The John Minturn Storm of 1846

The year 1845 was disturbingly peaceful on the east coast of the United States; neither a hurricane nor a tropical storm had made an appearance. However, the residents along the coast knew that there would be ‘hell to pay” when ’46 arrived.

The John Minturn storm was extraordinary both in terms of reach and severity.

In Salem, Mass:

“Drifts 15 to 20 feet are said to be piled up.”

In New Bedford, Mass:

“The quantity of snow is said to be greater than at any time previous in this vicinity since the memorable snowstorm in 1815.”

Reports from Connecticut:

“The snow lies on the east side to an average depth of five feet, ad we have noticed a number of houses where it lies not less than six feet in depth directly against the front doors. “

“The mercury is down to zero, Fine times these!.”

It didn’t take long before a wicked nor’easter battered the entire coastline in February. The storm stretched inland from Savannah, Georgia to Syracuse, New York where snow was “piled in heaps of all imaginable shapes and dimensions” while barometer readings plunged in just a few short hours.

The storm obtained its monicker because of the destruction it caused upon the coast, wrecking nine vessels including the brig John Minturn. The demise of many of these shipwrecks were witnessed by residents from the New Jersey shore, who in may cases also were responsible for individual rescues

The podcast retells the events that led up to the storm, the storm itself and its aftermath. But it is far more than just a recounting of the weather and nautical events of the day.

It gives us insights into the lives of the passengers and crew aboard the John Minturn, the freakish bad luck that accompanied some men aboard when just weeks before they had escaped death in an earlier shipwreck (actually more than one).

Their were two major actors to the Minturn tragedy-the captain and the pilot who joined them hours before; both men working to guide the ship into New York Harbor, though both would lose their lives in the attempt.

We learn of the captain’s prejudice of the “New York” pilots and his preference for their Sandy Hook counterparts and his decision resulting in the deaths of his family, crew and passengers.

We also discover the heroism of one man-Thomas Freeborn- who sought to save the Minturn’s passengers and crew. His death prompted the building of the one of the largest monuments in New York City honoring his bravery.

We discover the captain’s closely guarded secret kept even from his family and the motivation which caused him to push his vessel, his passengers and crew into danger.

And more broadly, the loss of the Minturn became part of a national story, when accusations were made that the residents of the New Jersey shore had plundered the bodies and charged a retrieval fee to they love ones. The outrage caused the state of New Jersey to conduct a formal investigation into the charges and seek out the “barbarians”.

The content for the podcast was taken from the author’s book Undiminished Violence which is available in soft cover and ebook form. The book includes dozen of images including maps, charts, letters and photos that provide a fulsome account of the entire story.