Racer's hurricane

Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, experienced the hurricane for several days, beginning on October 2.[14] The hurricane dropped torrential rainfall in parts of northern Mexico that had already experienced above-average precipitation during the late summer. Jean-Louis Berlandier, a Geneva-born naturalist living in Matamoros, measured 29.25 in (743 mm) of rain from October 1–4, including 11.25 in (286 mm) on October 3. He also wrote extensively of his experiences during the hurricane, during which he was able to hear crashing waves on the coast, some 18 mi (29 km) away, and witnessed whitecaps on floodwaters in city streets.[7] Several ships were wrecked along the coast,[23] and the Mexican customs house situated at the mouth of the Rio Grande was destroyed. It was later rebuilt at a more sheltered location farther inland.[5]

The Republic of Texas and disputed territory as it appeared when the storm occurred

The storm wrought destruction along the entire coast of Texas (then the sovereign Republic of Texas and disputed Nueces Strip). The settlement at Brazos Santiago was almost totally destroyed, with only a few buildings left standing, while all ships there were sunk or driven aground.[7][13] Communities along the shores of Matagorda Bay were heavily damaged, with buildings and wharves swept away.[5] Farther north, a 6 to 7 ft (1.8 to 2.1 m) storm surge flooded Galveston Island, where nearly every building was lost, along with all supplies and provisions.[13] Of the 30 vessels present in the harbor at Galveston when the storm began, only one remained moored following its passage.[24] In one case, a brig was driven against a three-story warehouse, causing the building to collapse.[13][24] Among the ships destroyed at Galveston were two Texas Navy schooners. In a scene of "utter desolation", some individuals in Galveston survived the flooding by holding on to floating debris for days.[24]

Floodwaters rushed over coastal prairies for up to 20 mi (30 km), drowning livestock.[7][25] The storm surge deposited ships in fields several miles inland; near Sabine Pass, a three-masted barque came to rest 7 mi (11 km) from the coast. Local residents salvaged its timbers as firewood and building materials for decades to come.[13] Heavy surf action significantly altered the coastline at the entrance to Galveston Bay. Houston experienced a 4 ft (1.2 m) rise in water levels.[13] Despite the damage throughout coastal Texas, only two people are known to have died there, one of them in Galveston.[24]

In New Orleans, the storm produced an 8 ft (2.4 m) storm surge on Lake Pontchartrain that flooded parts of the city as far south as Burgundy Street, with water 2 ft (0.6 m) deep invading many homes.[17] Strong winds in the city toppled chimneys, brought down trees and fences, and unroofed homes, carrying some roofs up to 100 ft (30 m) away from the damaged buildings. In particular, the City Exchange hotel (now the site of the Omni Royal Orleans) was extensively damaged while in the final stages of its construction.[26][27] Overall, hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in New Orleans, and shipping losses took a large economic toll on the city.[7]

In the settlement known then as Port Pontchartrain (now part of New Orleans), a pier and breakwater sustained a combined $50,000 (1837 USD) in damage, and most buildings there were swept away. At least one person was killed in the area, and several more went missing while evacuating their homes. Numerous steamboats were wrecked on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, and much of the Pontchartrain Railroad was flooded or washed out, with damage estimated at $100,000.[17] The hurricane destroyed the original Bayou St. John Light, the first American lighthouse built outside the Thirteen Colonies.[26] Torrential rains overspread areas mainly north of the storm's track; in Clinton, Louisiana, downpours lasted nearly two days. Strong winds destroyed homes and toppled trees in Baton Rouge, and ravaged forests and plantations surrounding the city.[17][7] Farmers reported up to a third of their sugar cane and cotton crops lost.[28]

All the wharves along the coast of Mississippi were destroyed,[26] and the influx of freshwater runoff severely affected the locally prized oyster beds in the Bay of St. Louis. Across Louisiana and Mississippi, the storm killed at least six people.[26] In Mobile, Alabama, the storm uprooted trees and damaged several buildings, including a church. Tides rose several feet above normal, flooding low-lying streets so that fishermen were able to deliver their catches directly to market by boat. Some businesses sustained minor water damage, but overall, the city was spared any significant destruction.[29] There were descriptions of tremendous damage to wharves and warehouses along the coasts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, although some accounts may have been exaggerated by rival companies.[7][17] Many ships were destroyed in Florida's St. Joseph and Apalachicola bays.[7]

Throughout the Southeast, the storm caused severe agricultural damage. Major thoroughfares like the Natchez Trace and the Federal Road were made impassable by fallen trees.[7] Reports of strong winds extended as far inland as eastern Tennessee.[17] At Norfolk, Virginia, northeasterly gales on October 8 and 9 kept steamboats at dock.[18] Several ships were lost along the Outer Banks.[30] The schooner Cumberland wrecked on the Core Banks; all crew members survived and some of her cargo was salvaged.[31] To the north, the brig Enterprize was destroyed at Bodie Island with one fatality.[32] One sailor fell overboard and drowned when the schooner Emily ran aground at Swansboro, North Carolina.[33]

The newly built passenger steamship SS Home was en route from New York City to Charleston, South Carolina when she encountered strengthening northeasterly winds on October 8.[30][34] As the storm worsened that night, the 220-foot (67 m) packet ship began to leak because of a broken boiler feed pipe.[35][36] The next morning, as the Home took on more water than the pumps could handle, the captain steered her aground 22 mi (35 km) north of Cape Hatteras. The vessel got underway again shortly thereafter, in an effort to reach the relative shelter of the cape's leeward side and beach her there.[34] All passengers and crewmen were ordered to assist in bailing out the water pouring into the hold, but despite their best efforts, the engine rooms were inundated and the Home was forced to continue under sail. On the night of October 9–10, the vessel grounded 300 ft (90 m) from the shore,[35] just south of Cape Hatteras.[34]

The largely submerged Home rapidly broke up amid the hurricane's pounding surf, and of the 130 people aboard the steamboat, only about 40 made it to shore alive: 20 out of 90 passengers and 20 crew members, including the captain.[35] There were only three lifeboats, two of which were destroyed before they could be used; the other capsized shortly after being launched, drowning between 10 and 15 passengers.[37][38] Two men used the only two life preservers aboard the Home to safely reach the beach.[37] Among the victims were United States Senator from Georgia Oliver H. Prince and his wife, and numerous relatives of other Congressmen.[39] The wreck of the Home occurred during a period of increasingly frequent passenger steamship tragedies, and in 1838 Congress passed reformed safety legislation for these vessels.[40]