Posted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
This storm was the first major hurricane to impact New England in 180 years. It initiated in the West Indies, growing to a Category 3 with winds of 135 mph. After crossing Long Island, New York, the storm came ashore at Saybrook, Connecticut, funneling an 11-foot storm surge up Narragansett Bay. There, it destroyed 500 […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
Many eye witness accounts describe the 1938 storm tide as if it were a tidal wave. The deadly effects of storm surge and storm tide are key to understanding why 1938 hurricane wreaked so much damage. Storm surge is simply water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
The close knit community of Westport Harbor had enjoyed another typical summer of sailing, golfing, tennis and dancing and despite it being late September many Harborites were still in residence. The day had began clear and sunny, but some noticed how strong the sea was running. By 3PM, residents were facing gale force winds, and […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
The following account is a transcript of dictation by 12-year-old Elizabeth Ann Mills of Fall River and Westport Harbor to her family doctor after she survived the 1938 hurricane. “It was September 21, 1938, and we were having a bad wind storm. The ocean was making a lot of noise and the tide was high. […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
The following account combines two letters that Mrs. Marion Jennings Waring of Fall River, a Westport Harbor summer resident, wrote to her brother, Oliver Jennings in Pittsburgh, PA in early October 1938. “It is awfully hard to write about the horrible experience that we went through. You can’t imagine it – you can’t believe it. […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 20, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
Account of the Hurricane of September 21 written on September 24, 1938 It is my purpose to write down what occurred on September 21 while the scenes are still fresh in my mind. It is the most overwhelming event that I have been familiar with, in which I actually took part. On the morning of […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 13, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
A Category 3, this ‘September Gale’ was first observed in the Bahamas. It ultimately made landfall in Rhode Island just west of Buzzards Bay, dissipating in Northern Maine. This storm was very compact, but intense. It was reported to have been only 60 miles wide, but it caused extensive damage in Rhode Island, southern Massachusetts […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 13, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
This was the first historical record of an intense hurricane striking New England. The highest winds have been estimated at Category 3 or greater, with winds of 115-plus mph. The storm’s eye passed between Boston and Plymouth causing at least 46 casualties. A 20-foot tidal surge was reported in Boston, ruining farms throughout the area. […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 13, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
Horseneck Beach 9/21/1938 The first warning I had of the storm was about 2 P.M. while driving down the Horseneck Road. Half way between Waldo’s place and the Island View Farm, I heard, so I thought, a truck roaring down the hill behind me and I swerved quickly to the right and slowed to allow […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 13, 2009 by Jenny ONeill
When the bottom first dropped out of the barometer (and soon after the roof) I suspected a blow, and at noon I removed all loose things from the yard and took down the tennis net. I directed my man Friday of the moment (Many changes in personnel) to keep all shed and barn doors shut, […]
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