September 8, 2023 • 23 mins
This episode is a rebroadcast from last September in memory of those lost and in honor of the survivors of the 1900 Storm in Galveston, Texas. The storm is still to this day the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.
The episode is a combination of 4 episodes released in weekly chapters in 2022. Some contextual updates have been inserted throughout this episode.
Prepare to step back in time as we traverse the monumental events of the Great Storm of 1900, which left an indelible mark on the vibrant city of Galveston, Texas. Picture Galveston in 1900, a city of wealth and prosperity, home to numerous Texas firsts, is blissfully unaware of the impending disaster as the storm warning flag is hoisted by Isaac Cline, head of the Texas section of the United States Weather Bureau. The city and its inhabitants, uncertain of what lies ahead, continue their daily business.
As the dust settles in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in US history, we take a look at the formidable task of rebuilding and shielding the city. From martial law being declared, to exhaustive rescue and cleanup efforts, and the mammoth undertaking of constructing a seawall and elevating the island, Galveston's resilience is awe-inspiring.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In memory of those lost during the Great Storm.
September 8th and 9th 1900,galveston, texas, on the eve of
splintered dreams and eminence,engulfed September 8th 1900, a
day that would change the Texascoast and the course of
Galveston Island's distincteconomic position and seemingly
(00:22):
endless prosperity forever.
A powerful hurricane, whichstruck Galveston with very
little notice, left the islandin the waters.
The city's potential was nomatch for the momentum of a
hurricane, with the storm surgeexceeding the highest point on
the island and winds at over 100miles per hour.
This hurricane is now known asthe Great Storm of 1900 and is,
(00:44):
to this day, the deadliestnatural disaster in United
States history.
On September 7th 1900, the dayprior to the Great Storm, the
city was in the swing of summer.
The island city of Galvestonhad grown from a small
settlement on the coast of thenewly formed Republic of Texas
into one of the wealthiestcities in the United States.
(01:04):
Galveston had experiencedhurricanes and even severe
storms that caused destruction,but nothing had deterred
Galvestonians from continuingtheir lives on a barrier island
on the Gulf coast of Texas.
The impression of the generalpublic, as well as numerous
experts, was the island city ofGalveston was an unrelenting
powerhouse that would soon be amajor metropolis of the southern
(01:25):
United States.
Affluent residents and wealthytourists from all over the
country visited Galveston tobathe and play in the warm
waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The city, although a fractionof the population, was
considered a premiercosmopolitan city comparable to
San Francisco or New Orleans andeven some of the prominent
cities in the Northeast.
It seemed as if nothing couldstop the influx of fortune.
(01:48):
In 1900, with a population ofover 37,000, galveston boasted
being the third richest city inthe United States per capita.
Throughout the late 1800s, withplentiful growth, wealth and
prosperity, the island was hometo numerous firsts in the state
of Texas, such as the firstelectricity and the first
telephones.
Its natural deepwater channelmade Galveston the most
(02:11):
important seaport in Texas.
By the turn of the 20th century, over a thousand ships were
passing through the port ofGalveston and roughly 60% of the
state's cotton crop wasexported through the port.
As the population of the UnitedStates expanded towards the West
Coast, galveston's capacity forimports provided a means to
bring commodities, materials andpeople as close to the American
(02:33):
West as possible.
Multiple major rail linesstarted or ended on the booming
island.
Significant efforts were beingmade to expand the capacity of
the port of Galveston to competewith a rapidly growing port
city 52 miles north.
That city is named Houston.
The island was also the gatewayinto Texas for immigrants from
all over the world.
(02:54):
Galveston was, without a doubt,the most economically robust
city in Texas.
Up to the eve of the GreatStorm, major hotels, elegant
bars and delectable restaurantscould be found throughout the
city, and plenty of locals andvisitors alike were willing to
keep them busy.
Daily trains from both Houstonand Beaumont would make their
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way into the bustling city onthe Gulf.
The Beaumont rail line wouldtravel across the
Galveston-Balliver Ferry, whichutilized a vessel with the
capability to hold passengerrail cars.
This rail ferry would cross theGalveston Ship Channel and land
on the northeast side ofGalveston Island.
The rail line to and fromHouston would cross a wooden
railroad bridge into the northside of the island.
(03:35):
Galveston Island was bustlingall the way up until disaster
struck.
A man named Isaac Klein, head ofthe Texas section of the United
States Weather Bureau, believedthat, due to Galveston's unique
position in the Gulf of Mexico,the island was in a safe zone
from major hurricanes.
In those days, stormforecasting was done through the
National Weather Bureau inWashington DC and many
(03:58):
weathermen were not trained toforecast events such as
hurricanes.
In 1900, the ability to trackhurricanes was possible, but
rudimentary.
It required communication bytelegraph from branches of the
Weather Service back to theheadquarters in DC.
Essentially, the WeatherService relied on raw data from
multiple locations To add layersof complexity to the
(04:19):
centralized control offorecasting.
Due to strain relations, theNational Weather Bureau had cut
ties with the Cuban WeatherService.
Three days before the stormstruck Galveston, it tore
through the Caribbean anddirectly over Cuba.
As a major hurricane enteredthe Gulf of Mexico, the Cuban
Weather Service telegraphed theNational Weather Bureau, but no
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heed was taken.
