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White Hurricane: A Great Lakes November Gale and America's Deadliest Maritime Disaster | 
 enlarge | Authors: David G. Brown, David Brown
Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $8.94
You Save: $4.01 (31%)
New (12) Used (15) Collectible (2) from $7.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 326445
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0071435417
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
UPC: 639785385196
EAN: 9780071435413
ASIN: 0071435417
Publication Date: February 23, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"Brings history to life in a book as readable as any novel." --Good Old Boat On Friday, November 7, 1913, after four days of winds up to 90 miles an hour, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous seas, 19 ships had been lost on the great-lakes, 238 sailors were dead, and Cleveland was confronting the worst natural disaster in its history. David G. Brown combines narrative intensity with factual depth to re-create the "perfect storm" that struck America's heartland. Brown has created a vast epic ranging over Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie and echoing down the decades.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Grandpa's storm April 22, 2008
Growing up I had heard stories about this storm from my late grandfather, Hugh McLeod, captain of the "Matoa" one of the grounded and destroyed ships. In fact I have the baromoter from the Matoa and it still works perfectly.
This book really put my grandfather's stories in context of the overall storm. While I knew there were many ships sunk and lives lost (although not on his ship), I knew nothing about them. While a casual reader might find the jumping around from day to day and ship to ship a little confusing, for me it really filled in the blanks.
Ironically, four years to the day before this storm, my grandfather's two brothers died when the Marquette & Bessemer #2 went down in Lake Erie.
 Could not put this down ... March 10, 2008
I loved this book and could not put it down. Not only did Brown provide a human interest story of the people involved but he provided insight into the state of weather prediction of the time. The book was full of interesting information. I could go on but you simply have to read it. I disagree with the reader who suggested he needed a central focus. The storm was the central focus.
Detailed and Interesting March 1, 2008
This is a great book for someone with an interest in the Great Lakes, meteorology or ship wrecks. It is a detailed chronological account of a monster storm that hasn't been matched in the Great Lakes for nearly a hundred years. It paints a pretty good picture of what it would have been like to have been on a ship during the storm. There are indexed pictures of each of the major ships involved, but I wish there were weather maps to show what was going on - it's hard to follow fronts and cells in your head when the story jumps around between the lakes.
A Must for Boaters and Residents Along the Great Lakes December 10, 2007
Residents of the Great Lakes region and boaters of all regions will find this book fascinating. The Great Lakes are one of North America's greatest treasures. Their beauty comes not just from their size but from their amazing diversity. From the rocky shores of Lake Superior to Michigan's majestic dunes, to the locks on the St Laurence Seaway these fresh water seas are an endless source of amazing sites and destinations.
From their creation to the present day, the constantly changing weather of the Midwest can change these bodies of water from nearly glass smooth to a source of death and destruction within hours. This is never truer than in the month of November. If you wish a greater understanding of the lakes and their weather this book is for you.
Just as one takes the grocer, and the steel in their car for granted; the lakes are often overlooked by many Americas. Although their commercial use has declined in recent years, these vital waterways provide America with her grain, steel and other bulk commodities. If you enjoy tales of common men facing the uncommon, the stories of the men that made a living on the lakes and survived the Great Storm of 1913 should not be overlooked.
Best yet August 24, 2007
Brown's presentation of the "Big Blow" is the best compilation of information currently available. The central "character" is the storm, and while jumping from one ship to another might seem confusing, that is exactly what the storm was. While Barcus' "Freshwater Fury" is very good, Brown excels in that he not only shows the problems modern historians have in trying to understand the meager records of the day, but also has consulted trained meteorologists in an attempt to give the whole picture. While he does apply some speculation, in most cases he presents it as such.
While this is the best, it's not perfect. A comparison of many authors who have published works on this storm reveals many glaring contradictions, even though all are recognized historians. Brown does better than the others in acknowledging conflicting accounts, and given that many reports and records of the time were designed for sensationalism or covering mistakes, one must expect some variety in the conclusions of the authors. My own preference would be to have all the sources footnoted and compared, but that would have made a tome that few would be able to handle. Because Brown makes a couple of minor errors it still leaves one wondering where the line is between historical fact and reasonable speculation.
I read this book before purchasing it for my library. I think it's worth having there.
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