In 1867, a hurricane, an earthquake, and a tsunami struck the islands

File photo showing Roy Wellington addressing the public in 2019 (Image copyright Bethany Lee)

The US Virgin Islands are no stranger to disasters, but they have seen nothing like 1867, when three natural disasters struck the Danish West Indies, one after the other within a month. A hypothetical audience learned on Saturday that it was a hurricane, an earthquake and a tsunami, not only hitting the islands, but affecting events occurring further away from the Caribbean.

Roy Wattington, a retired professor from the University of the Virgin Islands and a consultant to ocean research and development, addressed the nearly 100 people who had signed in to attend the virtual presentation sponsored by the Caribbean Genealogy Library. He said he wanted to remind listeners of “the extreme events that society has faced and survived, and to see that natural hazards are always among the challenges facing societies and to appreciate the need for a basic level of scientific knowledge in our decision-makers.”

Wellington recalled his surprise when he learned of the tsunami that struck the region years ago.

“I had studied oceanography and were well aware of tsunamis. But like many Virgin Islanders [I] “I didn’t know anyone had visited us,” said Wellington.

The three disasters occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. The United States was still recovering from the conflict and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, reconstruction was underway, and the United States had recently bought Alaska from Russia and had begun talks with Denmark to acquire the Danish West Indies.

In October, Hurricane San Narciso made landfall at DWI and caused between 500 and 600 casualties.

“He was coming north of us, I think something like what Hurricane Irma did in 2017, and then ran south enough to make a trip west through the British Virgin Islands, St. John’s, St. Thomas, and go to Puerto Rico,” said Wellington RMS Rhone and killing 150 people on board.

During the two weeks following the hurricane, marine activity continued in the region. The ships coming to the territory were the English, Danish and French ships carrying cargo, and the American ships carrying diplomats to resume the island sale meetings.

A month later, on November 26, 1867, while the region was still emerging from the hurricane, a massive earthquake struck the islands. Wellington said that earthquakes were not classified in 1867. However, “the earthquake of 1867 is estimated to have a magnitude of 7.3 to 7.5 on the Richter scale.”

An earthquake of this magnitude is considered to be a “major” earthquake, capable of causing damage to most buildings, and can be felt over great distances.

The earthquake of 1867 killed many people, caused landslides, destroyed roads, buildings and infrastructure on the islands, and caused aftershocks that occurred throughout the year through 1868.

“Multiple earthquakes were monitored for days and months afterward, and people were afraid to sleep inside the walled buildings,” said Wellington.

But the earthquake also caused something more deadly and – for the Virgin Islands – at a greater rate. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami.

“Within six to ten minutes, the first waves of the tsunami followed the earthquake,” said Wattington. They hit Frederiksted first because “the tsunami travels faster in deep water and the waters between the site of the earthquake and Frederiksted are very deep,” then Charlotte Amalie, Coral Bay and Christiansted.

Use simulations to show the movement of waves to viewers and talk of Frederiksted as an example of the impact of a tsunami in the region.

“The waves may have reached Frederiksted about 20 feet away and directly engulfed the city … The wave did not climb the hills or topple the main stone buildings, and that had some effect on the loss of life.”

Wellington said that the earthquake and tsunami across the territory killed only between 24 and 30 people.

“The loss of life was moderate. Many people find it difficult with this. With such a colossal catastrophe, people cannot believe that few out of 24 have lost their lives. I can’t find much verification for more than 24.”

But despite mostly saving lives, the three disasters caused massive damage across the islands. Goods, ships, warehouses, stores, and coal stocks were destroyed. Trade was disrupted for months, affecting the value of Charlotte Amalie and her port. The land and sea are contaminated with sewage water, oils and dead animals, and infectious diseases such as yellow fever are killing more lives.

When asked whether the disaster outcome had affected the Danish West Indies’s transition to the United States’ Virgin Islands, Wattington said: “It appears to have happened but it was one of the least important factors. Conditions and timing were unfortunate that it happened right after “Seward’s Folly” [after Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiated the deal with Russia] And when you can no longer count on strong support and management from the White House. “

The transfer of the Danish West Indies to the United States took another half century, and another war – World War I – before it was brought about.

In 1997, Wellington and Shirley Lincoln published Catastrophe and Turbulence in 1867: Hurricane, Earthquake, and Tsunami in the Danish West Indies. The book includes accounts and reports of the disasters that occurred in 1867.

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