The National Weather Bureau,lacking pertinent information
from Cuba, believed the stormhad instead tracked near Cuba
and then turned northeast andwas headed back into the
Atlantic Ocean.
Days before the impending storm,it was business as usual in
Galveston.
The characteristics that madethe city attractive as a
vacation destination and apleasant place to live left it
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vulnerable to imminent disaster.
However, you would behard-pressed to find many people
who believed this low-lyingisland sitting right on the Gulf
Coast could fall into completecatastrophe.
This idea was about to be puton trial.
The highest natural elevationon the island was around 8 feet
above sea level.
On the evening of September 7,1900, the tide seemed high and
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the waves were a little moreaggressive than usual.
Isaac Klein, the chief of theTexas branch of the National
Weather Bureau, was well awarethat something was off.
Most Galvestonians went to bedwithout an inkling of an idea
that it was going to be the lasttime they would be cozy in
their barely higher than sealevel homes.
For the next day was September8, 1900.
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Through the darkening skies anddropping barometers, the morning
of Saturday, september 8, 1900,started like any other day for
most Galvestonians.
People went to work, the dailytrains were running to and from
Galveston, and the morning thetalk of the town between the
locals and tourists alike wasthe rising tide and rough waves.
Isaac Klein, the chief of theTexas branch of the National
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Weather Bureau, had hoisted astorm warning flag the evening
before.
As the weather bureau began towonder if there was in fact a
storm in the Gulf of Mexico,galveston had no true protection
from an impending storm.
City leaders had discussedbuilding a breakwater or seawall
, but this decision neverprogressed beyond a vote.
If there was a storm headedstraight for Galveston, it was
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too late for effectivepreparations.
God was spreading throughGalveston that there could be a
storm in the Gulf, but thechances that it was severe or
would strike Galveston were slim, according to the National
Weather Bureau and theexperience of many Galvestonians
.
As the morning rolled on, kidswere playing in the flooded
streets and people were enjoyingthe cool breezes from a porch
or through their open windows.
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Regardless of the storm warning, it was too late.
For most, it was just anotherrainy summer day in Galveston.
Unwitting passengers on thelast train to the island finally
rolled over the rail bridge by9.45 am after having to transfer
to another line when theconductor found the main set of
tracks completely washed out.
These passengers noticed thatthe waves in Galveston Bay were
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lapping just under the bottom ofthe rails of the track.
After hearing the morning gossipof the storm warning flag being
raised, many islanders expected, at worst, high tides and large
waves that would appease thetourists and people living south
of Broadway would have to bringtheir lawn furnishings up on
the porch, which was somewhatnormal when a storm rolled in
every so often.
By 11 am, crowds of tourists,children and locals began to
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form on the beach to watch thewaves crash over the streetcar
trestle.
With every crashing wave aclose observer may have noticed
that the island seemed to besinking into the gulf.
By noon, the streetcars hadquit running and the waves began
lapping against the beachfronthomes and buildings.
Although the storm surge waspushing billions of gallons of
water into Galveston Bay,effectively flanking the island
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from the bay side, the ornateVictorian buildings in downtown
Galveston were full ofrestaurant and saloon goers.
Employees filled offices, docksand warehouses, and grocers
sold their goods.
They could not anticipate thechaos.
As murmurs of the high tides andincreasingly violent waves
traveled through the ranks ofGalveston's residents and summer
visitors.
By the early afternoon thewhipping wind had shifted and
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was the invisible indicator thatit was too late to escape the
cataclysm.
There had never been anevacuation warning, only a storm
flag raised the evening beforeBetween Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico had finally met at 15thStreet and Broadway Storm.
Experienced onlookers had neverseen this kind of inundation in
their lifetime.
The crowds that were watchingthe giant waves crash into the
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beach had dissipated to findrefuge from the increasing
downpour.
People, homes and commercialstructures found themselves
overwhelmed with saltwater.
The rain was starting to becomeheavy, steady and horizontal.
The men who had gone to workand left their wives and
children at home were fortunateif they lived but a few blocks
away, for this was the finalchance to wade and swim through
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the flooded streets of Galvestonto their loved ones.
No one knew it yet by the nextmorning the island would be
transformed into aninconceivable, soggy and
splintered wasteland.
By around 3 pm, people from theJohn Sealy Hospital on the far
east end to St Mary's Orphanageon the westward portion of the
city began their struggle tosecure refuge.
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As the darkness of the stormclosed in like nightfall.
There was no longer any doubtthat there was a storm in the
gulf, and Galveston was thetarget.
Those who had been comfortablethe night before sought homes
and buildings stronger thantheir own and attempted to
traverse the torrential streetsand win flung debris.
People who decided to ride outthe storm in their own home
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brought everything inside thatthey could.
This included livestock cows,chickens, goats and pigs that
filled small, cramped rooms thatalso held their kids, neighbors
and strangers who begged toride out the storm.
The rising water was unrelenting.
Most homes in Galveston weremade of wood and it was common
for many to chop holes in theirfloor to use the weight of the
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floodwater to keep their homesfrom floating off the foundation
.
This was a bold effort, but notenough to keep many homes
intact, as the Gulf of Mexicofound itself completely washing
over Galveston Island whiledisplaying the full force of
mother nature.
First wagons, barrels and largeobjects that were not secured
began to float away.
This made swimming extremelydifficult.
