Hurricane Mahina 1899

Simon Edwin Munro's notes in his own hand. Source: photocopy in CMM's family papers

Hurricane 4-5th March '99

Aladdin at No. 1 Claremont. The weather for days before 4th was light and moderate – principally from SE, but also from E & NE. On the 4th it was light from S in the morning, calm about midday, then a sharp SE rain(?) squall about 2pm; followed by light air till about 5.30pm when the wind came in with a rush from SE and continued to blow right on, veering by 11pm to SW, then slowly round till at daylight it was WxN. The wind now (6-9am) was at its height – a heavy sea running, and the water like a river in flood time. We were now dragging slowly towards the NE point of the island, so we slipped our cables and ran(?) round the island. At 7am the Bar commenced to rise and by 12 noon the wind had reduced in force to a strong breeze and gradually veered to NW – Bar up to 29.39. The wind continued to haul to N and by 6pm it was fresh from NNE with Bar at 29.54.

The Bar had been pretty steady before the blow

	6am		9am		Noon		3pm		6pm
March	Bar	Ther	Bar	Ther	Bar	Ther	Bar	Ther	Bar	Ther
1st	29.75	82	29.71	83	29.73	84	29.69	85	29.69	84
2nd	29.72	82	29.75	84	29.71	85	29.65	85	29.69	84
3rd	29.71	82	29.75	84	29.70	86	29.68	85	29.66	86
4th	29.66	81	29.70	84	29.59	86	29.57	83	29.61	81
5th	29.09		29.22		29.39		29.44		29.54

and from the readings up to 6pm on the 4th, we would not expect anything more than a fresh breeze – perhaps squally with rain. The Bar did not forecast any of the changes – it only changed as the conditions of the storm changed ie it was lowest when the wind was at its worst, and when the wind commenced to take off it began to rise. Heavy rain fell most of the time, especially from 7am to 10am on the 5th. Following are the Bar readings during the storm

[missing from photocopy]

The 'Crest of the Wave' and the fleets that were wiped out were anchored at Cape Melville – 45 miles E by S from us. There the force of the storm was much greater for the trees are blown down and those left standing are stripped of leaves and even the bark. The Crest reports the wind starting at SE and veering to SW when it appeared, after a few minutes lull to come from NW with even greater force. The Nor West change came in with her about daylight, whereas with us at the Claremonts it was about 9am before it changed to that direction.

The Crest was evidently near the centre of it, but not exactly in the centre seeing that the wind veered with them from SE to SW (?)[sic]. A cutter at No 6 Howick Island 26 miles SExE from Cape Melville had the wind first at SE changing round by the E to NW – the opposite way to the change with us – and the cutters report would appear to be correct for her crew was carried ashore to the main land, also 1 man out of a boat sunk at Noble Island (near by) was washed ashore on the main land. These different directions of the changes of wind, would go to point out that this was an incurring storm, not one of a purely circular motion.

Ainsleys Guide 1892 describes the conditions of a cyclone as being circular in character, but the more modern theory (incurring) is evidently the proper character – at least it was so in this particular storm. This latter character is the one attributed to a cyclone in Seaman's Guide 1894: Leckies Wrinkles mentions the different theories as to the action of the wind in these storms – Circular, Incurring, Inrushing etc.

Our barometer is 0.20 below the 'Standard'.

How did Mr Wragge miss this storm?

On 13th Feby he says "Conditions suspicious between New Caledonia and SE end of NG, but as yet no danger to Q coast"

On 14th Feby he says "Conditions are more suspicious than before between Q'land coast and New Cal but still there is no occasion to hoist the danger signals"

On 15th Feby he says "Conditions are not so suspicious as before between the Q'land coast and New Cal"

On 20th Feby he says "Conditions remain decidedly suspicious north from New Cal, but there is no danger as yet along the Q coast"

On 27th Feby he says "The tropical depression 'Ziran' is still in evidence between New Cal and the Louisiades but we have no occasion to take precautionary measures along the Q coast."

On 28th he says [no entry]

On 1st Mch 'Tiran' is not mentioned

On 2nd Mch 'Tiran' is not mentioned

On 3rd Mch Conditions are again becoming suspicious between the Louisiades and the north of New Caledonaia and altho no danger yet threatens the Q coast we must yet keep a lookout

On 4th Mch no mention of it

On 6th Mch A new tropical disturbance (Mahina) is about 350 miles SE from Sudest and as it is not improbable that it will make Sou Westing, shipping will be well to be on alert

On 7th Mch The tropical disturbance 'Mahina' is decidedly marked between the New Hebrides, the Louisiades, Gowen and the Aland coast, but tho there is yet no danger to our seaboard we have thought it advisable to send special advice to our principal coast towns indicating the position of Mahina.
Disturbance Mahina is SSE from Louisiades.
(On 3rd Mch he says "It is cloudy to gloomy in New Cal.)
(Conditions again suspicious between the Louisiades and New Cal)
Forecast for New Cal and Loyalty Is cloudy but mostly fair in the southern half. Showers near Gowen
Cooktown 7th Mch reports "a great storm from the SE has prevailed from Saturday (4th) till today (7th) many houses being wrecked etc")

On 8th Mch Mahina – centre about 300 miles south from the Louisiades, while its western edge very nearly touches the Q Coast between Bowen and PC Bay – special warning sent to coast towns. Mahina inclined to make sou westing

On 9th Mch The storm Mahina is now 400 miles ENE from Townsville making southing – shipping advised.
The South Eastern edge of Mahina has already made itself felt in Lar Nouvelle
(Bowen 9th "TI line still interrupted north of Fairview"
TI 7th "The line is down south of Coen. Terrific hurricane appears to have struck the coast between 14º and 15º S lat and travelled across the Peninsula, and would prove destructive to line where it crossed.

On 10th Mch The centre of the tropical disturbance Mahina is 600 miles NW from Gowen – shipping advised"
"The extreme western edge of Mahina it was(?), when the centre was nearer the Western edge that evidently caused the devastation off our North-Eastern coast to our pearling fleet – which indeed do we regret that we have no means of advising the lightships and pearling fleet of the approach of storms between Cooktown and Torres Straits"

Press reports of hurricane Mahina:
Unnamed retrospective press report 1935
Brisbane Courier 1
Brisbane Courier 2
Brisbane Courier 3

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