Beaufort declare the storm was the worst they had ever experienced. It is estimated that the maximum velocity of the wind in the New Bern-Beaufort area was at least 125 miles per hour. Loss of life was due chiefly to high water in isolated localities north of Beaufort from which escape was difficult or impossible. According to the latest reports a total of 21 lives were lost. Property damage along the entire North Carolina coast will total, according to early estimates, more than $1,000,000.
“At Cape Hatteras the lowest barometer reading was approximately 28.25 inches about 7 a.m. of the 16th. The highest wind velocity preceding the arrival of the center was 68 miles per hour from the east and the highest after the center passed, 76 piles per hour from the northwest (estimated because 1 cup of the anemometer was blown away).
“The damage done by the storm at Norfolk and the other places in the Virginia Capes section was comparatively slight and was far less than that caused by the August 1955 storm. Much credit is given by the business interests and newspapers of Norfolk to the Weather Bureau for its timely and accurate warnings. There was ample time for complete preparation for the storm, thus holding losses to a minimum. The highest wind velocity in the Capes Section was 68 miles per hour from the northeast at Cape Henry. Farther north along the Atlantic coast the highest velocities were 48 miles per hour at Atlantic City and 52 miles per hour at Block Island, R.I., and Nantucket, Mass. No great amount of damage was reported north of the Virginia Capes.” (Mitchell, C. L. (Wash., DC Weather Bureau, Oct, 1933). “Tropical Disturbances of September 1933.” Monthly Weather Review, Sep 1933, pp. 274-275.)
Souder on NC Coast: After noting 21 fatalities for Sep 15-16 hurricane in NC in “extreme eastern portion,” notes: “1,000 persons homeless; telephone and telegraph lines carried away; highways and bridges washed out; scores of houses destroyed; hundreds of livestock drowned; great damage to unharvested crops; more cotton destroyed than by the President’s plan of plowing it under.” (Souder, Mary O. “Severe Local Storms, September 1933” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 61, No. 9, Sep 1933, p. 291.)
VA Dept. of EM: “Sept. 16, 1933: The hurricane developed east of the Bahamas and strengthened to a Category 3 storm, making landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The tide surpassed eight feet at Sewells Point, causing floods in the Tidewater area less than one month after the Aug. 23 storm. But due to preparations made by citizens, the damage was estimated at less than $500,000 compared to the millions of dollars of damage the Aug. 23 storm caused. More than 2,000 telephones lost service. The storm tide flooded City Hall Avenue and Granby Street and tied up traffic in the downtown area all day. The fastest wind speed at the naval air station in Norfolk was 88 mph with 75 mph at the NWS Office in Norfolk and 87 mph at Cape Henry. Two people were killed in Virginia. High winds and waves in Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds left hundreds without food and shelter and contributed to the 21 lives lost in North Carolina.” (VA Dept. of Emer. Mgmt. History: Virginia Hurricanes. Aug 2016 update.)
Newspapers
Sep 15: “Manteo, Sept. 15.–(UP)–A 40-mile gale lashed the North Carolina seaboard today and drove a rising tide inland over the beach from Cape Hatteras to the Oregon Inlet. Coast Guard stations reported that the wind is increasing in fury while the barometer has fallen to 29.54 and was still going down. No disasters or loss of life had been reported this afternoon.
“Wilmington, Sept. 15. — (UP). — Taking every precaution residents of the Carolinas and Virginia ‘dug in’ today to guard against the vicious winds of a tropical storm that is expected to strike the coast tonight or early Saturday. Coastwise vessels and residents along the beaches were warned that the winds were of great intensity, and the hurricane winds would be over a considerable area.
“The storm is expected to strike the Atlantic coast between Cape Hatteras and Wilmington, N.C. Reports at 11:30 a.m. charted the hurricane as approximately 300 miles east of Savannah, Ga., and 200 miles South of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest or northwest by north, with the center reaching the southern coast of North Carolina late tonight or Saturday morning….
