The Great Bahamian Hurricanes of 1899 and 1932: The Story of Two of the Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes to Impact the Bahamas

By Wayne Neely

Hurricanes have long been a fact of life in the Bahamas. With extensive exposed coastlines jutting out of the Atlantic and uniquely flat lands and shallow coastal waters, these islands had seen many tempests before there was a Bahamas as we know it today.

Hurricanes have shaped the islands landscape and, in a sense, their people as well. In the history of the Bahamasoften considered a patriarchal society in which the hurricanes traditionally bore the names not of women, but of the islands they devastated-- the storms have impacted all aspects of everyday life. A growing number of studies covering many aspects of hurricanes have examined their social impacts. Even so, the historical ramifi cati ons of the hurricanes of the Bahamas and of the wider realm of the Caribbean have rarely been approached.

The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 and the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932 hold special places in the archives of Bahamian history. These hurricanes were two of the worst natural disasters the country had experienced at the time, and even to this day these storms are considered among the top ten most destructive Bahamian storms of all time. These two notable and very destructive Bahamian hurricanes resulted in the deaths of over 334 Bahamians in 1899 and 18 in 1932. Learn why as author Wayne Neely explores the breadth and depth of each disasternot only how they impacted the society at the time, but how they impacted the progression of history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475925548

Wayne Neely

Wayne Neely is a noted Bahamian meteorologist, international speaker, best-selling author, lecturer on hurricanes, and meteorologist. Traveling extensively throughout the region and worldwide, Wayne addresses critical issues affecting all aspects of hurricanes. He majored in Geography, History, and Environmental Science at the University of The Bahamas. He has written 14 best-selling books on hurricanes. Wayne has written for National Geographic, Weather-Wise Magazine, Weather Brains, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, People, Huffington Post, The Washington Post, The Nassau Guardian, The Nassau Tribune, and the American Meteorological Society. He regularly speaks to schools, colleges, and universities worldwide. He has been a hurricane advisor for Jeopardy, The History Channel, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His book, The Great Okeechobee Hurricane, was featured in National Geographic. In addition, he has contributed to and was featured in PBS/NOVA documentaries: 1) Killer Hurricanes, 2) Hurricane Dorian, and 3) MyRadar-Climate Series.

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Copyright © 2012 by Wayne Neely

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-2553-1 (sc)

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Contents

PREFACE

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

Fundamentals of a Hurricane

CHAPTER TWO

The History behind the word ‘Hurricane’ and other Tropical Cyclone Names

CHAPTER THREE

The Naming of Hurricanes

CHAPTER FOUR

The Classification of Hurricanes

CHAPTER FIVE

The Sisal Industry of the Bahamas during the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899

CHAPTER SIX

The Bootlegging Industry in the Bahamas during the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Sponging Industry during the Great Bahamian Hurricanes of 1899 and 1932

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 Impact on the islands of the Bahamas.

CHAPTER NINE

The Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932’s Impact on the Islands of the Bahamas.

CHAPTER TEN

Damages Sustained To Ships After The Great Bahamas Hurricane Of 1899

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Terrence Keogh’s two accounts of the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932

CHAPTER TWELVE

Personal Recollections of the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 and the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932 Impact on the Bahamas.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Hurricane Preparedness

CONCLUSION

SOURCES

WEATHER DEFINITIONS

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated first and foremost to all of the victims of the Great Bahamian Hurricanes of 1899 and 1932. It is my hope that their stories will live on for future generations of Bahamians to read about and to appreciate why these storms were regarded as ‘Great Bahamian Hurricanes.’

To the Late Mr. William Holowesko, it was you having the confidence in me to lend me a ‘stranger’ at the time, some of your books on hurricanes and Bahamian history from your library that started me on this noble journey of documenting Bahamian history and historic Bahamian hurricanes. You may be gone but your spirit and your kindness lives on forever in these books.

To Mr. Les Brown who at a conference held here in the Bahamas through his own unique way and method reminded me to: 1) Pass it on; 2) It is important how you use your down time; 3) Someone’s opinion of you doesn’t have to become a reality; and 4) In the time of adversity Expand! To Dr. Myles Munroe who always reminds me to 1) Die empty! 2) To pursue my purpose! and 3) Maximize My Potential. I listened to them and this book is the end result…Thank you Mr. Les Brown and Dr. Myles Munroe for your invaluable contribution to my life.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, You must be the change you want to see in the world! and There are 2 types of people in this world, those that take the credit and those that actually do the work. Take my advice and follow the latter, as there is a lot less competition there.

