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:: Exploration
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San Ciriaco
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Life Saving
Reports
Exploration, Transportation & Commerce
 Learn of shipwrecks related to exploration, transportation
and commerce dating from the earliest periods of discovery through
the present....a time span of more than 400 years. From the earliest
explorations of the New World, the Outer Banks have been a prominent
landmark. Throughout the 1500s, English, Spanish and French mariners
sailed their vessels off the Banks charting inlets and dangerous waters,
and attempting colonization. By the late 1600s the area was known
for shipwrecks, and in 1802 the first lighthouses were constructed all
along the Banks. Following the War Between the States, commercial
shipping began to rebound, followed by a increase of shipwrecks in the Graveyard
of the Atlantic. Losses of ships and lives attracted national attention
and spurred the construction of lifesaving stations along the coast. These
stories literally chronicle the development of the nation.
San Ciriaco....The Great Hurricane of
1899
Experience the storm, the shipwrecks she caused, and the heroic
acts of the US Life-Saving Service.
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On August 8, 1899, Puerto Rico experienced
one of the most destructive hurricanes in history. It rained for 28
days straight and the winds reached speeds of 100 miles per hour. The
loss of life and property damage were immense. Approximately 3,400 people
died in the floods and thousands were left without shelter, food, or work.
The hurricane was named San Ciriaco for the name of the saint on whose
day the hurricane struck Puerto Rico.
The most devastating effect of San Ciriaco was the destruction of the
farmlands, especially in the mountains where the coffee plantations were
located. San Ciriaco aggravated the social and economic situation of
Puerto Rico at the time and had serious repercussions in the years that
followed. |
August 31st -After spending much of its mature life on the
North Carolina coast, the Great San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899 headed out
to sea and finally died in the Azores. |
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