How does Erik Larson use imagery in Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History?

Imagery:

"Smoke from her stack blew forward over the starboard rail in a long black smudge that flurried cinder upon the sea."

"The north wind brought Isaac the perfume of a waking city: the clean, almost minty, smell of freshly cut lumber from the Hildenbrand planing mill; coffee from the bulk roasters in the alley between Mechanic and Market; and always, everywhere, the scent of horses."