Among the most remarkable wind velocity records is that of Cape Lookout
on October 17, 1879, when the wind blew at a rate of 138 miles an hour.
One of the worst cyclones ever recorded in North America was the flood,
as it is usually termed, at Galveston, Tex. This storm began on the 1st
day of September, 1900, and lasted until the 12th. It reached its
maximum destructive force on the 8th. Six thousand lives were lost and
$30,000,000 worth of property was destroyed.
Even worse than any of these was the one at Calcutta in 1864, followed
by a storm wave over 16 feet high, causing a death-rate of 45,000
persons.