Savannah, October 12, 1804
On Saturday we experienced one of the severest gales of wind, that has happened within the recollection of our
oldest inhabitants. In fact, very few of us, can recollect ever to have seen any thing, the effects of which were
so destructive, as has been the late hurricane. The storm commenced on Friday night, with a degree of violence
by no means unusual or alarming. On Saturday morning it had shared; but about nine o’clock, its violence increased
until 4 or 6 o’clock, when it appeared to have gotten to its height, and continued to rage with dreadful fury until
about 10 o’clock, when it began to subside; during the early part of the day the wind was from the north; but about
the middle and during the latter part of the day, was shifting almost continuously from the north to northeast.
Confined as the inhabitants were to their houses, and unaccustomed to such scenes, the imagination wandered uncontrolled
over the most highly coloured pictures of destruction and devastation, and fancy presented to the mind’s eye the
most horrid and awful consequences. But when the morning came, and the storm had so far subsided as to suffer the
inhabitants to look about them, it was found that fancy, ever apt to exaggerate, had formed but an imperfect picture
of the dreadful scene of havoc and destruction. The trees in every part of the city were prostrated. The chimneys
of a great many houses were blown down, and several houses themselves.
The steeple of the Presbyterian meeting and part of the walls of the Episcopal church were blown down. The wharves
from one end of the city to the other were torn up, and almost every store which was erected at any distance from
the foot of the bluff, was either totally destroyed or so much torn to pieces as to spoil everything contained
in them. Every vessel in the harbor was thrown upon the wharves, except such as were totally destroyed, and large
ships are lying on some of the highest wharves. There was no passing from one wharf to another: lumber, cotton,
tobacco, hogsheads of rum, sugar, and in fact every article of domestic and foreign produce, were strewed from
one end to the other of them.
We have heard of but three deaths in the city, a man and two children, who were killed by the falling houses: but
humanity shudders at attempting to describe the suffering of the people of Hutchison’s Island and other rice plantations
in the vicinity of this place. All the buildings in these places, almost without exception, were carried away in
the general destruction, and many lives were lost among the Negroes and overseers with their families. The loss
of Negroes from the different plantations is computed to exceed one hundred. Mr. Campbell, Mr. Oliver, Mr. Young,
Mr. Proctor, Mr. Smith, Mr. Teltsir, and Mrs. Ward, are among the number who suffered most considerably by the
loss of Negroes.
Fort Green, on Cockspur Island, is entirely destroyed and most of the men drowned; the officers were fortunately
in town and a few of their privates. [October 12, 1804, The "Sprig of Liberty", Gettysburg, PA - Submitted
by Nancy Piper]
Charleston, September 21, 1804
Accounts from the southward continue to furnish distressing details of the effects of the late gale. A gentleman
from May river informs us that the destruction in that quarter was indeed dreadful. Independent of loss of crops,
all the cotton and Negro houses, machines &c., were completely swept off; and in many places the tide rose
9 feet higher than it was ever known during the spring tides. On Hutchinson’s Island , Mr. Oliver lost 41 negroes,
his overseer, wife and two children drowned; Mr. Proctor, ten Negroes drowned and his daughter, Mrs. Skriving ,
wife of Dr. Skriving, and her young child killed by the falling of the dwelling house; a capital stock of cattle,
ranging on this island, were all swept off.
At. St. Simons, major Butler lost 30 negroes; Mr. Hopkins 5 at Dawfourki; and accounts received from Broughton’s
Island, of the those of 7 negroes, belonging to William Bradford esq. The eloquent new dwelling house of William
Robertson esq., on the Main, was blown down and the whole of his crop destroyed.
Accounts received yesterday by the Packet from Wilmington, N. C. state, that the late gale was but slightly felt
at that place. On Sunday a small schooner and a pertiauger were driven ashore, but not materially injured. The
brig, Wilmington Packet, from New-York, had been driven ashore on the Frying Pan, but after taking out her cargo,
she was got off. The crops in the vicinity of Wilmington had not suffered. [October 18, 1804, The "Sprig of
Liberty", Gettysburg, PA - Submitted by Nancy Piper]
