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
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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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    to E. N. E., a little more moderate ; 3 30 a. m. wore ship to westward and then kept off and made sail; 7 a. M. wind E. S. E., shook out all reefs and set top gt. sails; [end of first gale ;] 930 a. m. run off the Bank and then followed the edge down ; 11 a. m. wind E. by S.; 1130 a. m. made Ginger Key; noon, lat. 22° 43', Ion. 78° 11'; p. m. overcast, and fresh breeze from E. to E.N. E. Oct. 3d, 2 a. m. set stud, sails ; 8 a. m. took in lower stud, sails; fresh breezes and flying clouds; noon, lat. 25° 05', Ion. 79° 32'; light breeze E. by N., weather thick and overcast; 4 P. m. wind E. N. E.; 8 P. m. E. by N.; ends light breezes and flying clouds. Oct. 4th, 4 a. m. wind E. S. E., rainy and squally ; 7 a. m. wind S. E.; 10 a. U. wind light from S. S. E. and rainy; noon, lat. 27° 09', Ion. 79° 32', thick rainy weather, wind E. N. E.; 3 p. m. took in stud, sails, looking very squally; 6 p. u. heavy rain, ends thick and hazy. Oct. 5th, 1. a. m. wind E. N. E., strong; 6 a. m. in top gt. sails; 8 a. m. wind N. E. by E., single-reefed the topsails; rainy and squally; noon, lat. D. R. 28° 56', Ion. 79° 43', squally, rainy and winds baffling ; 2 p. m. wind N. E.; 5 p. M. a heavy squall from N. E.; at 6 p. in. hove to, under close-reefed topsails, head to eastward ; blowing a heavy gale and a bad sea ; 9 p. m. up E., off E. S. E. Oct. 6th, first part more clear, but a con- stant gale and very dangerous sea ; 9 a. m. gale had veered to N. N. W.; noon, lat. obs. 29° 59', Ion. 79° 20', clear weather and strong gale from N. N. W.; 1 p. m. set single-reefed topsail and fore-topmast staysail; 6 p.m. shook out all reefs and set jib ; midnight calm and cloudy. [Distance from axis line at the height of the gale, 187 miles LJ We will now look toward the axis of the storm near the Baha- mas, and then follow the accounts which relate to the right side of its axis, as far onward as Bermuda on that side. 46. Brig Rebecca, [second of this name,] from Cienfuegos, on the 5th of Oct. encoun- tered a tremendous gale from' S. E., which shifted part of the cargo, but did no other dam- age. [This route and date, with the direction of the wind given, place this brig in the gulf of Florida, probably near the Salt Key Bank.] 47.* Brig Saratoga was crossing the Bahama Bank, Oct. 5th, when it began to blow, at 10 or 11 a m., from E. S. E. or S. E. by E. At noon saw Orange Key ahead ; split close reefed fore-topsail and set reefed foresail, in attempting to weather it. Kept away and run to the N. of the Key ; struck in passing off the Hank, about 2 r. it. and sprung a leak ; gale increasing from S. E. ; wore ship and stood back for the Bank, intending to run under Orange Key. The gale now hauled southward, and the brig having no after sails, fell off and drifted on the Riding Rocks, under lore-topmast staysail and reefed foresail, which were blown away when she struck, about 3 p. M., [lat. 25° 15', Ion. 79° 4'.] Thumped on the rocks till about half past 4 p. m , when she had worked over into deeper water. Both anchors were then dropped, which failed to hold her, when the stays were cut and the masts blew over ; the wind now southerly ; the sea was breaking over the vessel and sweeping off every thing movable. Kept the pumps going till about 7 p. m , when the brig sunk in about 4> fathoms. At this time the narrator was entangled with the poop deck, which had separated from the vessel. He held on for a short time, was washed off, and floated on different articles, he thinks, for an hour ; was then thrown again in contact with the poop deck on which was a passenger, and to which, by a small rope providentially attached, he kept fast during the night. Towards morning of the 6th, the gale began to abate, and about 4 a. m. the wind-spray had so far ceased that the stars were visible. At sunrise the wind was strong from the southwestern quarter and the two survivors were drifting eastward over the Bank. By 9 a. U the gale so abated as to allow them to stand up. At noon it was nearly calm, and till about 10 p. m., when the wind came out from the eastward. This wind, during the night of the 6th, drove them oil the Hank into the Gulf Stream, where they floated at the mercy of the waves, without food or drink, till Oct. lltli, when they were taken off, in a perishing state, by the barque Ztda, in lat. 25° 40', [(?) 28° 40',j Ion. 79° 45'. [Mr. S. was From Mr. jmmonson, 2d mate and survivor.