(10:29):
Next, slate shingles, whichwere popular in Galveston as
they reduced the spread of fire,began to fly off roofs and
indiscriminately slice, cut andslam into anything that was in
their way, making deadlyprojectiles in over a hundred
mile per hour wind.
Then occupied houses began tocrumble, flip over and wash away
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.
People screamed and cried outfor help, but the pleas were no
match.
Over the howling wind anddriving rain as night fell and
the storm ravaged the citycrumbled, homes and possessions
added to the chaotic soup thatbecame the Galveston city
streets.
While pitch black and landmarksdisappearing around them,
survivors of the crumbled homesand buildings would climb onto
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anything they could, as theywould float through the city
streets.
They would cling to roofs,trees or anything that would
float and hang on for dear life.
If they were lucky, they wouldbe pulled into an open window
and could ride it out until thatbuilding gave way, and then do
it all over again.
The storm raged through thenight, collapsing homes,
destroying buildings and hurlingobjects and structures.
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Many buildings in downtownGalveston had their roofs and
top floors collapsed in by thestorm.
Nonetheless, many sought refugein the sturdy buildings in
downtown Galveston.
There are first-hand accountsof people being rescued as they
floated by second-story windows.
Shipping vessels in the harborthat were tied to a pier were
thrown around like toys by thewaves.
They were lucky to stay afloatas they were being slammed up
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and down against the docks.
Regardless of where you wereriding up the storm, you were
going to witness mayhem.
First-hand accounts remark onhow the indescribable
devastation caused people'sself-control to give way, and
screams of sorrow and despairrang through the evening
wherever people happened to behiding.
Through the long night ofSeptember 8th into the early
hours of September 9th,galvestonians lives were flipped
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upside down.
The neighborhoods between thebeach and Avenue N were
completely decimated.
The debris created from thosedestroyed homes piled up between
Avenue N and Avenue M andcreated a type of wall.
This wall slightly dulled theblows of the hurricane force
waves for most of the buildingsnorth of Avenue N.
This, however, did not ensuresurvival for buildings on the
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other side of this wall ofdestroyed homes and debris.
No residents escaped damage.
No person was without loss.
St Mary's Orphanage, which waslocated just a few hundred yards
from the beach on the West End,lost all nuns and all but three
of the orphans.
People lost husbands, wives,kids, brothers, sisters, parents
, and some made it out as theonly surviving member of their
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family.
As dawn arrived, the storm hadpassed and the water had receded
, the devastation began toreveal itself.
The Grand Island City, theQueen Jewel of the South, the
Wall Street of the Southwest,had just experienced the
deadliest natural disaster in UShistory.
The experience of surviving thestorm would have been a
nightmare and for those who madeit through, the horrifying
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ordeal had just begun.
The bodies of people andanimals covered the debris-lined
streets.
Prominent city landmarks hadbeen wiped off the face of the
earth.
There was no communication toor from the outside world, as
the telegraph poles and causewayhad been completely wiped out.
It would be days before theworld would hear about the
destruction in Galveston andweeks before substantial
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assistance could reach theisland.
In Galveston alone, it isestimated that over 6,000 people
were killed during the storm.
As the survivors emerged SundaySeptember 9th 1900, they would
face Galveston's second greatestchallenge March of Law,
makeshift morgues and menworking at Bayonet Point.
These were the daunting firststeps towards rebuilding
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Galveston and earning the titleof a resilient city.
Forever Galveston earning thebadge of resilience.
As Galvestonians emerged fromtheir homes on the morning of
September 9th, they witnessed anindescribable sight.
The city of Galveston had beenmaimed and disfigured by the
worst natural disaster in UnitedStates history, and An
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estimated 6,000 Galvestonianshad been lost to the calamity,
and the cost of the damage wasin the tens of millions of
dollars.
Imagine walking through a cityfull of rubble, climbing over
homes that had been decimated tosticks and piles of timber,
with people crying for help allaround you.
The citizens of Galveston werein complete shock.
They initiated rescue andcleanup efforts immediately
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throughout the city.
For the survivors, the days thatfollowed were excruciating.
The storm had blown away thecloud cover and it was
exceptionally hot.
Communications andtransportation to and from the
island had been severed.
Looters and thieves wouldscavenge through the wreckage
and search for anything of value.
City officials, police andmilitary personnel gathered
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groups of civilians to mount acleanup effort and instituted
martial law on the island Toprevent all-out chaos from the
public.
All of the surviving saloonswere ordered to be closed, and
looters and thieves would beexecuted on the spot.
Downtown Galveston buildings andwarehouses were utilized as
makeshift morgues.
Regardless of social status,all able-bodied men were forced
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some at Bayonet Point to workcleaning up the city and dispose
of the masses of dead bodies.
What was the payment for theseworking men?
They were given as much whiskeyas they could tolerate in order
to follow through with theunimaginable task of placing
unclaimed and unidentifiablebodies onto barges that were
taken offshore and thrown intothe Gulf.
This effort would provefallible, as most of the bodies
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washed back up onto the beach,adding to the horrific
experience.
The last resort was to commencemass cremations before the
bodies began to decay anddisease began to spread.
Urgency was of utmost importance, as the city was no stranger to
deadly pathogens.
As word spread around the globeof the destruction of the Queen
City on the Gulf, assistance inthe form of money, food and
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supplies began to arrive to thestaggering citizens.
The city was in great need ofwater, food, kerosene, oil,
candles and basic dailynecessities.
