1 — 25

lornajarrettblanchard August 24, 1885

–25 Blanchard tally from reports below.*
–25 Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. 1995, p. 25.

*Blanchard note on fatality number. We view it as possibly coincidental that our tally of twenty-five is exactly the tally gathered by Rappaport and Partagas. Their number seems to refer only to loss of life in South Carolina, while ours includes one in Jacksonville, FL, two in Savannah, GA, and one 50 miles off the Charleston coast in the Atlantic. If Rappaport and Partagas are accurate as to reflecting from their sources twenty-five deaths along the South Carolina coast, then our tally would be twenty-nine – if the reporting on the additional four deaths is accurate.

Jacksonville, FL: ( 1)
— 1 Atlantic House damage, Mouth, St. Johns Riv., near Jacksonville. Landmark, Statesville, NC.

Savannah, GA: ( 2)
— 1 Small craft loss. Boston Daily Globe. “A Howling Hurricane,” Aug 26, 1885, p. 1.
— 10 Steamer City of Bridgeton. Boston Daily Globe. “A Howling Hurricane,” 8-26-1885, 1.
— 1 Steamer William Lawrence. Boston Globe. “Charleston’s Cyclone,” Aug 27, 1885, p. 4.
— 1 “ “ US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…June 30,1886. 1887, 430.

Beaufort, Charleston SC, and vicinity: (21)
–21 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). 1964, p. 312
–21 Jordan, Dukes, Jr., Rosengarten. A History of Storms on the South Carolina Coast. P. 30.
–21 McKinley. The August Cyclone. A Descriptive Narrative of the Memorable Storm of 1885. 1886, p. 15.
Charleston, DC: The News and Courier Book Presses, 1886
–17 Blanchard tally from the losses from the four vessels noted below.
— 3 Pilot boat F. W. Schafer, No. 4 [Sheper? ] Boston Globe. “Charleston’s Cyclone,” 8-27-1885, 4.
— 5 Schooner Walter Smith. US Life-Saving Svc. Annual Report…June 30,1886. 1887, 427.
— 6 Schooner John Stoddard. US Life-Saving Svc. Annual Report…June 30,1886. 1887, 426.
— 3 Sch. Gustie Wilson, Aug 26. US Life-Saving Svc. Annual Report…June 30,1886. P. 426.

Atlantic Coast (location unknown) ( 1)
— 1 Italian bark Marianina, bound to Port Royal; seaman washed overboard ~50M off Charleston.
— 3 Sch. F.W. Scheper, Jr. Aug 25. US Life-Saving Svc.. Annual Rpt…June 30,1886. 1887, 427
[Blanchard note: would appear to be the same vessel as noted in the Boston Globe of Aug 27.]

Narrative Information

South Carolina

Dunn and Miller: “1885 Aug. 25 Coastal sections [South Atlantic States – Carolinas and Georgia] Extreme [intensity] 21 killed in S.C.”

Jordan: “1885 Aug. 25 (3) Extreme storm; winds SE 90-100 mph (Charleston) swept entire coast; property damage from wind and water in excess of $2 million; at Charleston all wharves but one were destroyed and 90% of all buildings were injured; the iron steamship Glenlivet was torn from her moorings and driven up the Ashley River, where it swept away several hundred feet of a new bridge; all the lowlands were flooded, roads rendered impassable, whole forests leveled, the damage to sea-island cotton estimated at three-fourths of the crop; at Beaufort most vessels in the harbor were driven ashore and damaged; several pilot boats were sunk with all hands lost; a village on St. Helena Island was wiped out and all residents drowned except one woman; altogether a death toll of 21 (News and Courier; “The August Cyclone,” 1886).” (Jordan, Dukes, Jr., Rosengarten. A History of Storms on the South Carolina Coast. P. 30.)

Rappaport and Partagas: “247 [number in listing down to 250]. SC, offshore NC, GA 24-25 Aug 1885 >25.” (Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. 1995, p. 25.)

US Life-Saving Service: “Founderings. Date of Disaster. 1885. Aug. 25. John Stoddard. American schooner. 24 [tons]. Beaufort, S.C. [bound from]. Cruising [bound to]. Partial [loss]…6 [lives lost]. Off coast of South Carolina.”

“Strandings. Date of Disaster. 1885. Aug. 25. F. W. Scheper, Jr. American schooner. 40 [tons]. Beaufort, S.C. [bound from]. Cruising [bound to]. Partial [loss]. Ballast [cargo]. Bay Point Island, S.C. [location of disaster].”

“Strandings. Date of Disaster. 1885. Aug. 25. Walter Smith. American schooner. 33 [tons]. St. Helens, S.C. bound from]. Cruising. Total [loss]. Ballast [cargo]. 5 [lives lost]. Combahee Banks, S.C., St. Helena Sound.” (US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…June 30,1886. 1887, p. 427.)