Tyler Perry once said There comes a time when even your dreams believe because there will come a point where that dream will take on the belief for you-Believe in your dreams and stick with it no matter what because anything you want is possible…Simply believe in it!

PREFACE

The hurricanes of the Bahamas have often been considered either exogenous acts of God or the uncontrollable results of nature. This is because hurricanes, like any other natural hazards, only become disasters due to the vulnerability of specific social and economic structures and because of political decisions and a variety of human actions before and after their impact. So it can be said that disasters such as hurricanes, are socially produced, and like revolutions or wars, they are moments of extreme stress that can reveal the underlying structures of social and political life. A growing number of books covering many aspects of hurricanes have examined their social impacts. However, the historiography of the Bahamas and even the Caribbean has rarely approached hurricanes in this way as I have done with this book on two very destructive Bahamian hurricanes. In the history of the Bahamas, often considered a patriarchal society in which the hurricanes traditionally bore the names not of women but of the islands which they devastated, have impacted all aspects of our everyday lives.

The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 and the Great Abaco Hurricane of 1932 holds a special place in the archives of Bahamian History. I must note here that the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 is also called the San Ciriaco Hurricane in record books around the region because of the great devastation it inflicted on the island of Puerto Rico on the Saint’s Day of Saint Cyriacus, before it devastated the Bahamas. This storm was the most notable storm in the 1899 North Atlantic season and was called Hurricane San Ciriaco (or the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane), or locally known as the Great Andros Island Hurricane of 1899 or the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899 in the Bahamas, which caused more than 3,800 fatalities throughout the region. For the purpose of this book, I will call it by its lesser known name ‘The Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1899’ because of the great death toll and devastation occurring throughout the Bahamas. This book seeks to place these two disasters within their specific physical, social and economic contexts, and to demonstrate both how their impact were felt throughout the Bahamas and how they created conditions that influenced the subsequent history of the Bahamas.

These hurricanes which devastated the Bahamas in 1899 and 1932 were undoubtedly two of the worst natural disasters the country had experienced at the time. Even up to this day these storms are still considered among the top ten most destructive Bahamian storms of all time. These storms and the accompanying floods and strong winds caused over 352 deaths. Although the destruction was horrendous, Nassau was spared because it was not in the storms’ path. Unfortunately, the islands of Abaco and Andros felt the full brunt of these storms.

The weather is a fabric that is inter-woven around every aspect of our daily lives. After writing over six books about hurricanes and weather in general, I am now even more convinced than ever that a weather connection exists within everything that we experience. Our health, our economy, our comfort, our safety, and even our politics can be tied to the weather. Amazingly, the weather is really quite easy to understand. As scientists work to unravel the mysteries of global weather and climate change it is increasingly important to establish a good base of historical data for comparison with contemporary climate conditions. My analysis of hurricane activity in the Bahamas over the many years of their occurrence is vital to this cause. Some of the historical information contained in this book can be found nowhere else in book form and some of the prior written works on these storms are inaccurate and in desperate need of revision. Many years ago I had just finished publishing my second book ‘The Major Hurricanes to Affect the Bahamas’ and I was taking a signed copy of this book to a friend in the Downtown area of Nassau (Bay Street). While I was on Bay Street, I saw Mr. Paul Adderley a former Bahamian Parliamentarian, Cabinet Minister and avid historian in passing. I informed him that my book was finally finished and it was available for sale. He said I hope you included the 1899 Bahamas Hurricane in it and I told him Yes I did, but very briefly. He said that I should have gone into greater details about this hurricane, because it was perhaps one of the greatest storms that the Bahamas has ever experienced. He also suggested that I need to write an entire book on this storm. Well after five years and three books later, I finally took his useful advice. After reading this book it is my hope and desire that you will be left with no other choice but to agree with him.