Several organizations set uprelief camps on the mainland for
destitute women and children.
Clara Barton, the founder ofthe Red Cross, traveled to
Galveston and distributed over$120,000 worth of relief
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supplies.
Railroads all over the countryhauled supplies to Galveston for
free and even held competitionsof what rail company supplies
could reach the island first.
Money and supplies were donatedfrom all over the country and
even the world.
Galveston received donationsfrom England, france, germany,
canada and countless othercountries.
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As the relief poured in and thecleanup process marched on,
martial law was eventuallylifted.
Morale began to slowly improveas the city's infrastructure was
restarted and rebuilt.
The streetcars in Galvestonwere running by September 17.
The grain elevator at the portwas operational and loading
grain onto ships by September 21.
The port of Galveston exportedtheir first shipment after the
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great storm.
Over the next few months,galveston slowly crawled back to
life.
Restaurants opened, homes werebuilt and entertainment venues
made their way back into islandlife.
A testament to the speed thecity was rebuilt is the Grand
1894 Opera House.
It was up and running byJanuary 1901, only a few months
after the storm.
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Many survivors and businesseslost most, if not everything
they had to their name and manyleft Galveston never to return.
City officials quickly divertedtheir discussion of how to
rebuild the island and discussedoptions to protect Galveston
from another horrific event suchas the Great Storm, it can be
hard to imagine that one of themost important cities in Texas
(18:01):
would be sitting on a low-lyingsandbar that is prone to major
weather events.
However, city leaders werefocused on all the advantages
that Galveston held, such as theport, the beach and the dynamic
citizen base, and refused toabandon those attributes in an
hour of misfortune.
Bolstering the island'sdefenses and building a seawall
to protect Galveston's assetshad been debated for at least
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two decades prior to the GreatStorm.
At this point, the necessitywas on full display for the
world to see.
Galveston was one of the mostpowerful economic drivers in
Texas.
Protecting this city fromanother catastrophe was
imperative.
The only way for Galveston tomove forward was to move up.
The decision was made to builda protective barrier and elevate
the island.
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A plan to develop the seawallwas born In conjunction with
building of a seawall to protectfrom the power of hurricanes.
Engineers from around thecountry would devise plans to
raise the entire urbanizedportion of Galveston Island to
defend from Bayside Surge andflooding.
In order to tackle these majorprojects, at one time the
logical decision was made to adda third major project into the
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mix the ship channel andentrance to Galveston Bay was to
be dredged to make way forlarger vessels to call the port.
The mud from the dredge projectwould be used as fill for the
monumental grade project.
In 1902, construction of theGalveston Seawall began.
The initial seawall extendedfrom 6th Street to 39th Street,
a little over 3 miles.
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The project utilized a railline with specialized and
custom-built machinery.
This custom machinery was madefor concrete pouring and pile
driving.
The outer face of the seawallwas built in a curved fashion to
carry heavy waves upwards.
Astonishingly, each foot of theseawall contains over 40,000
pounds of concrete with heavystone riprap placed in front of
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the wall.
This riprap breaks up the wavesbefore it hits the wall.
The first seawall project wascompleted in 1904.
The initial grade-raisingproject began in 1903 and
required dredging canals throughthe island and building
customized dredges.
The grade-raising wasaccomplished in square
quarter-mile sections.
Each of these sections wasenclosed in a dike.
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Then all structures andutilities, such as streetcar
tracks, fireplugs and waterpipes were lifted.
Around 2,000 buildings, homesand churches were raised and put
on stilts.
Hand-turned jackscrews wereused to lift these structures.
The sand fill was transportedto residential districts through
a 20-foot-deep, 200-foot-wide,2.5-mile-long canal using four
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self-loading hopper dredges.
After the fill was dischargedand the areas to be raised, new
foundations were constructed ontop of the elevated surface.
This monumental task wascompleted in 1911.
In the event of the inevitablehurricane, the grade-raising and
seawall project were designedfor floodwater to drain from the
17-foot-high seawall into theharbor.
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It's important to keep in mindthat, prior to the grade-raising
, the highest point on theisland was 8 feet above sea
level, which had proven to be aninadequate elevation for
Galveston's metropolitanprominence.
The grade-raising not onlyreinforced the seawall, but also
made way to improve drainageand sewage systems.
The grade-raising and seawallproject were one of the largest
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civil projects in the UnitedStates in the early 1900s.
Galveston's post-storm faceliftproved its worth during major
hurricanes in 1909 and 1915.
The city only faced minordamage in comparison with the
1900s storm.
Although Galveston never sawthe port or business district
return to its pre-1900 glory,the city rebuilt and redefined
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itself in the years thatfollowed the storm.
This 1900 Galveston is evenresponsible for inventing a form
of government that is usedaround the country today.
In 1901, during the rebuildingperiod, a group of business
leaders requested that thegovernor of Texas appoint a
commission.
The idea was for thiscommission of five to take
charge of reassembling thecity's imperative economic
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operations.
Some city leaders andGalvestonians opposed this plan
as it was viewed as undemocratic.
The plan was altered to providefor a popular city election of
two of the five commissioners.
This city government system wasadopted for the first time.
This form of government is nowknown as a city commission or
the Galveston plan, and wentinto effect in Galveston one
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year after the storm.
This structure of governmentspread rapidly throughout Texas
and other states between 1901and 1920.
