This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

September, 1915.	MONTHLY	WEATHER	REVIEW.	46,
to 30th. Without definite advice regarding the hurricane the effects on shipping m port would hare been disastrous. Vessels winch went to sea on the 23d to 28th. received the warnings and steered to the westward of the hurricane; no report of an ocean-going vessel being lost has been received.
DAMAGE AND LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE.
The damage to property and the loss of human life were remarkably small when the intensity of the hurricane is taken into consideration. In New Orel&ns several buildings were totally'destroyed and nearly every building suffered injury to seme extent, amounting in some cases to several thousand dollars. Four small steamers, or tugs, were sunk in the harbor and several steamers broice from their moorings and were blown ashore. A great many small craft which had sought refuge in. the bays and bayous were blown ashore and left oy the tide on dry land; several.coal barges loaded with coal were sunk. The destruction of buildings was very great in the country surrounding New Orleans. At Leeville on the lower Lafourche, of the 100 houses in the village, only cne was left standing, but no one was killed. At Golden Meadow and from that point to Cut Off, 100 houses were demolished, but no lives reported lost. At several places on the Mississippi River below New Orleans and on Lake Ponchartram 90 per cent cf the buildings were completely destroyed.
I	have checked the deaths closely and 275 will cover the entire loss of life resulting from this unprecedented hurricane. The loss of life at Rigclets resulted from an absolute disregard. 61 specinc warnings ana advice tq come to New Orleans. Mr. John T. &eenan,-o7 tne Times-Picayune, was in the local office, Weather Bureau, when we issued the specific warning at 8:20 a. m., September 29, giving the path which the hurricane would follow and advising that hurricane winds and high tides would prevail over southeastern Louisiana that cay and night. He asked me what the result would be at Sigo-lets, stating that he knew some people there, and I told him. he had better telephone them at once, which he did, He spoke with Manuel, the keeper of the club, through hia wife, gave him the warning and told him to have everybody come to New Orleans on the nftTt_t.ra.rn, which was due to pass that placejib?v=tTQ-£-.rnTManuel replied that, the train would notstop for them, and Mr. Meehan told him that if the train would not come to a stop for flagging to put a cross tie on the track. The keeper said, “They^will put me in jail,” to which Mr. Meen&n replied, “You would be better off in jail than where you are now and for God’s sake stop that, train at all hazards and come to New Orleans.” It has since been learned that Manuel flagged, the train and it stopped, but the. people were not there to get aboard, the rising tide was jeopardizing the passengers on the train, which could not wait until the people could be collected from the houses. Manuel returned to his companions and when the storm was over his lifeless body, with 23 otners of those who were in the club, were found strewn over the marshes. Mr. Meehan, who went to the Rigolets the morning after the hurricane, with a rescue party, assisted in looking after the burial of the keeper, Manuel, and his companions.
Mr. J. B. Fa,sterling, Buras, La,, president of the Plaquemines police jury, under date of October I. says:
It is yet impossible tc estimate the number cf those who perished, but the death rate lias been remarkably bw considering the force of the Btann. There were 2 feet more water thin ir. the 19D3 gale.
—'	'*-*■-[TWll
The Times-Picayune, October 3, says:
It generally is agreed that the death toll paid the Imrrieane has bee remarkably low along the lower river compared to what the might c the gale led all to anticipate.
The damage done by the hurricane on the middle GuJ coast will probably exceed $13,000,000, and approxi mately may be distributed as follows: In the city c New Orleans the damage has been heavy. The damage t municipal property has been appraised at nearly S500,00( As late as October 13, more than two weeks after th hurricane, the Dealers and Contractors Exchange state that a survey of the city indicated that 25,000 house were then in a leaky condition as a result of the hurricant The total damage to property in New Orleans may b safely estimated ts at least ten times the amount of date age suffered by the public buildings belonging to th municipality, and on this basis the damage to propert in New Orleans is placed at about §5,000,000; to shii ping and coal interests on the river, 81,750,000; in th country outside of New Orleans, to buildings, railroad; smah craft, crops, and telegraph and telephone system about §8,500,0c0.
VALtTE OF WARNINGS IN SAVING LIFE AND PROPERTY.
Much of the success obtained through the warning in saving human life and property was brought abou by the specific statements cjiven on the morning of Tues day the 28th. as to where the hurricane would strike th Gi'Jf coast, and the forecasting Wednesday morning a 8:20 a. m, of tho exact course its center would follow with the charactcr of winds and tides which would pre va.il, and by the firm and convincing manner in which th people were told what to expect and what to do. W expressed no doubts, but told the people specificall; what to expect and advised them without nesitatio: what action to take. The admonition “Please reac persons in exposed localities,” given to every manager c a telegraph and railroad station on the middle Gulf coasl and sS telephone stations in southeastern Louisiana an others, with the hurricane warning on the 28th, impresse the people with the seriousness of the impending crisis and stirred the public to prompt and decisive action t protect life and crop arty such" as was never exercise previously. The fact that only 275 fives were lost in a that vast stretch of 300 miles of coast line, including th most populous center in the South, tells the story of th value of'the service rendered the people of this section.
The Times-Picayune, Thursday, beptember 30, 191-: says.
The intensity of the storm, while it did considerable damage in N« Orleans and vicinity, proved the worthiness of Dr. I. M. Cline, ti diBtriet forecaster of the United States "Weather Bureau. Never befo; perhaps, in the history of the Weather Bureau, have such genei 'warnings been disseminated as were seat out by the local bureau reference to the disturbance that passed New Orleans Wednesds evening. At 7 o'clock Wednesday morning Dr. Cline said the wii weald attain a velocity of 65 miles an hour, or more. At 2 o’clock the afternoon, when a velocity of 62 miles an hour had been recorde and whan most persons believed the worst had passed, Dr. Cline aa the worst wa3 V6t tc cone. He then predicted that the maxima intensity of the storm would bo reached here 'between 5 and 6 o’clock As a matter cf actual reccrd, the maximum was at 5:30, when a wc velocity of 86 nules an hcur for 10 minutes was recorded, and whe fcr a period of about 20 seconds a velocity of ISO miles was reached.
There may have been much life loss along the coast, hut such cataatrcphe ban not be charged to the Weather Bureau, for the war ingc cf the approach of the hurricane were sent broadcast before i hijrn winds ever reached the Louisiana ccast Tuesdc-y afternoon Dr. Cline expressed the belief that the stci would be more intense than that wf.ich wrought such damage at N< Orleans and alcng the coast in September, 1909. ids prediction car tru8, although there were msxy persons in the city whc were skeptic