Climate is generally considered to be one of the single most important resources of these islands of the Bahamas. It is one of the main reasons why last year well over 5.6 million visitors flocked to these islands to enjoy our beautiful sun, sand and sea. Some would even take up residency whether temporarily or permanently each year. This book presents the many facets of two notable Bahamian hurricanes and how they have influenced the weather and climate of the country over the years of their occurrences. In writing this book, it is imperative a clear distinction between ‘weather’ and ‘climate’ be made. The term weather describes short-term variations in the atmosphere, and is usually studied on a day-to-day basis. The term climate on the other hand, refers to the long-term conditions of the atmosphere, and is generally studied on a monthly or yearly or longer basis. Climate is not merely the description of average weather, but also includes extremes, variabilities, frequencies, periodicities and distributions of atmospheric events over time and space. Weather exerts a very strong, often controlling, effect on everyone’s day-to-day activities. The effects of climate, on the other hand, influence our lifestyle, health, and often our long-term decisions we make. For example, where we live, retire and spend our vacations, what crops we grow, and how we design and build our homes are often strongly influenced by climate. For such decisions, knowledge of an area’s climate is much more important than knowing what today’s weather is going to be.

Hurricanes have long been a fact of life here in the Bahamas. With our extensive but lengthy, exposed coastlines jutting into the Atlantic Ocean and reaching as far north and west as Florida and its Cays, and as far south as Cuba, and with our uniquely flat lands, shallow coastal waters, there is little wonder that these tempests have visited these islands before there was a Bahamas as we know it today. Hurricanes have literally shaped the landscape along our coast, and in a sense, the people as well. In fact, the Lucayan Indians-the first known settlers of the Bahamas believed that these islands were one big complete landmass but over the years they were separated by the howling winds and the giant waves of the hurricanes. This book discusses two of the most fearsome and violent hurricanes that have made a landfall in the Bahamas. All hurricanes have the potential to be destructive, but throughout the years several hurricanes that have visited the Bahamas were notable for a variety of factors, including high winds, massive floods or a large number of fatalities they left in their wake. In a country that is frequently visited by tropical cyclones, each generation seems to have a benchmark storm against which all others are measured. This book takes a look at two of these storms, and investigates two of the Bahamas most notable and memorable hurricanes and the impact that they had on the Bahamian society in their respective years.

The weather is the most universal of all topics, and to be quite frank how could it not be? It affects most aspects of everyone’s daily lives. I am not talking about just the obvious ways-how we all check the local weather forecast before we go to sleep or upon awakening to decide what clothes to wear, what to do in your spare time, whether we’ll need to allow for more travel time, or whether it will be sunny for the family picnic. Although this type of information is important, it trivializes the true impact of weather. It is quite true that the weather affects us all the time and it sometimes determines our moods. Many people I know aren’t happy unless the sun is shining and the air is warm, and while I have an appreciation of a sunny, warm day, the blind acceptance that only nice weather is a sunny warm day is like saying that the only good music is a happy, optimistic song. A cloudy, cool, and breezy day can be refreshing and revitalizing, bringing energy back to the body, especially if it’s been preceded by a few days of unlimited sunshine and taxing warmth. It is my favorite type of day and it is easy to see why. The sound of rain pounding down on a roof or on a windowpane and then dripping onto the concrete sidewalk with an irregular beat can be more soothing than any spa treatment. Combine that with the gentle rumbles of a distant thunderstorm, and the stage is set for a perfect night’s sleep.

Technology has a way of numbing us to history. It is easy to take for granted the comforts made possible by science and engineering in recent times, easy to forget the everyday hardships experienced by the human species during most of its existence. This cultural amnesia is perhaps nowhere more evident than in our relationship with the earth’s weather. In an era of satellite images, Doppler radar, super-fast computer models, and three-dimensional time-lapsed animations, when anyone with access to 24 hour cable television or the Internet can learn the five-day forecast for Nassau, Bahamas or as far east as Beijing, China. It comes as a mild shock to realize that until the mid-nineteenth century there could be no certain knowledge of whether it is raining or snowing at a location even a few miles distant. To be sure, there was a great deal of uncertain knowledge. Most pre-industrial societies accumulated a wealth of meteorological folk wisdom, and corresponding appreciation of natural indicators. Over the years with the advancement of modern technology, it has made the weather an even more topical subject.