This form of city governmentlasted in Galveston until 1960,
when Galveston adopted a citycouncil form of government.
The Great Storm of 1900 not onlydestroyed the city of Galveston
but changed the course of Texashistory.
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In the years following thestorm, the commercial center and
major seaport in the regionrelocated to Houston.
Galveston was never able tofully recover to its former
glory, but today where's a badgeof resilience?
And this badge cannot be deniedIn memory of those lost during
the Great Storm.
September 8th and 9th 1900,galveston, texas.
In memory of those lost during the Great Storm.
September 8th and 9th 1900,galveston, texas, on the eve of
splintered dreams and eminence,engulfed September 8th 1900, a
day that would change the Texascoast and the course of
Galveston Island's distincteconomic position and seemingly
(00:22):
endless prosperity forever.
A powerful hurricane, whichstruck Galveston with very
little notice, left the islandin the waters.
The city's potential was nomatch for the momentum of a
hurricane, with the storm surgeexceeding the highest point on
the island and winds at over 100miles per hour.
This hurricane is now known asthe Great Storm of 1900 and is,
(00:44):
to this day, the deadliestnatural disaster in United
States history.
On September 7th 1900, the dayprior to the Great Storm, the
city was in the swing of summer.
The island city of Galvestonhad grown from a small
settlement on the coast of thenewly formed Republic of Texas
into one of the wealthiestcities in the United States.
(01:04):
Galveston had experiencedhurricanes and even severe
storms that caused destruction,but nothing had deterred
Galvestonians from continuingtheir lives on a barrier island
on the Gulf coast of Texas.
The impression of the generalpublic, as well as numerous
experts, was the island city ofGalveston was an unrelenting
powerhouse that would soon be amajor metropolis of the southern
(01:25):
United States.
Affluent residents and wealthytourists from all over the
country visited Galveston tobathe and play in the warm
waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The city, although a fractionof the population, was
considered a premiercosmopolitan city comparable to
San Francisco or New Orleans andeven some of the prominent
cities in the Northeast.
It seemed as if nothing couldstop the influx of fortune.
(01:48):
In 1900, with a population ofover 37,000, galveston boasted
being the third richest city inthe United States per capita.
Throughout the late 1800s, withplentiful growth, wealth and
prosperity, the island was hometo numerous firsts in the state
of Texas, such as the firstelectricity and the first
telephones.
Its natural deepwater channelmade Galveston the most
(02:11):
important seaport in Texas.
By the turn of the 20th century, over a thousand ships were
passing through the port ofGalveston and roughly 60% of the
state's cotton crop wasexported through the port.
As the population of the UnitedStates expanded towards the West
Coast, galveston's capacity forimports provided a means to
bring commodities, materials andpeople as close to the American
(02:33):
West as possible.
Multiple major rail linesstarted or ended on the booming
island.
Significant efforts were beingmade to expand the capacity of
the port of Galveston to competewith a rapidly growing port
city 52 miles north.
That city is named Houston.
The island was also the gatewayinto Texas for immigrants from
all over the world.
(02:54):
Galveston was, without a doubt,the most economically robust
city in Texas.
Up to the eve of the GreatStorm, major hotels, elegant
bars and delectable restaurantscould be found throughout the
city, and plenty of locals andvisitors alike were willing to
keep them busy.
Daily trains from both Houstonand Beaumont would make their
(03:14):
way into the bustling city onthe Gulf.
The Beaumont rail line wouldtravel across the
Galveston-Balliver Ferry, whichutilized a vessel with the
capability to hold passengerrail cars.
This rail ferry would cross theGalveston Ship Channel and land
on the northeast side ofGalveston Island.
The rail line to and fromHouston would cross a wooden
railroad bridge into the northside of the island.
(03:35):
Galveston Island was bustlingall the way up until disaster
struck.
A man named Isaac Klein, head ofthe Texas section of the United
States Weather Bureau, believedthat, due to Galveston's unique
position in the Gulf of Mexico,the island was in a safe zone
from major hurricanes.
In those days, stormforecasting was done through the
National Weather Bureau inWashington DC and many
(03:58):
weathermen were not trained toforecast events such as
hurricanes.
In 1900, the ability to trackhurricanes was possible, but
rudimentary.
It required communication bytelegraph from branches of the
Weather Service back to theheadquarters in DC.
Essentially, the WeatherService relied on raw data from
multiple locations To add layersof complexity to the
(04:19):
centralized control offorecasting.
Due to strain relations, theNational Weather Bureau had cut
ties with the Cuban WeatherService.
Three days before the stormstruck Galveston, it tore
through the Caribbean anddirectly over Cuba.
As a major hurricane enteredthe Gulf of Mexico, the Cuban
Weather Service telegraphed theNational Weather Bureau, but no
(04:39):
heed was taken.
The National Weather Bureau,lacking pertinent information
from Cuba, believed the stormhad instead tracked near Cuba
and then turned northeast andwas headed back into the
Atlantic Ocean.
Days before the impending storm,it was business as usual in
Galveston.
The characteristics that madethe city attractive as a
vacation destination and apleasant place to live left it
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vulnerable to imminent disaster.
However, you would behard-pressed to find many people
who believed this low-lyingisland sitting right on the Gulf
Coast could fall into completecatastrophe.
This idea was about to be puton trial.
