The Great Hurricane of 1938 (Photo 6 of 11) - Pictures

September 22, 1938: High winds blew the chimney off a house at 77 Main St., Charlestown. The remains of the chimney landed on the car of Barnett Mazow parked outside his store, Mazow Supply Co., at 73 Main Street.

Sept. 22, 1938: High winds blew the chimney off a house at 77 Main St., Charlestown. The remains of the chimney landed on the car of Barnett Mazow parked outside his store, Mazow Supply Co., at 73 Main St.

Edward Cushing/Globe Staff |

September 23, 1938: Benson's Garage in Whitman is tossed on its side destroying a truck and two cars in the tumble.

Sept. 23, 1938: Benson's Garage in Whitman was tossed on its side, destroying a truck and two cars in the tumble.

Boston Globe Archive |

September 23, 1938: After the hurricane, John Runane of Roxbury holds tightly to a wire below the roof of a house suspended by trolley wires. ( Note the attempt to add features to his face and jacket by painting on the photograph. This retouching was done often to prints in the production process in newspapers decades ago. This is a past practice that no longer exists.)

Sept. 23, 1938: After the hurricane, John Runane of Roxbury held tightly to a wire below the roof of a house suspended by trolley wires. (Note the attempt to add features to his face and jacket by painting on the photograph. This retouching was done often to prints in the production process in newspapers decades ago. This is a past practice that no longer exists.)

Boston Globe Archive |

September 22, 1938: Pushed inland by 100 mile an hour hurricane force winds, six feet of water are shown in the heart of Providence, lapping at the tops of automobiles on Sabin Street. The tide was even higher than usual due to the Autumnal Equinox and a full moon.

Sept. 22, 1938: Pushed inland by 100-mile-per-hour hurricane force winds, the heart of Providence was under 6 feet of water, lapping at the tops of automobiles on Sabin Street. The tide was even higher than usual due to the autumnal equinox and a full moon.

Associated Press |

September 24, 1938: A National Guardsman stands watch at the corner of Beal and Safford Street in Quincy where this drug store lost two big plate glass windows as well as hundreds of dollars worth of goods ruined by wind and rain.

Sept. 24, 1938: A National Guardsman stood watch at the corner of Beal and Safford streets in Quincy where this drugstore lost two big plate glass windows as well as hundreds of dollars worth of goods ruined by wind and rain.

Boston Globe Archive |

September 22, 1938: Buildings owned by the Transcript Printing Company of Peterborough, N.H. were gutted by fire as fireman stood helpless in flood waters from the hurricane that swirled about the buildings. The town was badly hit by flooding from the Contoocook River. Peterborough was one of the worst hit New Hampshire communities, reachable only by airplane for several days.

Sept. 22, 1938: Buildings owned by the Transcript Printing Co. of Peterborough, N.H., were gutted by fire as fireman stood helpless in flood waters from the hurricane that swirled about the buildings. The town was badly hit by flooding from the Contoocook River. Peterborough was one of the worst hit New Hampshire communities, reachable only by airplane for several days.

Associated Press |

September 23, 1938: More than 1,000 emergency workers hastily erected sandbag levees in Hartford, CT as the swollen Connecticut River continued to rise. Reporting from Hartford to the Globe had to be by short wave radio as all other communication had been cut .Byron Goodman of station W1INF in Hartford and Frank Lewis and Donald E. Kerr of W1MX of MIT collaborated on the report.

Sept. 23, 1938: More than 1,000 emergency workers hastily erected sandbag levees in Hartford as the swollen Connecticut River continued to rise. Reporting from Hartford to the Globe had to be by shortwave radio as all other communication had been cut. Byron Goodman of station W1INF in Hartford and Frank Lewis and Donald E. Kerr of W1MX of MIT collaborated on the report.

Associated Press |

September 23, 1938: The remains of St. Hedwig's Catholic church at 99 Otis Street, East Cambridge, the oldest Polish Catholic church in the city. Amazingly, the altar was unharmed.

Sept. 23, 1938: The remains of St. Hedwig's Catholic church at 99 Otis St., East Cambridge, the oldest Polish Catholic church in the city. Amazingly, the altar was unharmed.

Thomas C. Connors |

September 23, 1938: This was all that remained of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Mass. on September 22nd after 100-mile-an-hour hurricane winds swept over it. The flagpole still stands, but beyond it only scattered fragments of the clubhouse foundation remain.

Sept. 23, 1938: This was all that remained of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion after 100-mile-per-hour hurricane winds swept over it. The flagpole still stood, but beyond it only scattered fragments of the clubhouse foundation remained.

Associated Press |

September 26, 1938: Ocean Ave, the million-dollar section of Newport R.I. shows a house flattened by the storm.

Sept. 26, 1938: A house flattened by the hurricane on Ocean Avenue, the million-dollar section of Newport, R.I.

W.W. Rausch |

September 26 1938 / fromthearchive / Boston Globe photo / A 12- foot tidal wave pushed up Buzzards Bay by an 80 mile-an-hour wind and laid low all telephone and telegraph communications and breached land in three places. Fifteen person were known dead, scores of people were left homeless and the the property damage was incalculable. Hamilton Garland of Buzzards Bay had his 45-foot yacht

Sept. 26, 1938: A 12-foot tidal wave pushed up Buzzards Bay by an 80 mile-per-hour wind and took down all telephone and telegraph communications and breached land in three places. Fifteen people were known dead, scores of people were left homeless, and the the property damage was incalculable. Hamilton Garland of Buzzards Bay had his 45-foot yacht Pandora torn adrift off Onset and carried up onto the Point Independence Bridge.

Boston Globe Archive |