THREE INNOCENTS ABROAD IN DIXIE

Three Innocents Abroad In Dixie is about three buddies from Southern Illinois who sally forth into the heart of the Old Confederacy to vacation in 1969.  These damn Yankees were Teachers and history buffs.  They wanted to explore Civil War battlefields, fortifications and cemeteries, and any other sites of historical interest.  

The travelers quickly found that Southern hospitality was real, and that they had not forgotten their history.  Southerners lived and celebrated their past, daily.  They were far more aware of the events of the Civil War than the typical Northerner.  Yankee depredations in the South had not been forgotten, even after 100 years.  Reminders of the war were everywhere.  Every hamlet had its monument to a Confederate war hero.  They had come to the land of the “Lost Cause.”

1969 was the year of the “Woodstock Nation” mega-concert and the fury of Hurricane Camille.  News of these events permeated their travels.  Just as they were enjoying their exploration of the past, the present would suddenly came alive for them when they were struck by Hurricane Camille on the Gulf Coast on their way to New Orleans.

Their vacation had turned into a harrowing adventure!

The Three Innocents-1969

Mr. Robert Johnson (left), Mr. Gerald Brown (center), and Mr. Jerry Rhodes (right).

Preview

10. Hurricane Camille Arrives

Came the morning of the l7th.  Everything seemed just fine as we dressed and headed for breakfast at 7:00 a.m.  The sky was a cloudy gray, however.  We stopped at a small cafe on the waterfront where some young men were busily nailing plywood panels over the plate glass windows.  "Are you serving breakfast?” we asked the waitress. She said she was, glancing anxiously outside.

We asked why they were nailing plywood over the windows.  (A stupid question, I guess.)  "Haven't you heard, there's a hurricane coming in," she said.  "Well, but that's supposed to hit New Orleans tonight, isn't it?"   She said "Yes, but we're going to close up after serving breakfast and head north." "North?" I said.  "North where?"  "North---You know, anywhere north away from the water!"  "Oh" I said. 

"You think it's going to be that dangerous?"  "I don't know. They say it is," she replied.  I said, "We have reservations at a hotel in New Orleans for tonight.  How far is it to New Orleans from Mobile, anyhow?"  She said, "I don't know, exactly.  About 90 miles, I think."  "Thanks," I replied.

"Well it's no problem," I told the guys.  "She says it's 90 miles to New Orleans.  Ninety miles---ninety minutes and we'll be there!  After we eat, let's go see the Battleship.”

After we ate, we found the sky was rapidly becoming a leaden gray and gusts of wind were whipping in from the gulf.  We drove by the mooring site of the Alabama, but the access gate was closed and padlocked, in spite of a sign that clearly announced that we were there during visiting hours.  Do you think they were trying to tell us something?  I for one was cruelly disappointed.  I wasn’t going to tour the Alabama. 

The car radio was full of news about the hurricane, and it was still projected to strike New Orleans sometime late that evening.  After some discussion we decided it would be safest if we pressed on to New Orleans, even if it only took ninety minutes to get there.  We had reservations at the Roosevelt Hotel, and we were supposed to be checked in by 5:00 p.m.  Yeah, it would be best if we got there and got situated for the storm.

We took Route 90, which was the coastal drive through Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulf Port, and Pass Christian.  We would have to cross a toll bridge at Bay St. Louis.  As we drove through Mobile, we could see that many businesses were either closing down, or were closed.  And a great many of those had fresh plywood nailed over the windows, or had pulled louvered metal blinds over the windows.

Many of the homes had shutters, which they closed over their windows. Obviously they were taking these storm warnings seriously. Traffic was picking up, too.  No sooner had we left the Mobile city limits, than we found what was then a two-lane highway pretty congested.  I began to think the trip might take more than ninety minutes.

And it began to rain intermittently.  The newscasters were clearly getting excited about the impending storm.  They were saying the eye of the storm was projected to pass over New Orleans, and that its wind velocities were in the l80 miles per hour category.  It was expected to be especially vicious, they said.  Small boat warnings were out, and residents of low lying coastal areas were urged to immediately move inland to higher ground. 

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