Atlantic off East Coast

US Life-Saving Service: “Founderings. Date of Disaster. 1885. Aug. 26. Gustie Wilson. American schooner. 128 [tons]. New York City [bound from]. Jacksonville, Fla. [bound to]. Total [loss]. Railroad iron [cargo]. 3 [lives lost]. At sea.” (US Life-Saving Service. Annual Report…June 30,1886. 1887, p. 426.)
Newspapers

Aug 25, The Landmark, Statesville, NC: “Charleston, S.C., Dispatch, 25th.
“Charleston was struck by a cyclone this morning, and one-fourth of the houses of the city are unroofed. Parts of the spires of St. Michael’s and St. Matthew’s churches were blown down, and the spire of the Citadel Square Baptist church is demolished. The wharves and the warehouses are badly damaged. At Sullivan’s Island two steamers are aground, and the new Ashley river bridge now constructing is swept away. Four vessels which arrived yesterday are wrecked. The telegraph wires are down, and there are no cars running. The loss is estimated at $1,0000,000. The work of restoration and reparation has already begun.

“A dispatch of the same date as the above from Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, says:

The hurricane last night and this morning was terrific and destructive. A number of houses on Sullivan’s Island were blown away. The New Brighton Hotel had over two hundred guests, and great fears were entertained for their safety. About 9 o’clock this morning the storm reached its greatest velocity. At that hour, while the hotel people were at breakfast, the Casino fell with a great crash. Fortunately all the rooms in that building had been vacated, but there were grave apprehensions that the dining room and main building would soon succumb to the violence of the storm. Brave men were blanched with fear, and their ladies and children were doomed to instant death….At 9 o’clock the wind changed from the southeast, and the storm increased from the southwest, when the Casino fell. It is thought that the storm was from 65 to 70 miles an hour. The main building of the hotel stood the storm without very serious damage. It is said that the present storm was the most violent in 30 years. At 1 o’clock it was entirely over….There has been a very general destruction of property on the island, but the people are profoundly grateful that their lives have been saved. The island was in the main submerged, but when the wind changed the waters receded and all hearts rejoiced and were made glad.

“Wilmington, N.C., Dispatch, 25th.

“A severe storm of wind and rain prevailed here and along the coast this afternoon, blowing down trees and fences. It was particularly severe in the city. The brig San Juan, unloading ballast at the wharf, was thrown on her beam ends, and a small schooner dragged her anchors and was driven ashore. The steamer Passport had a portion of her upper works carried away. At Smithville the velocity of the wind was 60 miles an hour. The telegraph wires are all down all along the coast and no further information can be had….”

“Jacksonville, Fla. Dispatch, 25th.

“A heavy story passed over this city Monday [24th]. The wind, which was accompanied by a drenching rain, reached an average velocity of forty miles per hour, and continued for several hours. At times gusts lasting from two to three minutes attained a velocity of fifty miles and upwards. News has just reached here from the mouth of the St. John’s river that the gale was terrific there. The Atlantic House was blown from its foundations. The porch was blown off and fell on Mrs. Deater Hunter, a guest, breaking her head. Three of four large scows loaded with stone for the jetties were sunk…” (The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “Heavy Storms East, West and South – Much Damage Done.” 28 Aug 1885, p. 6.)

Aug 25, Boston Daily Globe: “Savannah, Ga., August 25. Early yesterday evening a stiff breeze sprung up in this city, which continued increasing in violence until it reached its maximum height at 4 o’clock this morning, when it was blowing sixty miles an hour….The roof of many houses were wholly or in part blown off.

“Along the wharves the gale was even more terrific. At the Exchange dock the sloop Aleck Brown of Beaufort was run into and sunk by the sloop Pet, and three other sloops in the same vicinity suffered the same fate. At 4 o’clock the water was running over the wharves and captains had all they could do to keep their vessels from being dashed to pieces. Several small sailing craft which ply between this city and adjacent islands were seen floating out to sea bottom up, and it is feared that many negro vegetable dealers have been drowned. One body has been washed ashore.

“At Schatzen Park, Tybee Island, at the entrance to the river, the gale was even worse than in this city. The wind attained a velocity of eighty-four miles an hour, and everybody on the island expected to be blown out to sea or deluged by a tidal wave. The storm is declared to have been as furious as the storm of 1881….

“The British steamship Marion of 1356 tons net register, from the Cape Verde Islands for Savannah, which had been lying in quarantine for a week, dragged her anchor and was left high and dry on the marsh. She was got off on tonight’s tide. While coming up the river the Marion collided with the river steamer Bridgeton and the latter sank. Ten lives are known to have been lost….” (Boston Daily Globe. “A Howling Hurricane,” Aug 26, 1885, p. 1.)

