Louisiana & Alabama Hurricane, Sept - Oct 1860 - Baton Rouge, Red River & Plaquemines

The Daily Picayune, Afternoon Edition, October 5, 1860

Letter from Baton Rouge
The Late Gale
(Correspondence of the Picayune)
Baton Rouge, Oct. 3, 1860
Yesterday morning set in with a heavy rain, and a light wind increasing toward evening until the former fell in perfect torrents and the latter blew a continuous, steady hurricane for several hours, surpassing in violence any storm that has occurred here for many years. The effect of the storm was disastrous in the extreme.

Twenty one coal boats, valued between fifty and sixty thousand dollars, went down and the same fate befell the State steamer Atchafalaya, the Grosse Tete railroad steamer Uncle Ike and Frederick Arbrous’s steamer Henrietta.

The steamer Lone Star and wharfboat Natchez were blown across and up the river, where they safely lodged against the West Baton Rouge bank.

The sugar houses of James Lobdell, in West Baton Rouge, and Messrs. Castle & Pike’s, in East Baton Rouge, were blown down as were also many cane sheds, out buildings, and trees and fences innumerable.

The total loss cannot yet be estimated, as it will embrace the almost total destruction of the open cotton and lessen the sugar prospect greatly – the cane in many places is pretty effectually windrowed.

Some thirty trees were prostrated in the garrison avenue, and the streets and roads are full of trunks and branches.

More Disaster Near Baton Rouge – A gentleman of this city informs us that his letters, this morning, report the following damages by the storm of Tuesday, in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, on the west side of the river. He adds that none are reported on the east side, except to canes, trees, fences, etc. The Carolina plantation, belonging to John A. Dougherty, had cane shed and cane carrier destroyed, and fences and canes prostrated. The Poplar Grove Plantation, the property of Mrs. E. M. Stewart, had its warehouse destroyed, the gable end of the sugar house blown down and canes and fences prostrated. James L. Lobdell had his purgery entirely prostrated, and his canes and fences are down.

Continued