The highest natural elevationon the island was around 8 feet
above sea level.
On the evening of September 7,1900, the tide seemed high and
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the waves were a little moreaggressive than usual.
Isaac Klein, the chief of theTexas branch of the National
Weather Bureau, was well awarethat something was off.
Most Galvestonians went to bedwithout an inkling of an idea
that it was going to be the lasttime they would be cozy in
their barely higher than sealevel homes.
For the next day was September8, 1900.
(05:46):
Through the darkening skies anddropping barometers, the morning
of Saturday, september 8, 1900,started like any other day for
most Galvestonians.
People went to work, the dailytrains were running to and from
Galveston, and the morning thetalk of the town between the
locals and tourists alike wasthe rising tide and rough waves.
Isaac Klein, the chief of theTexas branch of the National
(06:09):
Weather Bureau, had hoisted astorm warning flag the evening
before.
As the weather bureau began towonder if there was in fact a
storm in the Gulf of Mexico,galveston had no true protection
from an impending storm.
City leaders had discussedbuilding a breakwater or seawall
, but this decision neverprogressed beyond a vote.
If there was a storm headedstraight for Galveston, it was
(06:30):
too late for effectivepreparations.
God was spreading throughGalveston that there could be a
storm in the Gulf, but thechances that it was severe or
would strike Galveston were slim, according to the National
Weather Bureau and theexperience of many Galvestonians
.
As the morning rolled on, kidswere playing in the flooded
streets and people were enjoyingthe cool breezes from a porch
or through their open windows.
(06:51):
Regardless of the storm warning, it was too late.
For most, it was just anotherrainy summer day in Galveston.
Unwitting passengers on thelast train to the island finally
rolled over the rail bridge by9.45 am after having to transfer
to another line when theconductor found the main set of
tracks completely washed out.
These passengers noticed thatthe waves in Galveston Bay were
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lapping just under the bottom ofthe rails of the track.
After hearing the morning gossipof the storm warning flag being
raised, many islanders expected, at worst, high tides and large
waves that would appease thetourists and people living south
of Broadway would have to bringtheir lawn furnishings up on
the porch, which was somewhatnormal when a storm rolled in
every so often.
By 11 am, crowds of tourists,children and locals began to
(07:34):
form on the beach to watch thewaves crash over the streetcar
trestle.
With every crashing wave aclose observer may have noticed
that the island seemed to besinking into the gulf.
By noon, the streetcars hadquit running and the waves began
lapping against the beachfronthomes and buildings.
Although the storm surge waspushing billions of gallons of
water into Galveston Bay,effectively flanking the island
(07:55):
from the bay side, the ornateVictorian buildings in downtown
Galveston were full ofrestaurant and saloon goers.
Employees filled offices, docksand warehouses, and grocers
sold their goods.
They could not anticipate thechaos.
As murmurs of the high tides andincreasingly violent waves
traveled through the ranks ofGalveston's residents and summer
visitors.
By the early afternoon thewhipping wind had shifted and
(08:19):
was the invisible indicator thatit was too late to escape the
cataclysm.
There had never been anevacuation warning, only a storm
flag raised the evening beforeBetween Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico had finally met at 15thStreet and Broadway Storm.
Experienced onlookers had neverseen this kind of inundation in
their lifetime.
The crowds that were watchingthe giant waves crash into the
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beach had dissipated to findrefuge from the increasing
downpour.
People, homes and commercialstructures found themselves
overwhelmed with saltwater.
The rain was starting to becomeheavy, steady and horizontal.
The men who had gone to workand left their wives and
children at home were fortunateif they lived but a few blocks
away, for this was the finalchance to wade and swim through
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the flooded streets of Galvestonto their loved ones.
No one knew it yet by the nextmorning the island would be
transformed into aninconceivable, soggy and
splintered wasteland.
By around 3 pm, people from theJohn Sealy Hospital on the far
east end to St Mary's Orphanageon the westward portion of the
city began their struggle tosecure refuge.
(09:24):
As the darkness of the stormclosed in like nightfall.
There was no longer any doubtthat there was a storm in the
gulf, and Galveston was thetarget.
Those who had been comfortablethe night before sought homes
and buildings stronger thantheir own and attempted to
traverse the torrential streetsand win flung debris.
People who decided to ride outthe storm in their own home
(09:44):
brought everything inside thatthey could.
This included livestock cows,chickens, goats and pigs that
filled small, cramped rooms thatalso held their kids, neighbors
and strangers who begged toride out the storm.
The rising water was unrelenting.
Most homes in Galveston weremade of wood and it was common
for many to chop holes in theirfloor to use the weight of the
(10:06):
floodwater to keep their homesfrom floating off the foundation
.
This was a bold effort, but notenough to keep many homes
intact, as the Gulf of Mexicofound itself completely washing
over Galveston Island whiledisplaying the full force of
mother nature.
First wagons, barrels and largeobjects that were not secured
began to float away.
This made swimming extremelydifficult.
(10:29):
Next, slate shingles, whichwere popular in Galveston as
they reduced the spread of fire,began to fly off roofs and
indiscriminately slice, cut andslam into anything that was in
their way, making deadlyprojectiles in over a hundred
mile per hour wind.
Then occupied houses began tocrumble, flip over and wash away
(10:49):
.
People screamed and cried outfor help, but the pleas were no
match.
