West Indian Hurricanes In Puerto Rico From

1515 TO 1899



Whoever has witnessed the awful magnificence of what the primitive

inhabitants of the West Indian islands called ou-ra-can, will never

forget the sense of his own utter nothingness and absolute

helplessness. With the wind rushing at the rate of 65 or more miles an

hour, amid the roar of waves lashed into furious rolling mountains of

water, the incessant flash of lightning, the dreadful roll o thunder,

the fierce beating of rain, one sees giant trees torn up by the roots

and man's proud constructions of stone and iron broken and scattered

like children's toys.



The tropical latitudes to the east and north of the West Indian

Archipelago are the birthplace of these phenomena. According to Mr.

Redfield they cover simultaneously an extent of surface from 100

to 500 miles in diameter, acting with diminished violence toward the

circumference and with increased energy toward the center of this

space.



In the Weather Bureau's bulletin cited, there is a description of the

most remarkable and destructive among the 355 hurricanes that have

swept over the West Indies from 1492 to 1899. Not a single island has

escaped the tempest's ravages. I have endeavored in vain to make an

approximate computation of the human life and property destroyed by

these visitations of Providence. Such a computation is impossible when

we read of entire towns destroyed not once but 6, 8, and 10 times; of

crops swept away by the tempest's fury, and the subsequent starvation

of untold thousands; of whole fleets of ships swallowed up by the sea

with every soul on board, and of hundreds of others cast on shore like

coco shards.



To give an idea of the appalling disasters caused by these too oft

recurring phenomena, the above-mentioned bulletin gives Flammarion's

description of the great hurricane of 1780.



"The most terrible cyclone of modern times is probably that which

occurred on October 10, 1780, which has been specially called the

great hurricane, and which seems to have embodied all the horrible

scenes that attend a phenomenon of this kind. Starting from Barbados,

where trees and houses were all blown down, it engulfed an English

fleet anchored before St. Lucia, and then ravaged the whole of that

island, where 6,000 persons were buried beneath the ruins. From thence

it traveled to Martinique, overtook a French transport fleet and sunk

40 ships conveying 4,000 soldiers. The vessels disappeared."



Such is the laconic language in which the governor reported the

disaster. Farther north, Santo Domingo, St. Vincent, St. Eustatius,

and Puerto Rico were devastated, and most of the vessels that were

sailing in the track of the cyclone were lost with all on board.

Beyond Puerto Rico the tempest turned northeast toward Bermuda, and

though its violence gradually decreased, it nevertheless sunk several

English vessels. This hurricane was quite as destructive inland. Nine

thousand persons perished in Martinique, and 1,000 in St. Pierre,

where not a single house was left standing, for the sea rose to a

height of 25 feet, and 150 houses that were built along the shore were

engulfed. At Port Royal the cathedral, 7 churches, and 1,400 houses

were blown down; 1,600 sick and wounded were buried beneath the ruins

of the hospital. At St. Eustatius, 7 vessels were dashed to pieces on

the rocks, and of the 19 which lifted their anchors and went out to

sea, only 1 returned. At St. Lucia the strongest buildings were torn

up from their foundations, a cannon was hurled a distance of more than

30 yards, and men as well as animals were lifted off their feet and

carried several yards. The sea rose so high that it destroyed the fort

and drove a vessel against the hospital with such force as to stave in

the walls of that building. Of the 600 houses at Kingston, on the

island of St. Vincent, 14 alone remained intact, and the French

frigate Junon was lost. Alarming consequences were feared from the

number of dead bodies which lay uninterred, and the quantity of fish

the sea threw up, but these alarms soon subsided...."



"The aboriginal inhabitants," says Abbad, "foresaw these catastrophes

two or three days in advance. They were sure of their approach when

they perceived a hazy atmosphere, the red aspect of the sun, a dull,

rumbling, subterranean sound, the stars shining through a kind of mist

which made them look larger, the nor'west horizon heavily clouded, a

strong-smelling emanation from the sea, a heavy swell with calm

weather, and sudden changes of the wind from east to west." The

Spanish settlers also learned to foretell the approach of a hurricane

by the sulphurous exhalations of the earth, but especially by the

incessant neighing of horses, bellowing of cattle, and general

restlessness of these animals, who seem to acquire a presentiment of

the coming danger.