Aug 25, New York Times: Sullivan’s Island, S.C., Aug 25. – The hurricane last night and this morning was terrific and destructive. A number of houses on Sullivan’s Island were blown away. The new Brighton Hotel had over 100 guests, and great fears were entertained for their safety. About 9 o’clock this morning the storm reached its greatest velocity. At that hour, while the hotel people were at breakfast, the Casino fell with a great crash. Fortunately all the rooms in that building had been vacated….At 9 o’clock the wind changed from the southeast and the storm increased from southwest. When the Casino fell it is thought that the maximum velocity of the wind was from 65 to 70 miles an hour….It is said that the present storm was the most violent in 30 years. At 1 o’clock it was entirely over….There has been very general destruction of property on the island…The island was in the main submerged, but when the wind changed the waters receded….” (NYT. “Great Damage By Storms,” Aug 26, 1885, p. 1.)

Aug 26, Boston Daily Globe: “Augusta, Ga., August 26. – Passengers by train from Charleston say that the damage to buildings there by yesterday’s storm exceeds $1,000,000 but no lives are known to have been lost. The storm was the severest since 1854. All wires are down, and direct communication cannot be had.

“The cyclone struck the city in the morning. One-fourth of the houses in the city are unroofed, parts of the spires of S. Nicholas and St. Matthew’s churches were blown down, and the spire of the Citadel Square Baptist Church is demolished. The wharves and warehouses are badly damaged. At Sullivan’s island, two steamers are aground, and the Ashley river bridge, now constructing, is swept away. Four vessels which arrived yesterday are wrecked….” (Boston Daily Globe. “Charleston’s Cyclone,” Aug 26, 1885, p. 10.)

Aug 26, Boston Daily Globe: “Augusta, Ga., August 26…
“A dispatch from Savannah, Ga., says: The steamship William Lawrence…from Baltimore for this port with freight and passengers…reached her dock in this city, at 8:30 o’clock this morning, twenty-four house bleated, after a terrible experience in the cyclone of Tuesday….At 7 o’clock Second Officer Robert Schauer ran aft to clear away the upper deck port and free her of the water on deck. He was accompanied by the quarter-master, and they were working in the gangway aft when a terrible sea broke over her carrying Hr. Schauer overboard….The lost mate was of German descent and lived in Baltimore. He leaves a widow and four children….

“A dispatch from Beaufort, S.C., says: ‘Pilot boat F. W. Schafer, No. 4, left here at 4 o’clock Monday afternoon to go to the cruising grounds. Seeing a storm coming up she put back and anchored. She had seven men aboard. At 4 o’clock Tuesday morning the cyclone struck her with terrific force. She began to drag her anchors and break up. Three of the men launched a small boat, but before they could secure the oars the craft was capsized and the men drowned…..The other men were rescued from the rigging after the storm had subsided….’” (Boston Daily Globe. “Charleston’s Cyclone,” Aug 27, 1885, p. 4.)

Sources

Boston Daily Globe. “A Howling Hurricane,” 8-26-1885, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=164156192

Boston Daily Globe. “Charleston’s [SC] Cyclone,” Aug 26, 1885, p. 4. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=161881070

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

Jordan, Laylon Wayne, with Robert Dukes, Jr. and Ted Rosengarten. A History of Storms on the South Carolina Coast. Charleston, SC: The South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. Undated. Accessed 8-16-2022 at: https://www.scseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/South-Carolina-Hurricane-History-1980.pdf

McKinley, Carl. The August Cyclone. A Descriptive Narrative of the Memorable Storm of 1885.
Charleston, DC: The News and Courier Book Presses, 1886. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.augustcyclonedes00mcki/?sp=3&r=-0.389,0.394,1.819,1.069,0

New York Times. “Great Damage By Storms; A Cyclone Wrecks Many Houses in Charleston,” 8-26-1885, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=19733464

Rappaport, Edward N. and Jose Fernandez-Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994 (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-47). Coral Gables, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, January 1995, 42 pages. Accessed 8-20-2017 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-NHC-1995-47.pdf

Savannah Morning News, GA. “An Old Savannah Pilot Boat.” 8-29-1885, p. 8. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-morning-news-aug-28-1885-p-8/

Savannah Morning News, GA. “Mad Havoc of the Winds,” 8-26-1885, p. 8. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-morning-news-aug-26-1885-p-8/

Savannah Morning News, GA. “The Bark Marianina.” 8-29-1885, p. 8. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-morning-news-aug-29-1885-p-8/

Savannah Morning News, GA. “Wrecked in St. Helena Sound.” 8-28-1885, p. 8. Accessed 8-19-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/savannah-morning-news-aug-28-1885-p-8/

The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “Heavy Storms East, West and South – Much Damage Done.” 28 Aug 1885, p. 6. Accessed 8-18-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/statesville-landmark-aug-28-1885-p-6/

United States Life-Saving Service. Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1886 (Treasury Department Document No. 991). Washington.: GPO, 1887. Accessed 8-18-2022 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=9HgDAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false