The accuracy of forecasting hurricanes has improved tremendously over my 22 years in the meteorological field. On average, a five-day track forecast today is more accurate than a three-day forecast was in the 1970’s. Better data collection and tremendous advances in computer modeling are two of the main reasons for these track improvements. Unfortunately, improved accuracy in forecasting hurricane intensity (especially rapid changes in intensity) has proven more difficult to achieve. Modern technology like the satellite and radar images have given us the opportunity to see the weather from above or to examine a cross section of a weather phenomenon like a hurricane or a thunderstorm, which none of our ancestors or early scientists could do. We can view the curl of a cold front, the symmetry of a hurricane, or the up and down drafts within an isolated thunderstorm cell in an otherwise clear sky. Modern day lifesaving weather tools such as, Doppler Radars and super computers were not available for storm tracking, and as a result, the death toll and devastation from these great hurricanes were great. There are several reasons for this high death toll and one of the most important reasons was the lack of advanced warnings and another factor was sub-standard housing on the majority of the Family Islands. Most of the fishermen were out at sea in an area known as ‘the Mud’ near Andros looking for sponges and many of them did not know that a storm was travelling in their area, until the storm engulfed their ships.

I have written this and my previous books with the understanding that interest in hurricanes varies from the enthusiastic, to the curious and to the unrealized. Although this book is certainly not a meteorological textbook, some hurricanes explanations are needed in order to appreciate the mysterious world of hurricanes. For example, how moisture and the uneven heating of the earth’s surface and upper atmosphere in the tropics turns the atmosphere into an unending display of power, rage and fury that is unchallenged by anything humans have ever created or have imagined. Explanations are intertwined with entries throughout the book and at the back of the book there is a glossary of weather terms. The Bahamas experiences a wide variety of weather from the dramatic and dangerous to localized phenomena that are more interesting than dangerous. Hurricane history here in the Bahamas can be thought of in two ways: either as weather events that were so dramatic that they should never be forgotten, such as these two hurricanes or as weather that affected a historical event in some way such as, the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929 which severely impacted the sponging industry and changed the way we saw and monitored hurricanes. Although some of these major hurricanes have occurred in our lifetimes, others were defining moments for our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents.

In the past, the science of hurricane forecasting has not always been as accurate and reliable as it is today, and mankind use to depend on local unscientific observations, birds and other animals, and recollections from the past to try and understand or forecast the weather of the future with regards to hurricanes. These ancient weather information often came to us in the form of weather wives’ tales, myths and weather folklore, and although most of us don’t rely on these methods anymore we still hear such things as If the sea birds fly in from the cays in droves then it means a hurricane or storm is approaching the land or If a certain tree blossoms more than usual then that is a sign of a very active hurricane season up ahead. I too myself before I became a scientist often wondered whether or not these old wives tales, myths and folklore stories were indeed true. Thankfully, as a certified meteorologist, I now take a different viewpoint of our ancestors’ weather insights because many of these tales simply don’t stand up to the truth meter.

Most of the time nature looks kindly on us, but things can change abruptly because your home or business may be in the path of a dangerous storm. If that is the case then you may need to leave your home or business and head to a hurricane shelter or simply move out of the path of the impending storm. This book is not only about the science of hurricanes, but it is also about hurricanes themselves and their effects on us. Although we can appreciate hurricanes for what they are, from their massive size, their feeder bands or eye structure, to their majestic beauty on a satellite picture or a view from space, our appreciation of them are likely to grow with education and knowledge. Historic Bahamian hurricanes typically fall into two main categories. First, a distinctly unique or particular hurricane that is remembered for generations to come because of its extreme and historic nature, such as, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 or the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929. Second, a historic, political or social event in history marked or influenced by the particular storm, such as, the Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866. This book takes a look at both types of storms. For events before the early 20th century, weather records are simply not detailed enough for the type of analysis to which we in our modern world have become accustomed. We can, however, through historical accounts, including occasional weather records, often put these events in weather perspective. For the more recent hurricane events-we have detailed hurricane records. Either way, hurricanes have played a great part in the history of the Bahamas.

We will always remember powerful Bahamian hurricanes like Andrew in 1992, which caused devastation of epic proportions to the islands of Eleuthera, Abaco and Bimini. However, some of the truly historic hurricanes happened at a much earlier time and affected many other islands of the Bahamas than this storm. Hurricane Andrew was the defining natural disaster of the early 21st century for the Bahamas, but it was two major unnamed storms(unnamed because they occurred before tropical storms and hurricanes were assigned names), that brought unimaginable tragedy to the Bahamas at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. On August 11th to 13th 1899 and September 5, 1932 these two notable and very destructive Bahamian hurricanes struck the Bahamas at peak intensities and resulted in the deaths of over 334 persons in 1899 and 18 persons in 1932 as they plowed through the islands of the Bahamas making these islands a wasteland of rubbles in their aftermath. During this era, the science of meteorology was in its infancy; without satellite photographs or computer models to warn of an approaching storm, residents had little or no idea of the peril awaiting the country. As often the case with hurricanes, the storm surge was the most damaging part of the storm followed by the strong winds. Many persons went out at sea on sponging and fishing trips with no idea a massive storm was approaching the Bahamas. Many of these fishermen were caught in these two storms never to be seen or heard from again. While others on land were simply washed away in their coastal homes. Many persons who fled the beach or coastal areas for stronger buildings farther inland were saved; however, many of those who stayed died. This second storm was the impetus for building codes and the building of many seawalls to protect many of the islands in the Bahamas from future storms.