Over the howling wind anddriving rain as night fell and
the storm ravaged the citycrumbled, homes and possessions
added to the chaotic soup thatbecame the Galveston city
streets.
While pitch black and landmarksdisappearing around them,
survivors of the crumbled homesand buildings would climb onto
(11:09):
anything they could, as theywould float through the city
streets.
They would cling to roofs,trees or anything that would
float and hang on for dear life.
If they were lucky, they wouldbe pulled into an open window
and could ride it out until thatbuilding gave way, and then do
it all over again.
The storm raged through thenight, collapsing homes,
destroying buildings and hurlingobjects and structures.
(11:30):
Many buildings in downtownGalveston had their roofs and
top floors collapsed in by thestorm.
Nonetheless, many sought refugein the sturdy buildings in
downtown Galveston.
There are first-hand accountsof people being rescued as they
floated by second-story windows.
Shipping vessels in the harborthat were tied to a pier were
thrown around like toys by thewaves.
They were lucky to stay afloatas they were being slammed up
(11:53):
and down against the docks.
Regardless of where you wereriding up the storm, you were
going to witness mayhem.
First-hand accounts remark onhow the indescribable
devastation caused people'sself-control to give way, and
screams of sorrow and despairrang through the evening
wherever people happened to behiding.
Through the long night ofSeptember 8th into the early
hours of September 9th,galvestonians lives were flipped
(12:16):
upside down.
The neighborhoods between thebeach and Avenue N were
completely decimated.
The debris created from thosedestroyed homes piled up between
Avenue N and Avenue M andcreated a type of wall.
This wall slightly dulled theblows of the hurricane force
waves for most of the buildingsnorth of Avenue N.
This, however, did not ensuresurvival for buildings on the
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other side of this wall ofdestroyed homes and debris.
No residents escaped damage.
No person was without loss.
St Mary's Orphanage, which waslocated just a few hundred yards
from the beach on the West End,lost all nuns and all but three
of the orphans.
People lost husbands, wives,kids, brothers, sisters, parents
, and some made it out as theonly surviving member of their
(12:59):
family.
As dawn arrived, the storm hadpassed and the water had receded
, the devastation began toreveal itself.
The Grand Island City, theQueen Jewel of the South, the
Wall Street of the Southwest,had just experienced the
deadliest natural disaster in UShistory.
The experience of surviving thestorm would have been a
nightmare and for those who madeit through, the horrifying
(13:21):
ordeal had just begun.
The bodies of people andanimals covered the debris-lined
streets.
Prominent city landmarks hadbeen wiped off the face of the
earth.
There was no communication toor from the outside world, as
the telegraph poles and causewayhad been completely wiped out.
It would be days before theworld would hear about the
destruction in Galveston andweeks before substantial
(13:42):
assistance could reach theisland.
In Galveston alone, it isestimated that over 6,000 people
were killed during the storm.
As the survivors emerged SundaySeptember 9th 1900, they would
face Galveston's second greatestchallenge March of Law,
makeshift morgues and menworking at Bayonet Point.
These were the daunting firststeps towards rebuilding
(14:04):
Galveston and earning the titleof a resilient city.
Forever Galveston earning thebadge of resilience.
As Galvestonians emerged fromtheir homes on the morning of
September 9th, they witnessed anindescribable sight.
The city of Galveston had beenmaimed and disfigured by the
worst natural disaster in UnitedStates history, and An
(14:25):
estimated 6,000 Galvestonianshad been lost to the calamity,
and the cost of the damage wasin the tens of millions of
dollars.
Imagine walking through a cityfull of rubble, climbing over
homes that had been decimated tosticks and piles of timber,
with people crying for help allaround you.
The citizens of Galveston werein complete shock.
They initiated rescue andcleanup efforts immediately
(14:48):
throughout the city.
For the survivors, the days thatfollowed were excruciating.
The storm had blown away thecloud cover and it was
exceptionally hot.
Communications andtransportation to and from the
island had been severed.
Looters and thieves wouldscavenge through the wreckage
and search for anything of value.
City officials, police andmilitary personnel gathered
(15:08):
groups of civilians to mount acleanup effort and instituted
martial law on the island Toprevent all-out chaos from the
public.
All of the surviving saloonswere ordered to be closed, and
looters and thieves would beexecuted on the spot.
Downtown Galveston buildings andwarehouses were utilized as
makeshift morgues.
Regardless of social status,all able-bodied men were forced
(15:31):
some at Bayonet Point to workcleaning up the city and dispose
of the masses of dead bodies.
What was the payment for theseworking men?
They were given as much whiskeyas they could tolerate in order
to follow through with theunimaginable task of placing
unclaimed and unidentifiablebodies onto barges that were
taken offshore and thrown intothe Gulf.
This effort would provefallible, as most of the bodies
(15:52):
washed back up onto the beach,adding to the horrific
experience.
The last resort was to commencemass cremations before the
bodies began to decay anddisease began to spread.
Urgency was of utmost importance, as the city was no stranger to
deadly pathogens.
As word spread around the globeof the destruction of the Queen
City on the Gulf, assistance inthe form of money, food and
(16:14):
supplies began to arrive to thestaggering citizens.
The city was in great need ofwater, food, kerosene, oil,
candles and basic dailynecessities.
Several organizations set uprelief camps on the mainland for
destitute women and children.
