5o8 



NATURE 



{^April 25, 1872 



Indies, on the 21st of August last. If no other better 

 qualified person has complied with that wish, I beg leave 

 to tender the following account. 



Perhaps a few preliminary observations in reference to 

 the working of the barometer in these parts of the Tropics 

 are necessary. A well-regulated mercurial barometer, at 

 or about the sea level, under all ordinary conditions of the 

 atmosphere, with the trades blowing from the cast, stands 

 at 30'oo or 30-io. A south-east wind, and the approach of 

 heavy rains, will cause the barometer to fall, at times, to 

 2980. At other times a N.E. trade wind, if not a storm 

 wind — though it may bring occasional heavy showers — 

 will cause the barometer to rise to 3o'30. Thus the range 

 of the mercury in these islands, when no cyclone is pass- 

 ing, is limited to five-tenths of an inch ; but the variation 

 seldom e.xceeds three-tenths. The atmospheric tide (if I 

 may so call it), which causes the barometer to rise and 

 fall half-a-tenth twice in the twenty-four hours, is very dis- 

 tinctly marked in these islands. The barometer being 

 the highest at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., and the lowest at 4A.-M. 

 and 4 P.M. Any variation from this rule during the hur- 

 ricane season calls for vigilance. 



The following observations of the movements of the 

 barometer during the late cyclone were taken at an eleva- 

 tion of about twenty-five feet above the sea-level. 



The hurricane season of this year v/as preceded by a 

 long dry season, and though the months of June and July 

 were very hot, and sometimes oppressive, we had very 

 little thunder and lightning. During the month of July 

 we had some very squally weather, but the barometer was 

 not much influenced by it. During the latter part of July 

 and the first weeks of August, the wind often shifted 

 towards the north, which is quite unusual at that time of 

 the year, the barometer at the same time falling below 

 30'oo. These indications caused some anxiety in the 

 minds of those who were accustomed to observe the state 

 of the weather. 



The first indications of the approaching storm were 

 noticed at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 20th. A hght, 

 but unsteady, wind was blowing at the time from E.N.E., 

 the barometer had not risen after 4 A.M. as usual, and 

 though standing at 3000, the surface of the mercury was 

 concave, indicating a fall. During the day the wind con- 

 tinued to blow moderately, but in gusts ; the barometer 

 slowly falling. Between 4 and 5 o'clock P.M. there was a 

 heavy squall of wind and rain from N. by E., followed by 

 a comparative calm. The appearance of the sky at sunset 

 was most remarkable and alarming to those who under- 

 stood anything of the indications of an approaching 

 storm. A pale, sickly light, of a coppery hue, was spread 

 over every object, and continued some time after sunset ; 

 and at the same time there was the appearance of a wind- 

 gale in the east. At this time I sent a notice of the ap- 

 proaching storm to those living on the North-east coast, 

 a part of the island likely to be very much e.xposed to its 

 fury. Some persons did the best they could to secure 

 their houses ; but because there was no heavy swell in the 

 sea, the fishermen disregarded the warning, and conse- 

 quently lost their boats. 



It is a singular fact, that about 6 P.M. the barometer not 

 only ceased to fall, but a slight rise was perceptible, which 

 at first led to the supposition that the storm might be only 

 jiassing, and not approaching, the island. This hope was 

 soon dissipated by the increasing force of the gusts of 

 wind, with another squall of wind and rain about 9 P.M. 

 with a falling barometer. 



At midnight the barometer had fallen to 29'5o, or about 

 half an inch. Between two and three o'clock a.m., the 

 wind shifted more towards the east, blowing with in- 

 creased violence, breaking olT the branches from the trees, 

 and stripping shingles from the houses ; but up to this 

 time no great damage had been done. About 3'3o a.m., 

 a singular circumstance occurred — one which I have never 

 witnessed before, though, during a residence of thirty-three 



years in these islands, I have experienced many cyclones. 

 The barometer ceased to fall for half an hour ; the mer- 

 cury standing firm at 29'30. This, for the time, led to the 

 conclusion, which soon proved to be erroneous, that the 

 centre of the storm was then passing, and that we had ex- 

 perienced the worst of it. At 4 A.M., the barometer again 

 began to fall, at first slowly, and afterwards rapidly, until, 

 at 6'4o, it stood at 28'57, having fallen about an inch and 

 a half below its usual height. 



As the barometer fell, the gusts of wind became more 

 violent, shaking large and strongly-built houses to their 

 very foundations, tearing ofi" verandahs, spouting, and 

 window-shutters, and, in some instances, carrying them 

 to great distances. Between 5 and 6 a.m. we experienced 

 the full force of this fearful storm, and it was about this . 

 time that a large number of houses, both in town and 

 country, with churches, school-rooms, and estate works, 

 were destroyed. 



It was soon after 5 hM. that the writer was able, from a 

 sheltered position, to have a full view of the awful 

 grandeur of the storm. Low, black clouds, like dark 

 ocean billows driven rapidly overhead ; the driving rain 

 like sheets of water ; the trees whirled round and beaten 

 nearly to the earth, until rooted up or broken off ; the 

 constant flashing of intensely red lightning, with the heavy 

 crash of thunder, mingling with the roaring of the wind 

 — altogether, formed a scene grand and terrific in the 

 extreme ; but which was well worth the risk to witness.; 



About 7 A.M. the centre of the storm passed the south 

 of the island ; the barometer began to rise, and the wind 

 changed to S.E. and S. The storm had entirely passed 

 over by io'3o a.m. 



The centre of this storm just touched the extreme 

 south of Antigua ; passed directly over St. Kitts, where 

 a calm of twenty minutes was experienced, before the 

 wind burst from the opposite quarter ; and also over 

 St. Thomas and Tortola. From thence it passed over the 

 southern islands of the Bahama group. After that I 

 have not been able to trace its course. 



Antigua was the first island over which the hurricane 

 passed. Being a comparatively level island — all the 

 high land being situated at the extreme south — it suf- 

 fered the most severely. Nevis and St. Kitts having 

 mountains from 2,000 to 3,000 feet high, which broke 

 the fury of the storm, only suffered severely in certain 

 parts, principally on the north and east coasts. As the 

 destruction caused by this hurricane has been fuUy de- 

 tailed by the newspapers, I need |not dwell on that 

 subject in the present paper, but will proceed to state 

 some interesting particulars in reference to the movements 

 of this cyclone. 



Its course appears to have been nearly from E. by S. 

 to W. by N. As there was no heavy sea on the shores of 

 Antigua, within a few hours of its arrival, it is evident 

 that it originated within 200 or 300 miles of the island, 

 and during the first hours of its existence was by no 

 means a violent storm. 



Its progressive movement was also very slow at first. 

 The first circles struck Antigua soon after 4 p.m. on 

 Sunday, but the centre did not pass until 7 A.M. on 

 Monday ; whilst the last half of the storm was only three 

 hours in passing over. It is also evident that from 3"3o 

 to 4 A.M., during the time that the barometer ceased to 

 fall, its progressive movement was altogether suspended, 

 though the rotary motion continued. 



After 4 ,\.M. it began to move with great rapidity, and 

 travelled at a speed, which, as far as I know, has not been 

 equalled by any previous hurricane amung these islands. 

 The centre of this cyclone passed Antigua at 7 a.m., and 

 arrived at St. Kitts at 9 A.M., having travelled at the speed 

 of thirty miles per hour. In that island the lofty range of 

 mountains not only broke the force of the rotary motion, 

 but also impeded its progress ; so that between St. Kitts 

 and St. Thomas, a distance of 160 miles, it travelled at a 



