Transcription – The Gale of 1815

Newspaper clipping from the scrapbook of Mrs. Laurence Somers
September, 1944

The Gale of 1815
Described by John Haskell of Little Neck, Rochester

The recent gale with its unusual high tides has reminded some of the Great Gale of 1815 and many and varied are the versions given as handed down in one way and another.

We are fortunate to secure a copy of the account given by John Haskell, through the courtesy of H. W. Everett of Marion. Silas S. Allen of Marion, who was born in Marion in 1812, says that John Haskell was the son of Samuel Haskell and was born near Mary’s Pond. At the time of the gale he lived at Little Neck in the town of Rochester, now Marion, where he farmed and kept saltworks.

“State of Massachusetts, County of Plymouth, town of Rochester, 1815, Saturday. September 23^rd commenced with a Gale of wind at East. Early this morning, there was a shower of rain, the wind veered to S. E. and increased in violence. About 8 or 9 o’clock the tide became of a sudden (the time for high water this day is Buzzards Bay was 1-2 past 11:00 o’clock), as high as the highest spring tides and continued to increase in height with surprising velocity. At about 10 o’clock the tide water had covered all the English mowing lands. Wind veers from SSE to S and blew with amazing violence. Such wind never was known on this coast before by any of the inhabitants. On the Great Neck, the Saltworks belonging to Steven Delano and Sons and their salt, stores, pumps etc. were carried across the river. Saltworks belonging to Seth Blankenship together with all the salt he had made this season were beat to pieces by the violence of tide and wind. On the Little Neck all the works of Captain Hammond and those of John Haskell and of their salt were destroyed or driven across the Cove. At the Old Landing, Seth Hammond’s saltworks, his barn containing his salt, rye, hay etc. were all destroyed, his dwelling lifted from the foundation and much injured. Ian Sturtevant’s house and ButterWings Store were carried away, the wharf mostly beat to pieces and other houses and wharves were much damaged. Bradford Bartlett’s blacksmith shop was carried away, Steven Lewis, Stephen Hammond, John Clapp, Captain Handy, Deacon Clark, David Hiller, and many others with large quantities of salt were destroyed. Two wharves in the lower village were completely carried away. These wharves and many small buildings were carried away and their houses and other property much injured. At Mattapoisett, the vessels . . . were lifted from their blocks and moved out of their places and wharves, stores and buildings much damaged, much of their salt and all of their saltworks destroyed. The time of this destruction of property was from 10 to 11 o’clock. At this time the wind blew with its greatest violence. About 11:00 o’clock, the wind veered to SW and abated in violence and clouds dissipated and the sun shone bright. Then followed this hurricane a sulphurous blasting vapor which all the leaves on the trees, the leaves of the pine tree was so blighted as to have the appearance of the running over them. Then the tides ebbed away with the same violence it came. It was judged by those living on the borders of the harbor the tide had risen from 6 to 9 feet higher . . .

On the border of Buzzards Bay, the forest trees and fruit trees were much injured, some of them broken off, others blown up by the roots. Fences even stone walls were razed to the ground by the violence of this hurricane. Buildings in the country were many of them destroyed. Is it the opinion of many people that this is a century hurricane, that in the beginning of the 17th century there was a hurricane, also, in the 16th century there was a hurricane which caused the loss of many lives and much property and it is conjectured by many old people now living, by what information they have received from the Indians which used to inhabit this part of the country, that either in the 16th or 15th century, a tremendous hurricane of tide and wind that Buzzards Bay was made by the land either sinking or tearing asunder, and there was a river of considerable width and depth from Woods Hole to New Bedford, from thence to Rochester and Wareham, etc. . .

Monday morning, August 9, 1815, commenced a violent thunderstorm with heavy (long shores) rain. The lightning struck a vessel in the harbor. Captain Ephraim Allen’s house and Mr. John Haskell’s house and his daughter Caroline was struck dead and . . . without any signs of life for some hours. She at length revived and after a lapse of some days was restored to her sad health.”