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One of the worst cyclonic storms of recent years was that on August 29, 1893, which carried havoc and destruction even into our own city, although this city escaped its utmost fury, although there came tales of shipwrecks at sea. It was a West Indian hurricane that originated in the West Indies on August 25, and reached our shores at Savannah, Ga., two days later. The storm passed through North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia and into the southwestern part of Pennsylvania.

All the Atlantic coast States suffered. Port Royal, S. C., was frightfully damaged. The streets of Charleston, S. C., were literally filled with debris, parts of roofs, signs, awnings, telegraph poles and building material being jumbled together in an inextricable mass of wreckage. The streets were flooded with water. All the phosphate works were blown down or badly injured. One odd sight in the old city was a schooner lying high and dry in a street.

One of our journals commented as follows on the storm that wrought unparalleled damage:

“With the passage of the great hurricane out to sea over the Gulf of St. Lawrence the most destructive chapter in the history of storm movements in the United States was closed. Just what the total of life, property and crop losses will be is even now not ascertainable with any sure degree of accuracy, but that it will surpass all earlier estimates cannot be questioned.