Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1920 — HURRICANE: “Champion of Destruction” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HURRICANE: “Champion of Destruction”

(Pi epajed by the United States Department of Agriculture.) ASSESSING a longer arm °f destruction than the —mightiest of and leaving in its wake a /j no-mun's land, rivaling ) p < war's scars across the n face of Europe, the hurriJ cane is chief among natural forces contending for [ j the title, “champion of de7 struction.” c To fight the hurricane offensively is folly. For ages mankind has been able to wage only a defensive war against Its terrifying “drives" and these efforts have been, until modern times*, pitifully feeble. Man’s only defense Is to be forewarned. That It has been possible In the present generation to reduce death toll of hurricanes to a. minimum; is due to the marvelous, service maintained by the United States weather bureau. The headquarters of the weather bureau, located quite to one side of main-traveled thoroughfares in the national capital, are the nerve center of this unique organization which extends across the continent and also far out to sea, since many vessels cooperate with the bureau by making dally reports to it. Great Storm Sighted, Early in September a hurricane, destined to devastate a wide area bordering the Gulf of Mexico, reared its head like a great monster a thousand miles to the southeast of the United States, among the islands of die Caribbean. As to what gave it birth not even the scientist knows. The forces that propagate all of these storms are shrouded In mystery. This particular hurricane was bom in remote tropical waters, probably about September 5. A few hundred miles north of this center of disturbance the sea was relatively calm and passengers on steamers passing this way had no intimation of thp terrific force that was generating off to the south. Likewise, the southland of the United States lay placid. In part bathed in sunshine and in part shaded by far-stretching blankets of clouds, many of them so fleecy that to the casual observer they carried no suggestion of the coming storm. But the hurricane in the tropics gathered strength quickly anS flung itself In fury over the slender chain of islands constituting the Florida keys. In the face of every suchrising peril the meteorologist upon whom rests the responsibility for making daily forecasts, stands like one facing a thief in the dark. Beyond the mainland coast and a few scattered stations in the West Indies, he has no means of learning of the changing atmospheric conditions In those seas to the south and east, save chance reports from ships. Early reports of this hurricane were meager Indeed. The first intimation of the coming of disaster was received September 8. The daily forecast for that date stated that a tropical storm had appeared to the southeast of Key West. But as to its extent, or Its course, the chief forecaster at that time could only conjecture. - Despite his long experience in his profession. It was inevitable that the forecaster should be anxious—every meteorologist who is forecasting at such a time is anxious. He had been on duty In seasons past when not a single hurricane appeared. But in other years between July and October more than one such storm had left a trail of devastation across many states. The forecaster knew that milof dollars worth of cargoes, about to sail from the Atlantic and Gulf ports, might be lost if he failed

to make a proper forecast and issue adequate warnings. The fate of whole cities rested on his decision. As he turned from his study of the telegraphic reports received from the eastern and southeastern section of the country, he joked a little —but in the manner of one whose joviality was a trifle forced, perhaps—about his repeated hard luck at being on duty “every time - one of these storms hove tn sight," There was an' unmistakable tenseness in his manner as he studied the map, pointing to the low barometer area, that was moving steadily toward the southern states. Weather Forecast Correct. The next chapter In the hurricane’s brief history is told in the weather report of September 9: "The tropical storm was central Tuesday night and a little south of Key West where the barometer read 29.08 Inches with a wind velocity of 60 miles an hour from the northeast The storm is apparently moving northwestward, and will pass into the Gulf of Mexico during Tuesday night.” How speedily and decisively the forecaster had acted in the face of the oncoming peril is indicated by the next sentence: “Warnings to shipping and other interests have been regularly sent since Monday morning when storm warnings were first displayed on the south Florida coast.” The following 48 hours were laden with grave responsibility for the staff of the weather bureau. It was theirs to decide at the earliest possible moment consistent with accuracy in what direction the storm now moving with increasing power and rapidity would travel as it came nearer the mainland. On Wednesday, September 10, the report read, “The tropical storm passed Key West, Fla., about midnight Tuesday night with the barometer reading 28.81 inches, an<T estimated wind velocity of 110 miles an hour from the east.” Here was evidence that one of the most violent storms of recent years was about to strike at some point on the Gulf coast. This report revealed the meagerness of available Information at this date regarding the progress of the hurricane: “Tonight the storm is probably central In the Gulf of Mexico, not far from latitude 26, longitude 85, still moving northwest, and northeast storm warnings are ordered on the Gulf coast from Carrabelle, Fla., to New Orleans, where the winds will probably be strong on Thursday night Advice has also been issued to this section to prepare for possible very dangerous winds by Friday.” Defensive War Starts. - And so man’s defensive war against the mighty force of nature was on. With all its scientific data regarding the course of previous storms. Instant-

ly accessible and with reports from all available points of observation tabulated and recorded on the weather map, the weather bureau foretold many’ hours in advance the peril that threatened, the Gulf coast. Thus the' people were forearmed. It will be recalled that storm warnings were displayed regularly on the south Florida coast since Monday morning. How accurate the weather bureau’s forecasts had been is shown by the press dispatches dated Wednesday night, September 10: “Lower "Florida paralyzed today as a result of the violent hurricane that passed over that section last night. Not a house in this city (Key West) escaped damage; 320 frame buildings practically were razed, two church edifices wrecked, and five retail stores overturned. The damage is estimated at more than $2,000,000. Shipping off the coast met with disaster.- Several small vessels were sunk and others were driven to the reefs.” By .this time the wenther bureau, in its fight to keep destruction and death at the minimum, was able to act with more definiteness, even though there was no adequate means of ascertaining atmospheric conditions in the center area of the Gulf of Mexico. The 7 report of September 11, flashed over the wires from Washington, read: “The tropical storm is apparently central tonight in the Gulf of Mexico with latitude 27 degrees and longitude 88 degrees. Absence of reports forbid the definite location of the storm center, and it is therefore impossible at this time to state the portion of although it is fairly probable that It will be west of the Mississippi river. Storm warnings are displayed from the Louisiana coast eastward to central Florida and on the northwest coat of Texas.” While the hurricane was moving on its northwestward course additional news, brief but vivid, filtered in from points in its wake. September 11 the Associated Press representative wired: “Nine members of the Ward line steamer Corydon crew of 36 men were brought to this port this afternoon by the schooner Island Home. They had been adrift on an upturned lifeboat, without food and water for three days. One of the crew, according to their story, had become crazed, from suffering and privation Wednesday night, and sprang overboard.” In these hours the thoughts of the chief forecaster instinctively turned to Galveston, which in the past had suffered terribly from similar storms. Dispatches from that city indicated that the tide was rising rapidly. Water was flooding the low' places on the Island and people were fleeing the city. A 90-mile northeast storm was blowing. But for the weather bureau's timely warnings which had reached Galveston before the gale struck the city, millions of tons of cargo and scores of ships would have put to sea and would have been lost In the next 24 hours the storm bunt upon the Texas coast in full fury_ While the papers the next few day* were filled with accounts of the damage and death caused by the hurrican* the fact of greatest significance, and: which the public has come to take almost as a matter of course, only partially realizing the skill and respond billty Involved, was that the weather bureau had been able to anticipat* thft» storm long enodgh tn advance t* prevent a loss that probably would: have totaled thousands of lives an* millions of dollars in shipping.