Whilst no-one would wish to under-estimate the havoc caused by the recent hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Stan, spare a thought for this day, 10 October, in 1780 when the 'Great Hurricane of 1870' (this was in the days before hurricanes were given friendly names like Stan or Ida) smashed its way through the Caribbean. The 'Great Hurricane of 1780' was reckoned to be the deadliest hurricane of all time. There is no accurate figure of the number killed in the storm but about 22,000 people died when the storm swept over Martinique, St. Eustatius and Barbados between October 10 and October 16. Thousands more were killed at sea.
The historians amongst you will recall that 1780 was the middle of the American Revolution and, as a consequence, British and French fleets that were contesting for control of the area were very heavily damaged. The British fleet commanded by Admiral George Rodney, which was en route from New York to the West Indies, was dispersed by the storm. Only 12 ships eventually arrived at Barbados and eight of 12 surviving warships were a write-off and their crews were mostly drowned.
The British sent someone to survey the damage and he found that the destruction was so great that he (mistakenly) assumed that an earthquake had occurred at the same time as the storm. Barbados was almost completely leveled and almost every family living on the island lost a family member in the storm.
So don't come moaning to me about them Delta blues.
3 comments:
Being an American, it so delightful to read a Brit's novel and entertaining take on some the world's historical, if sometimes meaningless, events in time. The British have such a way with words.
I believe you meant to write: '1780' rather than, "...in 1780 when the 'Great Hurricane of 1870'...". At first I thought I had become hopelessly entrapped out of sync in Dr. Who's time machine. It threw me off a bit, till I checked Wikipedia.
I too have entered the curmudgeon years of being "cheesed off with just about everything" and concur with you completely - "what on earth is the point."
With best regards, Roger
Addendum: The Great Hurricane of 1780, having been the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, and because of it's unusual ferocity, was given a name - 'Hurricane San Calixto II'. I wonder now, if this is the deadliest hurricane, what was 'San Calixto I' like?
Good Point Roger. I have amended accordingly. Interestingly, I thought Calixto I was one of those disputed Popes, elected, or whatever they did then in 217 AD. He only lasted about 5 years. He was arrested for having a punch-up in a synagogue and later released but eventually came to a rather sticky end because of his alarming propensity for murder, adultery, and fornication. Not an altogether nice chap - perhaps this was why they named a hurricane after him? Who knows!
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