“Police were making a house to house canvass at Willoughby Beach [VA] and Ocean View, hit so hard by the hurricane that struck in Virginia, Aug. 23. The residents were being advised to leave their homes although they were told they could use their own discretion. The storm will reach its height at 6 a.m. Saturday in that area, it was predicted….” (United Press. “Bad Storm to Hit N.C. Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-15-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 16: “By United Press — Roaring winds of a tropical hurricane lashed the North Carolina and Virginia coasts today, bringing with them exceedingly high tides and rains that were adding to the damage. Two persons were known to have drowned while a third man was reported missing. The damage was estimated in several millions….
“Norfolk, Va., which suffered from the vicious winds of a tropical disturbance last month, again was flooded today by water almost a feet deep. Rains deluged the city, and winds of 55 miles an hour were recorded.
“The storm centered near Cape Hatteras at noon, and is moving northward about 10 miles an hour, expecting to pass near Cape Henry on the Virginia coast this afternoon or early tonight….
“New York and New Jersey coasts also have been swept by rains the past few days with streets and cellars flooded.
“New Bern, Sept. 16–(UP)–The center of the tropical hurricane struck New Bern at one o’clock this morning with wind velocity between 65 and 80 miles an hour. The mile-long bridge over the Neuse river was washed away by the highest tide in 30 years. Hundreds of persons were marooned by high water….
“A 57-mile gale was blowing in Norfolk at 2 p.m., and the full force of the hurricane was expected between 6 p.m., and midnight. Power was off throughout the city and there were no electrical lights working….” (United Press. “Storm Wrecks Havoc on Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-16-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 16: “New Bern, Sept. 16. (AP)–A tropical hurricane roared up the Atlantic seaboard late today, leaving an unestimated toll of death and devastation in northeastern Nor Carolina….
“Among the larger communities believed to have been struck by the hurricane were Belhaven, Aurora, Oriental, Wanchese, Manteo and Camden. No word has come from these communities since yesterday. Around 120,000 people live in the nine counties in the storm area….” (Assoc. Press. “Thousands Isolated in N.C. by Storm.” High Point Enterprise, NC, 9-17-1933, p. 1.
Sep 18: “New Bern, Sept. 18.–(UP)–Patrol boat No. 279 from the coast guard cutter Pamlico arrived in the South river section shortly before 11 o’clock this morning and recovered one body from the storm waters. Half the homes in that section were unlivable, and residents were in sad need of food and clothing.
“Coast guardsmen recovered one of the bodies of three women drowned at Merrimon….
“The body found at South river brought the hurricane death toll to 15 known dead and with a white baby, a negro coast guardsman and several others still missing….
“The coast guard cutter Pamlico was advised the schooner Dale had gone down near sea level with Captain Jones Hamilton and his three sons, Nelson, Ralph and Charlie aboard.
“A freak tragedy occurred below Beaufort in Carteret county when a woman’s baby was blown from her arms. The child has not yet been found….” (United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 19: “New Bern, Sept. 19.–(AP)–Discovery of four unidentified bodies on the shore at Portsmouth was reported today as relief work was pressed along the hurricane-shattered North Carolina coast.
“The coast guard, which found the bodies, expressed belief they were members of a fishing party. Whether they were in addition to the 16 deaths previously reported, bringing the storm’s know toll to 21, or were possibly the crew of the schooner Dale, sunk during the storm, was not known here. James Hamilton, and his three sons, Nelson, Charlie and Ralph comprised the Dale’s crew and previously had been listed as dead.
“A negro woman, Meltissen [unclear] Carter, was drowned at Middletown, it was learned today, when her house collapsed. Four of her sons were injured.
