“If it should thunder as it did before, I
know not where to hide my head…”
-
William
Shakespeare, The Tempest
The
tornado that recently devastated Moore, Oklahoma reminds us of the fickle and
furious temperament that Nature can exhibit. While tornadoes are few and far
between in New England, the same cannot be said for hurricanes. Take as an
example the destructive 1938 hurricane that rampaged through New England,
killing hundreds and leveling, it is estimated, up to two billion trees. In
this image taken at the time of that hurricane, it is quickly discernible that
boats are not supposed to be traveling along the railroad tracks in Mystic, CT. This image is from the Post Collection of Photographs at Mystic Seaport.
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| Mystic Seaport Accession # 1987.58.523 |
Texas
has the unfortunate geographical location that puts it in the path of both
tornadoes and hurricanes. The second picture shows the remains of a church in
Galveston, Texas after the deadly hurricane that swept through there in 1900. This
storm took an estimated 8,000 lives and is still the worst natural disaster on
record in the United States. This photo is part of the Merrit-Chapman &
Scott collection of marine salvage photographs at Mystic Seaport.
 |
| Mystic Seaport Accession # 2008.28.3.159 |