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New England Weather

1830 March Storm

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1827 Wreck of the Almira

The Great Freshet of 1830

A COLD northeast storm of wind, rain and snow raged along the coast of New England during the latter part of March, 1830, producing a great tide, which in some parts exceeded the highest tide remembered there. The storm began on the morning of Friday, the twenty- sixth, and continued till one o'clock in the afternoon, the tide being at its height at noon of that day.

At Portland, Me., several wharves were carried away, and many vessels lost their fastenings, some being driven on shore and others greatly damaged by being beaten against the wharves. One sank while anchored in the stream, and several others were injured. A great quantity of lumber owned by several individuals, and fifteen hundred cords of wood belonging to the Steam Navigation Company, were washed away. A long store-house on Union wharf was swept away, and several stores on the wharves were displaced. The bridges on the roads leading out of the town suffered much damage.

At Portsmouth, N. H., wharves were injured and several vessels driven ashore

At Newburyport, Mass., wharves were overflowed and wood and lumber set adrift, but the stores in which was most of the salt in the market were water-tight, and the contents were thus saved. The shipping escaped with little damage, with the exception of the schooner Lady Howard, from Boston, having a small cargo, which was driven ashore at Salisbury. The crew and a part of the goods, together with the cables and anchors, were saved, but the vessel was lost, having split open.

At Gloucester, the water was two or three feet deep on the wharves, and much movable property was washed away, the waves being -covered with articles and debris of all kinds. The sloop William Swain, bound from Nantucket to Boston, with a cargo of oil and candles, was driven ashore at Sandy bay, and was totally lost. The passengers and crew were saved. One of the passengers was a Mrs. Hayden, who was taken from her stateroom some time after the vessel struck. She»was nearly lifeless, and strenuous efforts were necessary for her recovery.

In Beverly, considerable damage was also done. About eighty cords of wood and much timber and lumber were washed otf the wharves, which were more or less injured, and Ellingwood's wharf near the bridge was nearly destroyed. Some damage was done by the colliding of the schooner Agawam, which had parted her cables, with the schooner Abigail, carrying away her main-mast.

At Salem, the waves rolled several feet above the wharves, sweeping away great quantities of wood and timber and every other movable thing that was on them. A store on Derby wharf was undermined in such a manner that it fell partially over, and for a time maintained, that position. Strong ropes were attached to it, and it was held there until the Monday evening following, when it went over with a tremendous crash. A store at the head of Crowninshield's wharf was also overthrown by the water. Two of the custom-house boatmen, Messrs. Brown and Peel, were in the building at the time, and very narrowly escaped drowning. A man at the end of the wharf was saved with great difficulty by means of a boat which was sent to his relief. The brig Washington was driven from Allen's wharf, carrying away the capsill, and drifted upon the beach at the foot of Hardy street, but was gotten off without material damage. Other vessels were driven ashore, but were not much injured. The roads over both North and South rivers and several others were rendered impassable by the flood. At high tide, the water was four feet deep on the isthmus connecting the Neck with the town at the head of Fort avenue. The force of the wind and waves was felt as far inland as Danversport, where the works of the Salem and Danvers iron-factory received considerable damage, and one of the buildings there in which aqueduct logs were bored was destroyed.

In Marblehead, the storm was very severe, several vessels were driven on shore, and others lost their masts, booms, bowsprits and rudders. The wharves were swept of their wood, and several of them were greatly damaged.

At Lynn, the tide broke over the long beach into the harbor, and carried away timber, wood and shingles from the wharves. The old residents of the town said they did not remember a tide that was so disastrous on the beach. About midway of the little beach at Nahant, the schooner Adventurer of Hingham, commanded by Captain Churchill, bound from New York to Boston, and laden with flour and grain, went ashore at about nine o'clock in the forenoon and became bilged. The crew and a considerable part of the cargo .were saved.

The tide rose at Boston one and one-half inches higher than the great tide of December, 1786, which was ten inches higher than the highest that any person then living remembered. The water broke through the dam along the Roxbury canal, parallel with the neck on the east side, in several places, and flooded the lowlands, sweeping away fences and outhouses, and prostrating buildings. Northampton street was flooded, and its surface to the depth of about a foot was carried away. The water dashed into the plain between that street and what was then called the town of Roxbury near Lewis' cordage factory, and greatly injured the rope-walks and houses. There were several dwellings of only one story in height, tenanted by the families of persons who were employed in the factory. The water flowed in so suddenly that not one of the families had time to remove a particle of their furniture. On Saturday morning the water was nearly six feet above the floors, and about eighty women and children were taken in boats to the houses that stood on higher ground. The inmates of several two-story houses were driven to the second stories. On the next day workmen were employed in cutting a channel through Northampton street to drain off the water. Large quantities of rice, flour and coal were either washed away or ruined.

Much property was set afloat at Charlestown and Cambridgeport. The navy-yard was overflowed, and the tide broke through the coffer-dam, about three feet of water coming into the dry dock.

On Scituate beach, two vessels went ashore. One of these was the sloop Globe, Captain Wakeman, master, bound from New York to Salem, with a cargo of flour and corn. She was bilged, one side being completely broken to pieces, A part of the cargo was landed on the beach but the grain washed out through the crevices that had been made in the bottom of the sloop. The other vessel was the schooner Edward of Boston, which had sailed from Savannah for its home port with a cargo of logwood. It was cast ashore in the night about four miles south of the Scituate lighthouse. The crew was saved. The vessel was not much injured, the masts having been cut away as soon as she struck.

Source: Historic Storms of New England by Sidney Perley, 1891

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