. 
334 Cuba Hurricane of October, 1844. 
Pretminary Statements. A violent thunder-storm, attended 
with heavy rains, visited Barbadoes and other windward islands, 
on or about the 25th of September; but, so far as I can learn, 
this atmospheric disturbance did not move down the Canbbean 
sea. On the contrary the weather was fine on the coast of 
Columbia, fdt the last ten days of September and the first week 
in October, with light westerly winds.* 
A ‘norther’ of moderate force visited the eastern borders of 
Mexico during the latter days of September, of which I have 
found subsequent traces in the basin of the Mississippi. At 
Tampico and Vera Cruz two northers appeared between the 21st 
of September and the Ist of October, followed, at Vera Cruz and 
the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, by a norther which 
was cotemporaneous and perhaps connected with the Cuba storm, 
prelusory to the great hurricane. An abridged extract from. the 
logbook of the U. S. steamer Union, in the early part of Octo- 
ber, from off Velasco to Pensacola, is given below, and her track 
will be found on chart IV, which illustrates this storm.t See 
also the abridged log of the R. M. steamer Trent. ois 
Various accounts have been obtained from the tract of ocean 
lying east of the storm’s path, by means of marine reports, vessels 
spoken, logbooks, &c.; and the positions of some vessels are 
* Statements of shipmasters from that coast. 
t U.S. steamer Union, Lieut. McBrarr, at anchor off Velasco, Sept. 26th; P. ™- 
fresh breeze from N. E. and squally ; wind increasing with rain ;—27th, increasing 
from southeastward till 8 a. m.; moderating till noon. Velasco W. by N. miles. 
p. m. winds light and variable; from 4 r. m. fresh gales fi I 1 and cloudy 
Sept. 28th, a.m. fresh gales from northward with rain; p.m. fresh from northward 
and N. W. and cloudy, with ahigh sea. Sept. 29th, a. m. moderating and sea going 
down. Lat. obs. 28° 50/; Pp. m. at sea, moderate breeze from N. E. and pleasant. 
Sept. 30th, lat. 27° 48’, lon. (chr.) 94° 43/, moderate breeze E. N.E.; ends squally 
from N.E. Oct. 1st, moderate winds E. N. E. and pleasant; lat. 27° 53’, lon 
94° 15/, p.m. fresh breezes from N.E. by E., and E., pleasant. Oct. 2d, moderate 
and light winds E. N. E. and pleasant ; lat. 28° 46’, lon. 94° 38! ; Pp. m. same Oc 
3d, light winds from N. E. and pleasant weather ; lat. 28° 32/, lon. 94° 11'; P.M. 
light wind from N. and pleasant. Oct. 4th, moderate from N. E., clear and pleas- 
ant; 8 a. m. to noon fresh, N. N. E. and pleasant; lat. 27° 57!, lon. 92° 51’; P. M- 
moderate breeze from N. E. Oct. 5th, wind from N. E.; from 8 a. m. a heavy swell 
from northeastward ; \at. 27° 22', lon. 91° 30’; Pp. ». light winds from northward 
and pleasant. Oct. 6th, light winds N, W., N. and S. W. and pleasant; lat. 27° 50, 
7th, N. W. pleasant ; noon of 7th, lat. 28° 31', lon. 87° 13',. [For a further account 
of the Northers on the coast of Mexico, near the close of September, see the re- 
port from R. M. steamer Trent in the recitals, case 2c.] 
