The 1925 Rip Current
In excellent condition, the film uses display boards to narrate "the views taken by the Pathé Baby camera" of the current on the beaches of Flamengo and Glória.
Storm surge on the 4th, 5th and 6th of July, 1925 (1925)General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Effects of the rip current
With very elaborate framing, moving from panoramic views to close-up shots, this film depicts an inundated Beira-Mar Avenue, the crash of the waves against the old wall, and the damage caused to the pavement.
Avenida Beira-Mar (1905) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The works on Beira-Mar Avenue
View from Morro da Viúva towards the works taking place on Beira-Mar Avenue, where construction began in 1904 (during the Pereira Passos administration), from the debris from demolishing Morro do Castelo. Its inauguration formed part of the modernization works in the city, which were implemented by President Rodrigues Alves.
Ressaca atigindo mureta em frente à Avenida Rio Branco, antiga Avenida Central. (24.04.1906) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The 1906 rip current
A few months before the Avenue was inaugurated, a rip current impacted the works in progress. Photograph taken from the top of Central Avenue, currently Rio Branco Avenue.
On the left, people are observing the impact of the current on the wall, with the works still in progress. In the photograph on the right, the mayor Pereira Passos (center) inspects the damage caused by the waves.
Avenida Beira-Mar, altura da Lapa. (27.10.1906) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The final touches
On the right, in the foreground, the garden of the Monroe Palace (demolished in 1976), along a stretch of the current Luis de Vasconcelos Avenue and part of the Passeio Público (Public Promenade). Highlights include two octagonal pavilions on the terrace of the Passeio.
Avenida Beira-Mar, altura do Flamengo. (12.11.1906) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The inauguration, November 12, 1906
Already inaugurated, Beira-Mar Avenue became an attraction among Rio de Janeiro residents, who were interested in getting to know another public thoroughfare opened at the beginning of the 20th century.
Expansion on the sea: on the left, works in progress; on the right, in the foreground, a shot of the Monroe Palace Garden and the already-completed avenue. In the background is the Church of Our Lady of Gloria do Outeiro. The axis of the Beira Mar, Central, and Rodrigues Alves avenues were crucial in the city's development.
Aspeco da Avenida Beira-Mar. Ao Fundo, o Corcovado. by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Botafogo Cove, circa 1915
View from the Morro da Viúva towards the Botafogo Beach with some little palaces still on the beachfront. The new axis towards the Southern Zone is taking shape.
Ressaca na Praia do Flamengo. (14.07.1921) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Rip current on Flamengo Beach, 1921
While Mayor Carlos Sampaio's administration (1920-1922) was preparing to commemorate the Centenary of Independence, another large rip current hit the city's coastline. According to the press, the water inundated sections that had recently been leveled for the exposition, to take place in 1922.
Ressaca, Praia do FlamengoGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The 1925 Rip Current
Disruption repeated every high tide: the force of the water smashing against the walls of Beira-Mar Avenue.
Invaded by water
As the film reveals, practically from the same viewpoint as Augusto Malta's photograph, the water inundated Beira-Mar Avenue, causing traffic disruption (which got progressively worse) and destroying stretches of paved areas made from Portuguese stone.
Vista aérea da Avenida Beira-Mar, com destaque para a Praça Paris e a Esplanada do Castelo, ainda não ocupada. Ao fundo, à esquerda, o Edifício A Noite.General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Beira-Mar and the expansion on the sea
The esplanade in the background of the image was the area where Morro do Castelo was located. The debris from its demolition was repurposed for a new area within the city. Highlighted: Paris Square, inaugurated in 1929.
Earth raising, 1930
Beira-Mar Avenue: a border strip between the city and Guanabara Bay.
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Eduardo Paes
Secretary of State
Eduardo Cavaliere
General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro
Rosa Maria Araujo
Documentation Center
Maria Thereza Kahl Fonseca
Curatorship, editing and historical research
Conrado Werneck Pimentel
Text revision
Pedro Paulo Malta
Video editing
Bruno Fontes
Interns
Luísa da Costa de Oliveira and Marcelle Araujo Lins
Film digitization
LUPA/UFF - University Laboratory for Audiovisual Preservation
ReferencesA Vitrine e o EspelhoO Rio de Janeiro de Carlos Sampaio
Carlos Kessel
1921: Ressaca come trecho de aterro em frente ao Morro do Castelo no Rio
Folha de São Paulo
Memória da Destruição
Arquivo da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro
Verbete CPDOC - Carlos Sampaio
