The 1897 cyclone was a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depen ...

that destroyed the city of Darwin in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

of Australia. It is considered the worst cyclone to strike the Northern Territory of Australia prior to

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city i ...

in 1974. Prior to contemporary naming conventions, the storm became known as the "Great Hurricane".

Damage

The cyclone hit Darwin in the evening of the 6 January 1897, peaking between 3.30am and 4.30am on 7 January. It dumped 292mm of rain on Darwin, then known as Palmerston. It uplifted roofs, uprooted trees and telegraph poles destroying almost all of the buildings. The only remaining structures include the historic Victoria Hotel, doctors residence, BAT House, the Commercial and E. S. & A. Banks and the Court House. These remaining structures housed scores of homeless residents after the cyclone. There were 28 fatalities, mostly Chinese and

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. One family was reported to have run from three different houses as they were destroyed around them, surviving without injury. Illness spread throughout the predominantly homeless population after the cyclone. While little is known about the Aboriginal loss of life, the deaths of a couple of women who sought refuge in the Roman Catholic Church before its collapse were documented. The other major loss of life occurred on

Darwin Harbour Darwin Harbour is the body of water close to Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It opens to the north at a line from Charles Point in the west to Lee Point in the east into the Beagle Gulf and connects via the Clarence Strait wi ...

, with the deaths of many "coloured persons" working in the pearling industry. Of 29 vessels in the harbour at the time, 18 were wrecked, mostly pearling luggers such as the ''Flowerdale'', ''Maggie'', ''Roebuck'', ''Cleopatra'', ''Olive'', ''Florence'', ''Revenge'', ''Jack'', ''Black Jack'', ''Brisbane'' and ''Galatea''. The government steam launch and three sampans were also damaged. Many crews donated to the rebuilding efforts. The pearling fleet was quickly restored and expanded and by 1898, 55 vessels were operational. The damage is estimated to have cost over £150,000 in 1897 values.

References

{{reflist, 30em 1897 meteorology 1897 natural disasters Disasters in the Northern Territory Tropical cyclones in Australia Weather events in Australia

Damage

See also

References