White Hurricane Paperback - 2004

First line

MILTON SMITH stepped ashore from the Charles S. Price onto the acres of iron ore, coal, stone, and railroad tracks that made up the docks of Ashtabula, Ohio.

From the rear cover

A Riveting Account of the Worst Storm Great Lakes Mariners Have Ever Experienced

As ships left port on Friday, November 7, 1913, a deadly atmospheric disturbance was already churning Lake Superior and spreading east. By Sunday night, Lake Huron was battered by winds up to 90 miles an hour, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous 35-foot waves. The White Hurricane became the worst Great Lakes storm on record: twelve ships sank, and thirty-one more were stranded on rocks and beaches. At least 248 sailors lost their lives, and the city of Cleveland faced the worst natural disaster in its history.

In "White Hurricane," nationally recognized nautical writer and experienced Great Lakes mariner David G. Brown uses firsthand accounts and contemporary newspaper reports to re-create the desperate struggles aboard doomed and damaged vessels and on shore, and reconstructs the progress of the storm in a tight chronology packed with vivid detail and unforgettable drama.

"[David Brown] brings history to life in a book as readable as an adventure novel."--"Good Old Boat"

"A riveting, well researched account. . . . A fascinating read."--"Inland Seas"