[1] The hurricane caused extensive destruction to port facilities and communities along the Bay of Fundy coast in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as well as Maine, particularly Calais, St. Andrews, St. George, Saint John, Moncton, Sackville, Amherst, Windsor and Truro.

The Saxby Gale storm surge produced a water level which gave Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia, the honor of having the highest tidal range ever recorded.

[3] The gale destroyed miles of the newly completed Windsor and Annapolis Railway along the Minas Basin near Horton and Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Lt. Saxby had written a letter of warning, published December 25, 1868, in London's The Standard newspaper in which he notes the astronomical forces predicted for October 5, 1869, which would produce extremely high tides in the North Atlantic Ocean during the height of hurricane season.

In a monthly weather column published October 5, 1869, in Halifax's The Evening Express, amateur meteorologist Frederick Allison relayed Lt. Saxby's warning for a devastating storm the following week.

The fact that the high tides occurred throughout the North Atlantic basin was unremarkable and astronomically predictable, except for their coinciding with the hurricane which struck the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy to produce the devastating storm surge.

After giving my reasons for expecting very serious weather in that December, I said, "Now let any man tell me what other influence can be adduced to coincide for that period so as to increase the chance of our having the most destructive storm and the most dangerous tide with which the earth can without miracle be visited."

Well-known and widely-known fulfillments justified this prediction, and those results are my apology for asking permission to acquaint the world through your columns with what threatens, not only us in Great Britain, but all parts of the earth as about to happen in the coming year.

Some of your readers may probably be incredulous as to weather warnings given so long an interval before an expected danger: allow me, therefore, first to give at least one authentic instance of absolute fulfillment (as published by me some time early in 1864).

A stranger to me, Captain Sturley, of Burnhamovery, wrote to me on 2d November, 1863, as follows: – "Observing your letter in the Standard of 1st June," &c., … "would you still advise us to take every precaution against this coming tide?"

In the meantime there will be time for the repair of unsafe sea walls, and for the circulation of this notice by means of your far-reaching voice, throughout the wide world.

We read long and painful lists of casualties from "fearful gales," "fierce jails," "frightful hurricanes," &c., at Padstow, Falmouth, and Weymouth respectively; while a "tale of unparalleled fury" is described as felt at Weston-super-Mare and Boulogne, &c. ; so that passing occurrences, taken in connection with my warning of October 5 to 7, are sufficiently serious, if I have not (as some people seem to think I have) mistaken in the period of greatest danger altogether.

As well we might expect to hear the report of a gun a fortnight before it is fired, as to have equinoctial gales set in weeks before the sun crosses the equator, late p.m. on the 22nd inst.

Fishermen may be induced not to sail for the Dogger Bank without every precaution; pilots and those whose work lies in the English Channel are forewarned and will be forearmed; and, indeed, will be better prepared for the worst if you will kindly permit me, sir, to state again the reason why I expected extreme bad weather in October.

About 30 hours afterwards the moon crossed the equator, and hence arose the continuation of atmospheric disturbance (as it always does in similar cases) which often takes so long to subsided.

Saxby, R.N., to the Standard of London in which a remarkable atmospheric disturbance is predicted for the coming 5th of October, as the result of the relative positions of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon, on that day.