“Relief workers reported hundreds throughout the section swept by the terrific storm of last week were dependent upon emergency supplies and faced starvation without them.” (AP. “Starvation Faces Hundreds on Storm Shattered Coast.” The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC, 9-21-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 19: “New Bern, Sept. 19.–Following a survey of Carteret county hurricane conditions with Mrs. Malcolm Lewis, district relief director for Carteret county, and Mrs. F. E. Hyde, Red Cross chairman for Beaufort, Miss Mary Ward, district welfare supervisor, reported tonight that eight lives were lost in Carteret county during the storm, one hundred homes were completely destroyed, one thousand homes were badly damaged and hour hundred families or approximately two thousand persons were without food or clothing except that furnished by the Red Cross agencies supplemented by welfare relief.” (The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “8 Deaths From Storm in Carteret.” 9-21-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 21: “New Bern, Sept. 21–(UP)–Weeks of reconstruction and relief work faced the American Red Cross and state and local agencies today as they united to alleviate destitution and hunger caused in the coastal area by the hurricane last week. Relief workers, on land and in boats, penetrated the reaches of Craven Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde and Dare counties, and reported hundreds homeless and several thousand in need of help. Soup kitchens made their appearance in Carteret county.
“Ernest J. Krick, director of Red Cross relief work, issued last night another appeal for contributions from through the state to help those dependent on others for food, clothing, shelter, medicine and rehabilitation.
“By far one of the greatest disasters of the hurricane, excepting loss of life and destruction of homes, was the loss of many thousands of dollars worth of fishing equipment by which the people in the coastal section earned their living.
“Federal aid money thus far has been distributed as follows: Craven county, $2,000; Carteret, $2,000; Dare, $1,000; Hyde and Pamlico, $700; Tyrrell $500. This went however, only for food and supplies.
“Krick has opened permanent headquarters here to conduct relief work.” (United Press. “Flood Area is Given Relief,” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC, 9-21-1933, p. 1.)
Sep 22: “New Bern, Sept. 22.–(UP)–Possibility of a death toll of 25 from the tropical hurricane of a week ago loomed today as the monumental task of relieving hurricane sufferers went forward. The coast guard cutter Pamlico, with Commander D. F. DeOtte in charge, has gone to Ocracoke Island to investigate the finding of four bodies washed up on shore there. Unless some of the dead are victims previously reported, the death list now stands at 25.
“Contributions came slowly and another appeal for help came from Senator Josiah William Bailey at Morehead City. He said, ‘the need in certain localities like Cedar Island and South River is really desperate.’” (United Press. “Hurricane Toll May Jump to 25,” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC, 9-22-1933, p. 5.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Hurricane Death Toll Given at 21; Coast Towns Suffer Heavily.” Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg, VA, 9-20-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/harrisonburg-daily-news-record-sep-20-1933-p-1/
Associated Press. “Hurricane Sweeps Virginia and New Jersey Coast After Devastating Carolina Points.” High Point Enterprise, NC, 9-17-1933, p. 1.
Associated Press. “Starvation Faces Hundreds on Storm Shattered Coast.” The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC, 9-21-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lumberton-robesonian-sep-21-1933-p-15/
Associated Press. “Thousands Isolated in N.C. by Storm.” High Point Enterprise, NC, 9-17-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/high-point-enterprise-sep-17-1933-p-1/
Barnes, Jay. North Carolina’s Hurricane History (Third Edition). Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.
Mitchell, C. L. (Wash., DC, Weather Bureau, Oct, 1933). “Tropical Disturbances of September 1933.” Monthly Weather Review, Sep 1933, pp. 274-275. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1933.pdf
Souder, Mary O. “Severe Local Storms, September 1933” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 61, No. 9, Sep 1933, p. 291. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/mwr/061/mwr-061-09-0291.pdf
The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “8 Deaths From Storm in Carteret.” 9-21-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lumberton-robesonian-sep-21-1933-p-15/
United Press. “Bad Storm to Hit N.C. Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-15-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gastonia-daily-gazette-sep-15-1933-p-1/
United Press. “Flood Area is Given Relief,” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC, 9-21-1933, p. 1.