FOREWORD

Wayne Neely has extensively discussed the terrible impact upon the Bahamas of the two major hurricanes which hit The islands in 1899 and 1932. Both cyclones were very intense and each tracked in a northwestward direction right along the southeast to northwest orientation of the Bahamas island chain. Both storm tracks were near ideal in their movement and intensity to cause the maximized amount of damage to the greatest number of islands.

These two hurricanes have now been largely forgotten by most people currently living on the Bahamas. But the legacy of these cyclones needs to be preserved as a reminder of the type of profound influence such hurricanes can occasionally inflict upon the Bahamas. Wayne Neely has done an excellent job in describing these cyclones’ destructive impacts and the Bahamian society alterations that these cyclones caused.

Most Bahamians are young and have not lived long enough to have experienced very many hurricanes. Most have heard about global warming from rising levels of CO2, however, Global warming stories have been very prominent in the news in the last 25 years and stories of the damage brought by US Hurricane Katrina (2005) and other unusually intense hurricanes have been used as examples of CO2 induced future intense hurricane activity increases. This has lead, I am sure, many Bahamians to be more fearful of future hurricanes being stronger and more frequent. I and many of my colleagues have performed extensive research on this topic and do not find that CO2 gas increases are going to change Atlantic basin hurricane activity in any significant way or make future hurricanes more intense.

So when a very destructive future hurricane hits the Bahamas, Wayne Neely’s very sobering examples of the 1899 and 1932 hurricanes can be brought forward and used to show that any coming hurricanes to hit the Bahamas will likely not be more destructive than these two most destructive storms of the past.

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Professor William Gray

Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University

World renowned Professor William M. Bill Gray (born 1929) is Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU), and head of the Tropical Meteorology Project at CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He is a pioneer in the science of forecasting hurricanes and one of the world’s leading experts on tropical storms. In 1952, Gray received a B.S. degree in geography from George Washington University, and in 1959 a M.S. in meteorology from the University of Chicago, where he went on to earn a Ph.D. in geophysical sciences in 1964. He served as a weather forecaster for the United States Air Force, and as a research assistant in the University of Chicago Department of Meteorology. He joined Colorado State University in 1961. He has been advisor of over 70 Ph.D. and M.S. students. Gray is noted for his forecasts of North Atlantic hurricane season activity. Gray pioneered the concept of seasonal hurricane forecasting—predicting months in advance the severity of the coming hurricane season. Preliminary forecasts are released before the start of the hurricane season, and the forecasts are then revised as the season progresses. These predictions are so important that they help influence insurance rates throughout the United States and the rest of the region. Gray and his team have been issuing seasonal hurricane forecasts since 1984.

After the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Gray announced that he was stepping back from the primary authorship of CSU’s tropical cyclone probability forecasts, passing the role to Philip J. Klotzbach. Gray indicated that he would be devoting more time to the issue of global warming. He does not attribute global warming to anthropogenic causes, and is critical of those who do. Gray is skeptical of current theories of human-induced global warming. He believes that humans are not responsible for the warming of the earth. Gray said those who had linked global warming to the increased number of hurricanes in recent years were in error. He cites statistics showing that there were 101 hurricanes from 1900 to 1949, in a period of cooler global temperature, compared to 83 from 1957 to 2006 when the earth warmed. Gray developed a seasonal hurricane forecasting methodology in the 1980s and began reporting his forecasts to the public. His forecasts are widely discussed in the U.S. and Regional media. Preliminary forecasts are released before the start of the hurricane season, and the forecasts are then revised as the season progresses.

INTRODUCTION

In the waning days of the summers of 1899 and 1932, a patch of bad weather-thunderstorms, wind, and rain blew off the western African coast