Mobile, AL Hurricane, Oct 1893 - Severest Storm

1893—MOBILE’S SEVEREST STORM

ON OCTOBER 2, 1893, Mobile was swept by the severest storm ever recorded in her history. A southeast gale, rising at its height to 72 miles an hour, drove the bay waters into the rivers—causing them to overflow into the city—inundated and destroyed the east end of the Old Shell Road, wrecked numerous vessels, leveled innumerable trees and scores of structures. While only a few lives were lost in Mobile proper, an estimated 25 persons were drowned or killed in outlying areas, and the death toll along the Mississippi coast was staggering.

Preceded by record-breaking rainfall during the daylight hours of October 2nd, the storm rapidly increased in force until at 8 o’clock in the evening the waters in the rivers backed up even with the top stringers of the wharves. Within a short time thereafter Front Street was under water, and soon the flood covered the wharves and Commerce Street—rising so rapidly that merchants had to abandon efforts to save their goods on lower floors.

At 10 p. m., the high-water line of previous floods was reached, but still the water continued to rise, covering all of Water Street and reaching to Royal Street and beyond at State Street, and to Royal at St. Louis Street. On St. Michael Street the water came up to within 50 feet of Royal, and on Dauphin Street it approached within 100 feet of Royal. In the southern part of town, the low-lying land was deeply flooded and houses badly damaged.

By 11 o’clock the storm was said to have reached its greatest intensity, and trees began falling everywhere in the city. Some of the most magnificent trees in Bienviile Square toppled.

Conditions along the river front were chaotic. Ships, barks, schooners, steamers and other craft broke loose from the moorings and were dashed about at the mercy of the angry waves. Mobile River was filled with craft of every description, all the way to the head of Twelve-Mile Island. The tugboat Louise broke loose from her moorings at Elmira Street, ran several miles up the river and knocked a hole in her side. The schooner Emma B. broke loose from her moorings at the foot of Government Street, headed for mid-stream, collided with the schooner Villa y Hermano and was badly damaged. A flatboat and oyster sloop were left stranded in Commerce Street. The Eastern Shore boat Crescent City was wrecked on the beach between Frascati and Arlington. The tug Dixie was driven into a lumber yard on Palmetto Street. The largest yacht on the bay—M. J. Marshall’s Annie M.—sank bottom-up near the mouth of Chickasabogue. Other vessels reported missing were the Olive, Siren, Carrie G, and Seadrift.

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