On three several hurricanes of the Atlantic, and their relations to the northers of Mexico and Central America, with notices of other storms / by W.C. Redfield.
- William C. Redfield
- Date:
- 1846
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On three several hurricanes of the Atlantic, and their relations to the northers of Mexico and Central America, with notices of other storms / by W.C. Redfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![dismasted. [As it is known from several sources that the Homer was dismasted on the 4th of October, there must be an error of two days in the date above reported. This ac- count may serve, however, to show the direction of the wind in the first part of the gale and the probable position of the Homer, as being near the path pursued by the axis of the storm.] 23. At Trinidad, south side of Cuba, [lat. 21° 42', Ion. 80° 11', 83 miles R.,] the hurri- cane was peculiarly severe, as also in its vicinity, blowing down houses in the town and destroying the plantations. 24. At Cienfuegos, [Xagua, lat. 22° 6', Ion. 80° 42', 45 miles R.] the gale, though very severe, did less damage than at Trinidad. [Owing, probably, to the deeply sheltered position of the place.] 25. On the right border of the storm we find that the master of the Schr. Ermina, (at Nassau, N. P.) reports the loss of three vessels on the west coast of St. Domingo [Hayti] near Gonaives, in this gale. [Say in lat. 19° 38', Ion. 73°, 550 miles R. Vessels in this great bight or bay, were peculiarly exposed to being driven on shore by the S. W. winds under this border of the storm.] 26. At Turks Island, as reported by Capt. Varney, the gale blew hard from the south- ward ; but not a hurricane. [Lat. 21° 22', Ion. 71° 8', 565 miles R.] We take now the accounts from Cuba and other reports, from the left side of the gale, as far onward as will include the pen- insula of Florida and the Bahama Bank. 27. At Santiago de la Vegas, 50 miles westward of Havana, [lat. 22° 57', Ion. 83° 5', 112 miles L. (?) ] the hurricane began at 9 a. M. of Oct. 4th, and continued 14 hours.* 28. At San Christobal, on the soulhern slope of Cuba, about 60 miles S. W. by W. from Havana, [say 105 miles L.J Oct. 2d, it began to blow from the N. and every body sup- posed that the rains were going to cease. The wind continued to increase, and on the afternoon and night of the 3d it began to cause damage to the cornfields. But it was reserved for the night of the 4ih to consummate the destruction, and in every hour the wind seemed to increase. The gale continued till about 10 o'clock in the morn- ing of the 5th, though the wind had begun slowly to subside. 29. At San Antonio de los Bafios, [about 30 miles S. W. from Havana and 92 miles L.] Oct. 1st, a light dry wind from N. E., which by the morning of the '2d was quite strong ; at noon it was more violent, changing during the evening and night to the East, and by the morning of the 3d had finished at South. At midnight of the 3d there was rain, which increased and continued all the day and night of the 4th. About 5 p. M. of the 4th, the wind had begun to blow from the S. E. and it gradually increased till 10 p.m., when it had passed to the East. At 4 a.m. of the 5th the wind was at E. N. E. and blew with inconceivable fury, and the rain fell in tor- rents. At 5 a. M. it blew from due North, and from that time till 10 a. m. or more prop- erly 12, no human pen can paint its effects. 30. At Batabano, [south shore of Cuba, 32 miles S. by W. from Havana and 76 miles left of the axis line,] at 5 a. m. Oct. 1st, it began to blow from the N., and on the 2d at the same hour, hauling towards the N. W., it increased to a hurricane until the 3d, when it had subsided at the same time that some rain began to fall. The 4th of October was rainy, and the wind blew from N. E. until 8 p. m., when the hurricane began ; at 3 p. m. [ ?] of the 5th it became calm, the wind changing to N. W., whence it again blew strongly for two hours and then ceased. 31 At Guatao, five leagues from Havana, Oct. 2d, at 4 a.m., wind E. N. E., strong, in successive gusts and rain in transient squalls. At 7 a. m. wind stronger at E. N. E. ; at noon feeble from E. N. E.; at 6 p. m. wind hardly sensible, direction the same. Oct. 3d, all day a slight drizzling of rain with a light breeze. * The accounts from the island of Cuba are chiefly taken from the Diario de la Habana, at translated by Mr. John II Redfleld. The distances are estimated in a direct line. 6](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21149549_0049.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