"The physical features of hurricanes are well understood. The approach

of a hurricane is usually indicated by a long swell on the ocean,

propagated to great distances, and forewarning the observer by two or

three days. A faint rise in the barometer occurs before the gradual

fall, which becomes very pronounced at the center. Fine wisps of

cirrus-clouds are first seen, which surround the center to a distance

of 200 miles; the air is calm and sultry, but this is gradually

supplanted by a gentle breeze, and later the wind increases to a gale,

the clouds become matted, the sea rough, rain falls, and the winds are

gusty and dangerous as the vortex comes on. Then comes the

indescribable tempest, dealing destruction, impressing the imagination

with the wild exhibition of the forces of nature, the flashes of

lightning, the torrents of rain, the cold air, all the elements in an

uproar, which indicate the close approach of the center. In the midst

of this turmoil there is a sudden pause, the winds almost cease, the

sky clears, the waves, however, rage in great turbulence. This is the

eye of the storm, the core of the vortex, and it is, perhaps, 20 miles

in diameter, or one-thirtieth of the whole hurricane. The respite is

brief, and is soon followed by the abrupt renewal of the violent wind

and rain, but now coming from the opposite direction, and the storm

passes off with the several features following each other in the

reverse order."



The distribution over the months of the year of the 355 West Indian

hurricanes which occurred during the four hundred and six years

elapsed since the discovery, to the last on the list, is as follows:





Months. No of hurricanes.



January 5

February 7

March 11

April 6

May 5

June 10

July 42

August 96

September 80

October 69

November 17

December 7



355





Puerto Rico has been devastated by hurricanes more than 20 times since

its occupation by the Spaniards. But the records, beyond the mere

statement of the facts, are very incomplete. Four stand out

prominently as having committed terrible ravages. These are the

hurricanes of Santa Ana, on July 26, 1825; Los Angeles, on

August 2,1837; San Narciso, on October 29, 1867, and San Ciriaco,

on August 8, 1899.



The first mention of the occurrence of a hurricane in this island we

find in a letter from the crown officers to the king, dated August 8,

1515, wherein they explain: " ... In these last smeltings there was

little gold, because many Indians died in consequence of sickness

caused by the tempest as well as from want of food ..."



The next we read of was October 8, 1526, and is thus described by

licentiate Juan de Vadillo:



"On the night of the 4th of October last there broke over this island

such a violent storm of wind and rain, which the natives call

'ou-ra-can' that it destroyed the greater part of this city (San

Juan) with the church. In the country it caused such damage by the

overflow of rivers that many rich men have been made poor."



On September 8, 1530, Governor Francisco Manuel de Lando reported to

the king: "During the last six weeks there have been three storms of

wind and rain in this island (July 26, August 23 and 31). They have

destroyed all the plantations, drowned many cattle, and caused much

hunger and misery in the land. In this city the half of the houses

were entirely destroyed, and of the other half the least injured is

without a roof. In the country and in the mines nothing has remained

standing. Everybody is ruined and thinking of going away."



1537. - July and August. The town officers wrote to the king in

September: "In the last two months we have had three storms of wind

and rain, the greatest that have been seen in this island, and as the

plantations are along the banks of the rivers the floods have

destroyed them all. Many slaves and cattle have been drowned, and this

has caused much discouragement among the settlers, who before were

inclined to go away, and are now more so."



1575. - September 21 (San Mateo), hurricane mentioned in the memoirs

of Father Torres Vargas.



1614. - September 12, mentioned by the same chronicler in the

following words: "Fray Pedro de Solier came to his bishopric in the

year 1615, the same in which a great tempest occurred, after more than

forty years since the one called of San Mateo. This one happened on

the 12th of September. It did so much damage to the cathedral that it

was necessary partly to cover it with straw and write to his Majesty

asking for a donation to repair it. With his accustomed generosity he

gave 4,000 ducats."



1678. - Abbad states that a certain Count or Duke Estren, an English

commander, with a fleet of 22 ships and a body of landing troops

appeared before San Juan and demanded its surrender, but that, before

the English had time to land, a violent hurricane occurred which

stranded every one of the British ships on Bird Island. Most of the

people on board perished, and the few who saved their lives were made

prisoners of war.



