A blustery overnight storm that passed over the Vineyard Sunday and Monday downed trees and roughed up seas. Ferries were cancelled for most of the day, but began running again at about 5 p.m.
In a word: dry. The year 2016 saw widespread drought conditions over the second half of the year on Martha’s Vineyard, not good for local farmers, but maybe not bad for a resort Island that depends on good beach days.
On Wednesday, the 19th about 1 o'clock p.m., there appeared over the waters of the sound, a wonderful phenomenon, such as only occurs but once in a life time, indeed, one may cross the ocean many times and not witness anything to compare with this. We refer to three water spouts, the second and grandest of which, we shall try to describe.
On Tuesday night it blew a violent gale from the southeast, for about ten hours. The U. States schr. Gallatin in attempting to get to the wharf, was driven on shore; her tender, the Gazelle, was driven high and dry upon the beach, and nearly all the copper on her starboard side washed off. The smack Bruce, in coming into the harbor, dropt her anchor, but as we understand did not have her cable secured, and consequently, went ashore between Coffin’s and Commercial wharf. She got off without much damage, yesterday.
Wednesday, September 8th, will ever be memorable from the fact of the furious gale of wind which raged in this section of the country. In fact, the newspapers all agree that it was the most fearful “blow-out” old Boreas has had since the historic September gale of 1815; and they all with one accord, express the hope that our land may never again be visited with such another powerful manifestation of strength and fury of the elements.
Saturday night and most of Sunday the fiercest storm in many years prevailed over the northern and eastern part of the country.
The damage by the storm will aggregate several millions of dollars along the entire New England coast, not to mention the loss inland. Sea-faring men declare that not in the last half century has there been a gale so severe to shipping interests as this.
A storm, the like of which in this vicinity the oldest inhabitant fails to remember, visited the Island last Saturday afternoon, and raged with steadily increasing fury till far into the night. On the morning of Sunday the appearance of the town was as if a light tornado had passed over it. Large trees were uprooted, chimneys “razeed,” fences down everywhere, windows in some instances forced in, a few old buildings utterly demolished, and the streets strewn with green leaves and branches wrenched from the unyielding trees.
