Page 12 - Robeson Living Winter2019

The Winds of

Hurricane Hazel Brought

Destruction and Death

By
Blake Tyner

Wilmington delivery man D.G. Parisi scratches his head as he arrives for a food de-
livery to Shuler’s Shopping Center on Long Beach following the strike of Hurricane
Hazel. Courtesy StarNews

Hurricanes have always plagued the coast of the Carolinas even the east coast of North America.
before the first successful English settlement. In Jay Barnes’s
book North Carolina’s Hurricane History, we find that in 1526 Drake found the colony struggling due to the lack of provisions
Lucas de Ayllón led a large Spanish expedition in search of gold and the war with the Indians. He offered to give them supplies
along the Cape Fear. It is believed that the ship was wrecked near and to take the unwell colonists back to England. He also agreed
Bald Head Island due to a “loathsome gale.” to leave the Francis, a three-mast ship, along with two small-
er ships and four boats for Lane and his men. While Lane was
Roanoke Hurricane aboard Drake’s ship making arrangements, a terrible storm came
ashore. Lane wrote “while these things were in hand there arose
One of the earliest detailed recollections of a hurricane comes a storm that continued four days. The storm would have driven
from Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke Island Colony. Raleigh had all Drakes ships onto shore, if the Lord had not held his holy
first tried to establish a colony on the island in 1584 but the lack hand over them.”
of proper provisions and problems with the local Indian tribe
caused them to return to England. In early 1585 a group of 106 The Francis along with other ships were destroyed by the hurri-
arrived at the island with the intention of establishing a military cane. This proved to be the final straw for Lane and the discour-
post under the command of Colonial Governor Ralph. They were aged colonists. They abandoned the New World and returned to
soon facing the same challenges as the first expedition – lack of England with Drake. In Lane’s haste he left behind three of his
sufficient supplies and bad relations with the local tribe. This time men that were exploring the up-country. Lane was criticized for
things escalated, and they took Menatonon, king of the Chowano- abandoning the colony especially since Sir Richard Grenville’s
ac Indian tribe as a prisoner but he was released after three days. relief squadron arrived with supplies shortly after Lane left for
One of the settlers killed an Indian named Wingina who was be- England. The next year Drake encountered another hurricane
lieved to be plotting to destroy the colony and this led to open war near Roanoke Island. He rode it out at sea for six days.
of the tribe. In June 1586 Sir Francis Drake arrived in Roanoke
from St. Augustine. Drake left England on September 14, 1584 Hurricane Miami
with 25 ships and 2,300 men to attack the Spanish colonies along
Page 12 Robeson Living ~ Winter 2019