1740. - Precise date unknown. Monsieur Moreau de Jonnes, in his

work, says that this hurricane destroyed a coco-palm grove of 5 or

6 leagues in extent, which existed near Ponce. Other writers confirm

this.



1772, August 28. - Friar Inigo Abbad, who was in the island at the

time, gives the following description of this tempest: "About a

quarter to eleven of the night of the 28th of August the storm began

to be felt in the capital of the island. A dull but continuous roll of

thunder filled the celestial hemisphere, the sound as of approaching

torrents of rain, the frightful sight of incessant lightning, and a

slow quaking of the earth accompanied the furious wind. The tearing up

of trees, the lifting of roofs, smashing of windows, and leveling of

everything added terror-striking noises to the scene. The tempest

raged with the same fury in the capital till after one o'clock in the

morning. In other parts of the island it began about the same hour,

but without any serious effect till later. In Aguada, where I was at

the time, nothing was felt till half-past two in the morning. It blew

violently till a quarter to four, and the wind continued, growing less

strong, till noon. During this time the wind came from all points of

the compass, and the storm visited every part of the island, causing

more damage in some places than others, according to their degree of

exposure."



1780, June 13, and 1788, August 16. - No details of these two

hurricanes are found in any of the Puerto Rican chronicles.



1804, September 4. - A great cyclone, a detailed description of

which is given in the work of Mr. Jonnes.



1818 and 1814 - Both hurricanes happened on the same date, that

is, the 23d of July. Yauco and San German suffered most. A description

of the effects of these storms was given in the Dario Economico of the

11th of August, 1814.



1819, September 21. - (San Mateo.) This cyclone is mentioned by

Jonnes and by Cordova, who says that it caused extraordinary damages

on the plantations.



1825, July 26. - (Santa Ana.) Cordova (vol. ii, p. 21 of his Memoirs)

says of this hurricane: "It destroyed the towns of Patillas, Maunabo,

Yabucoa, Humacao, Gurabo, and Caguas. In the north, east, and center

of the island it caused great damage. More than three hundred people

and a large number of cattle perished; 500 persons were badly wounded.

The rivers rose to an unheard of extent, and scarcely a house remained

standing. In the capital part of the San Antonio bridge was blown

down, and the city wall facing the Marina on Tanca Creek was cracked.

The royal Fortaleza (the present Executive Mansion) suffered much,

also the house of Ponce. The lightning-conductors of the

powder-magazine were blown down."



1837, August 2. - (Los Angeles.) This cyclone was general over the

island and caused exceedingly grave losses of life and property. All

the ships in the harbor of San Juan were lost.



1840, September 16. - No details.



1851, August 18. - No details, except that this hurricane caused

considerable damage.



1867, October 29. - (San Narciso.) No details.






1871, August 23. - (San Felipe.) No details. 1899, August

8. - (San Ciriaco.) When this hurricane occurred there was a

meteorological station in operation in San Juan, and we are therefore

enabled to present the following data from Mr. Geddings's report: "The

rainfall was excessive, as much as 23 inches falling at Adjuntas

during the course of twenty-four hours. This caused severe inundations

of rivers, and the deaths from drowning numbered 2,569 as compared

with 800 killed by injuries received from the effects of the wind.

This number does not include the thousands who have since died from

starvation. The total loss of property was 35,889,013 pesos."



The United States Government and people promptly came to the

assistance of the starving population, and something like 32,000,000

rations were distributed by the army during the ten months succeeding

the hurricane.



* * * * *



Such are the calamities that are suspended over the heads of the

inhabitants of the West Indian Islands. From July to October, at any

moment, the sapphire skies may turn black with thunder-clouds; the

Eden-like landscapes turned into scenes of ruin and desolation; the

rippling ocean that lovingly laves their shores becomes a roaring

monster trying to swallow them. The refreshing breezes that fan them

become a destructive blast. Yet, such is the fecundity of nature in

these regions that a year after a tempest has swept over an island, if

the debris be removed, not a trace of its passage is visible - the

fields are as green as ever, the earth, the trees, and plants that

were spared by the tempest double their productive powers as if to

indemnify the afflicted inhabitants for the losses they suffered.