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256 THE ATMOSPHERE AND METEOROLOGY.
in forests. In 1681, a vessel from Antigua was carried up the rocks three
yards above the highest tides, and remained like a bridge between two
points of rock. In 1825, at the time ofthe great hurricane of Guadaloupe,
the vessels which were in the road of Basse Terre disappeared, and one of
the captains happily escaping, recounted how his brig had been seized by
the hurricane and lifted out of the water, so that he had, so to speak,
" been shipwrecked in the air." Broken furniture, and a quantity of ruins
from the houses of Guadaloupe, were transported to Montserrat over an
arm of the sea fifty miles wide. From the mountains of St. Thomas the
immense black whirlwind was seen from afar to pass across the sea and
over the islands of Porto Rico and Santa Cruz.
The most terrible cyclone of modern times is probably that of the 10th
of October, 1780, which has been specially named "the great hurricane."
Starting from Barbados, where neither trees nor dwellings were left
standing, it caused an English fleet anchored off St. Lucia to disappear,
and completely ravaged this island, where 6000 persons were crushed under the ruins. After this, the whirlwind, tending toward Martinique, enveloped a convoy of French transports, and sunk more than forty ships
carrying 4000 soldiers; on land, the towns of St. Pierre and other places
were completely razed by the wind, and 9000 persons perished there.
More to the north, Dominique, St. Eustatius, St. Vincent, and Porto Rico
were likewise devastated, and most of the vessels which were on the path
of the cyclone foundered, with all their crews. Beyond Porto Rico the
tempest bent to the north-east, toward the Bermudas, and though its violence had gradually diminished, it sunk several English war ships returning
to Europe. At Barbados, where the cyclone had commenced its terrible
spiral, the wind was unchained with such* fury, that the inhabitants hidden in the cellars did not hear their houses falling above their heads;
they did not even feel the shocks of earthquake which, according to Rodney, accompanied the storm. The rage of man was arrested before that
of nature. The Ffench and English were then at war, and all the ships
which the sea swallowed up were laden with soldiers seeking to destroy
one another. At the sight of such ruin the hatred of the survivors was
calmed. The governor of Martinique caused the English sailors, who
had become his prisoners in consequence of the great shipwreck, to be
set at liberty, declaring that in the common danger all men should feel
as brothers.
| Title | The ocean, atmosphere, and life |
| Creator | Reclus, Elisée |
| Publisher | Harper |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Date | 1873 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000281 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 256 THE ATMOSPHERE AND METEOROLOGY. in forests. In 1681, a vessel from Antigua was carried up the rocks three yards above the highest tides, and remained like a bridge between two points of rock. In 1825, at the time ofthe great hurricane of Guadaloupe, the vessels which were in the road of Basse Terre disappeared, and one of the captains happily escaping, recounted how his brig had been seized by the hurricane and lifted out of the water, so that he had, so to speak, " been shipwrecked in the air." Broken furniture, and a quantity of ruins from the houses of Guadaloupe, were transported to Montserrat over an arm of the sea fifty miles wide. From the mountains of St. Thomas the immense black whirlwind was seen from afar to pass across the sea and over the islands of Porto Rico and Santa Cruz. The most terrible cyclone of modern times is probably that of the 10th of October, 1780, which has been specially named "the great hurricane." Starting from Barbados, where neither trees nor dwellings were left standing, it caused an English fleet anchored off St. Lucia to disappear, and completely ravaged this island, where 6000 persons were crushed under the ruins. After this, the whirlwind, tending toward Martinique, enveloped a convoy of French transports, and sunk more than forty ships carrying 4000 soldiers; on land, the towns of St. Pierre and other places were completely razed by the wind, and 9000 persons perished there. More to the north, Dominique, St. Eustatius, St. Vincent, and Porto Rico were likewise devastated, and most of the vessels which were on the path of the cyclone foundered, with all their crews. Beyond Porto Rico the tempest bent to the north-east, toward the Bermudas, and though its violence had gradually diminished, it sunk several English war ships returning to Europe. At Barbados, where the cyclone had commenced its terrible spiral, the wind was unchained with such* fury, that the inhabitants hidden in the cellars did not hear their houses falling above their heads; they did not even feel the shocks of earthquake which, according to Rodney, accompanied the storm. The rage of man was arrested before that of nature. The Ffench and English were then at war, and all the ships which the sea swallowed up were laden with soldiers seeking to destroy one another. At the sight of such ruin the hatred of the survivors was calmed. The governor of Martinique caused the English sailors, who had become his prisoners in consequence of the great shipwreck, to be set at liberty, declaring that in the common danger all men should feel as brothers. |
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