Accessed 8-4-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-times-news-sep-21-1933-p-1/
United Press. “Hurricane Toll May Jump to 25,” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC, 9-22-1933, p. 5. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gastonia-daily-gazette-sep-22-1933-p-5/
United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. Accessed 9-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-times-news-sep-18-1933-p-1/
United Press. “Relief Agencies Rush Aid to Gale-Stricken Sections.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. Accessed 9-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-times-news-sep-19-1933-p-1/
United Press. “Relief Workers in Coast Area Facing Hunger, Privation.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC, 9-20-1933, p. 1.. Accessed 8-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gastonia-daily-gazette-sep-20-1933-p-1/
United Press. “Storm Wrecks Havoc on Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-16-1933, p. 1. Accessed 8-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gastonia-daily-gazette-sep-16-1933-p-1/
Virginia Department of Emergency Management. History: Virginia Hurricanes. Aug 2016 update. Accessed 8-4-2018 at: http://www.vaemergency.gov/news-local/hurricane-history/
[1] There appears to be wide agreement on twenty-one NC deaths, though we have only been able to identify twenty. We assume that one of the missing persons was the twenty-first. There were at least two deaths in VA, and possibly four, though the report of four bodies recovered at Portsmouth is not necessarily indicative of VA deaths, and one death in PA if one includes the drowning death of a miner, caught in a flooded mine due to hurricane (tropical storm or remnant)-generated heavy rain.
[2] UP. “Relief Workers in Coast Area Facing Hunger, Privation.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC, 9-20-1933, p. 1. Barnes (2001, p. 70) notes there were eight drowning deaths in Carteret county.
[3] “A freak tragedy occurred below Beaufort in Carteret county when a woman’s baby was blown from her arms. The child has not yet been found.” United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. [Blanchard note: one wonders if the two baby deaths (see Merrimon) have been conflated.]
[4] Back Creek is several miles north of Beaufort and empties into Adams Creek which empties into the Neuse River near Merrimon.
[5] United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. Notes that the two were “young daughters of Elijah Dixon.” Barnes writes: “One of the great tragedies of the ’33 storm struck the family of Elijah Dixon, who were staying in a two-story home near Back Creek when the hurricane hit. Dixon, his wife Ellen, their eight-year-old daughter Hazel, three-year-old son James, and nine-month-old daughter Elva Marie were all plunged into the raging waters when the house washed into Back Creek. The family tried desperately to cling to the broken fragments of the rooftop. With his young son around his neck, Dixon jumped into the dark waters to rescue his wife, who was still clinging onto baby Elva. In the darkness and confusion, the infant slipped from her arms and drowned. As the weary group again gathered on the roof, they realized that young Hazel was also missing. Reeling from this double tragedy, Dixon still managed to grasp a large branch when the rooftop was swept into a grove of trees. There the battered family remained until later Saturday afternoon [Sep 16].”
[6] United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. Barnes (2001, p. 71) writes that “The Carraway family endured a horrible ordeal when their house collapsed during the storm. The entire family huddled together as a blast of wind tore down the structure, pinning them in the wreckage and the rising tides. Mr. Carraway escaped with the help of his son George, but Freda Carraway remained trapped under the debris. Those who escaped were forced to flee to higher ground with the tides continued to rise, but Freda remained trapped under the house, where she apparently drowned.
[7] United Press. “Storm Wrecks Havoc on Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-16-1933, p. 1.
[8] United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1.
[9] AP. “Starvation Faces Hundreds on Storm Shattered Coast.” The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC, 9-21-1933, p. 1.
[10] United Press. “Storm Wrecks Havoc on Coast.” Gastonia Daily Gazette, NC. 9-16-1933, p. 1.
[11] United Press. “N.C. Counts 15 Dead in Hurricane.” Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. 9-18-1933, p. 1. The article has the Location as Ratan Bay, which we are unfamiliar with. Barnes has the location as Long Bay, noting that the men were from the community of Sea Level and were in a twenty-foot skiff.
[12] Associated Press. “Hurricane Sweeps Virginia and New Jersey Coast After Devastating Carolina Points.” High Point Enterprise, NC, 9-17-1933, p. 1. Apparently storm/rain bands stretched inland causing flooding. Wilkes-Barre is in east-central PA about 125 miles northwest of New York City.
[13] Associated Press. “Hurricane Death Toll Given at 21; Coast Towns Suffer Heavily.” Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg, VA, 9-20-1933, p. 1.
[14] Islands of northeaster Caribbean — Saint Martin, Barbuda, Nevis, Saint Kitts and Antigua.