It followed the river directly, stripping forests from both shores. In the Journal of the Joint Commission under date of May 26, 1840 at page 62 of said document, is written the following: "We crossed to-day the path of a recent tornado, which had prostrated trees and cane on the river banks. This was supposed to be the same tornado which occasioned such dreadful destruction of human lives and houses in Natchez on the 7th of May." No one expected it and no one was warned of its approach even though the sounds of … The actual death toll may be higher than what is listed, as slave deaths were often not counted during this time period. These numbers alone make the Natchez tornado one of the deadliest on record in human history. The massive tornado formed southwest of Natchez, shortly before 1 p.m., and moved northeast along the Mississippi River. The death toll was likely greater because the deaths of slaves would not have been counted in this era. The tornado is to this day ranked as the second deadliest in American history, and caused $1,260,000 in damage. The vortex then struck the riverport of Natchez Landing, located below the bluff from Natchez. 199 (27th Congress, 2nd Session) was the report of the Commission to fix the demarcation between the United States and the Republic of Texas. The Great Natchez Tornado, 1840 This tornado struck Natchez, Miss., on May 7, 1840, and holds the record of the only massive tornado in the U.S. to have killed more people than it injured.
A piece of a steamboat window was reportedly found 30 miles (50 km) from the river. Its course was observed to be from south 72 degrees west to north 72 degrees east, and the track to be from three to four hundred yards wide. At Natchez Landing, the destruction of dwellings, stores, steamboats and flatboats was almost complete. "[3], The final death toll was 48 on land (with 47 deaths in Natchez and one in Vidalia) and 269 on the river, mostly from the sinking of flatboats. In addition to the 317 deaths, only 109 were injured, a testament to the tornado's intensity. The Tri-State Tornado resulted in 695 deaths and 2,027 injuries.
When the dust settled, it was estimated that some 47 people on land in Natchez were killed, and another 269 were killed on the river. The tornado is to this day ranked as the second deadliest in American history, and caused $1,260,000 in damage.
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The tornado is to this day ranked as the second deadliest in American history, and caused $1,260,000 in damage. From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, "Tri-State" (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana), St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois, http://www.concordiasentinel.com/news.php?id=7647, http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac The Great 1840 Natchez Tornado, http://www.natchezcitycemetery.com The Great Natchez Tornado of 1840, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Great_Natchez_Tornado&oldid=722139768, Tornado outbreaks with no Fujita scale ratings given, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. According to newspapers from the era, hundreds of slaves on … The final death toll was 48 on land (with 47 deaths in Natchez and one in Vidalia) and 269 on the river, mostly from the sinking of flatboats.
Forty-eight people were killed on land, and 269 others were killed on the river. These observations were made on the Sabine River which is the boundary between Louisiana and Texas. In addition to the 317 deaths, only 109 were injured, a testament to the tornado's intensity. Tragically, even more people were likely killed by the tornado when it moved into Concordia Parish in Louisiana. [2], Numerous other deaths may have occurred further along the path as the tornado struck rural portions Concordia Parish, Louisiana as well. This page was last modified on 26 May 2016, at 04:41. Natchez was almost totally destroyed by a mile-wide tornado and 317 lives were lost. This windstorm tossed 60 flatboats into the river, drowning their crews and passengers.
It then moved into the town of Natchez, though its full width of devastation also included the river and the Louisiana village of Vidalia, across the river. Senate Document No. The final death toll was 48 on land (with 47 deaths in Natchez and one in Vidalia) and 269 on the river, mostly from the sinking of flatboats.
Other boats were picked up and thrown onto land. Witnesses reported that "the air was black with whirling eddies of walls, roofs, chimneys and huge timbers from distant ruins...all shot through the air as if thrown from a mighty catapult." The only tornado that officially tops Natchez is the Tri-State Tornado that crossed Missouri, Illinois and Indiana’s state lines in 1925.
The actual death toll may be higher than what is listed, as slave deaths were often not counted during this time period.[2]. The storm was loaded with all kinds of debris it had picked up along its path. The Free Trader stated that "Reports have come in from plantations 20 miles distant in Louisiana, and the rage of the tempest was terrible. The Great Natchez Tornado hit Natchez, Mississippi on May 7, 1840. Never, never, never, was there such desolation and ruin. It was a part of a system that produced 12 major tornadoes altogether.
Shortly after noon on May 7, 1840, a mile-wide tornado slammed into Natchez, Mississippi, a city on the Mississippi River, about 150 miles north of New Orleans. Many doing business onshore were also killed. The central and northern portions of Natchez were slammed by the funnel and many buildings were completely destroyed. It is the second-deadliest single tornado in United States history, killing more than 317 people. Hundreds of (slaves) killed, dwellings swept like chaff from their foundations, the forest uprooted, and the crops beaten down and destroyed. In addition to the 317 deaths, only 109 were injured, a testament to the tornado's intensity. The death toll was at least 317, with the majority of casualties being on flatboats sunk along the Mississippi River.