Clara Barton, the founder ofthe Red Cross, traveled to
Galveston and distributed over$120,000 worth of relief
(16:36):
supplies.
Railroads all over the countryhauled supplies to Galveston for
free and even held competitionsof what rail company supplies
could reach the island first.
Money and supplies were donatedfrom all over the country and
even the world.
Galveston received donationsfrom England, france, germany,
canada and countless othercountries.
(16:57):
As the relief poured in and thecleanup process marched on,
martial law was eventuallylifted.
Morale began to slowly improveas the city's infrastructure was
restarted and rebuilt.
The streetcars in Galvestonwere running by September 17.
The grain elevator at the portwas operational and loading
grain onto ships by September 21.
The port of Galveston exportedtheir first shipment after the
(17:20):
great storm.
Over the next few months,galveston slowly crawled back to
life.
Restaurants opened, homes werebuilt and entertainment venues
made their way back into islandlife.
A testament to the speed thecity was rebuilt is the Grand
1894 Opera House.
It was up and running byJanuary 1901, only a few months
after the storm.
(17:40):
Many survivors and businesseslost most, if not everything
they had to their name and manyleft Galveston never to return.
City officials quickly divertedtheir discussion of how to
rebuild the island and discussedoptions to protect Galveston
from another horrific event suchas the Great Storm, it can be
hard to imagine that one of themost important cities in Texas
(18:01):
would be sitting on a low-lyingsandbar that is prone to major
weather events.
However, city leaders werefocused on all the advantages
that Galveston held, such as theport, the beach and the dynamic
citizen base, and refused toabandon those attributes in an
hour of misfortune.
Bolstering the island'sdefenses and building a seawall
to protect Galveston's assetshad been debated for at least
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two decades prior to the GreatStorm.
At this point, the necessitywas on full display for the
world to see.
Galveston was one of the mostpowerful economic drivers in
Texas.
Protecting this city fromanother catastrophe was
imperative.
The only way for Galveston tomove forward was to move up.
The decision was made to builda protective barrier and elevate
the island.
(18:43):
A plan to develop the seawallwas born In conjunction with
building of a seawall to protectfrom the power of hurricanes.
Engineers from around thecountry would devise plans to
raise the entire urbanizedportion of Galveston Island to
defend from Bayside Surge andflooding.
In order to tackle these majorprojects, at one time the
logical decision was made to adda third major project into the
(19:05):
mix the ship channel andentrance to Galveston Bay was to
be dredged to make way forlarger vessels to call the port.
The mud from the dredge projectwould be used as fill for the
monumental grade project.
In 1902, construction of theGalveston Seawall began.
The initial seawall extendedfrom 6th Street to 39th Street,
a little over 3 miles.
(19:25):
The project utilized a railline with specialized and
custom-built machinery.
This custom machinery was madefor concrete pouring and pile
driving.
The outer face of the seawallwas built in a curved fashion to
carry heavy waves upwards.
Astonishingly, each foot of theseawall contains over 40,000
pounds of concrete with heavystone riprap placed in front of
(19:46):
the wall.
This riprap breaks up the wavesbefore it hits the wall.
The first seawall project wascompleted in 1904.
The initial grade-raisingproject began in 1903 and
required dredging canals throughthe island and building
customized dredges.
The grade-raising wasaccomplished in square
quarter-mile sections.
Each of these sections wasenclosed in a dike.
(20:08):
Then all structures andutilities, such as streetcar
tracks, fireplugs and waterpipes were lifted.
Around 2,000 buildings, homesand churches were raised and put
on stilts.
Hand-turned jackscrews wereused to lift these structures.
The sand fill was transportedto residential districts through
a 20-foot-deep, 200-foot-wide,2.5-mile-long canal using four
(20:32):
self-loading hopper dredges.
After the fill was dischargedand the areas to be raised, new
foundations were constructed ontop of the elevated surface.
This monumental task wascompleted in 1911.
In the event of the inevitablehurricane, the grade-raising and
seawall project were designedfor floodwater to drain from the
17-foot-high seawall into theharbor.
(20:52):
It's important to keep in mindthat, prior to the grade-raising
, the highest point on theisland was 8 feet above sea
level, which had proven to be aninadequate elevation for
Galveston's metropolitanprominence.
The grade-raising not onlyreinforced the seawall, but also
made way to improve drainageand sewage systems.
The grade-raising and seawallproject were one of the largest
(21:13):
civil projects in the UnitedStates in the early 1900s.
Galveston's post-storm faceliftproved its worth during major
hurricanes in 1909 and 1915.
The city only faced minordamage in comparison with the
1900s storm.
Although Galveston never sawthe port or business district
return to its pre-1900 glory,the city rebuilt and redefined
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itself in the years thatfollowed the storm.
This 1900 Galveston is evenresponsible for inventing a form
of government that is usedaround the country today.
In 1901, during the rebuildingperiod, a group of business
leaders requested that thegovernor of Texas appoint a
commission.
The idea was for thiscommission of five to take
charge of reassembling thecity's imperative economic
(21:55):
operations.
Some city leaders andGalvestonians opposed this plan
as it was viewed as undemocratic.
The plan was altered to providefor a popular city election of
two of the five commissioners.
This city government system wasadopted for the first time.
This form of government is nowknown as a city commission or
the Galveston plan, and wentinto effect in Galveston one
(22:16):
year after the storm.
This structure of governmentspread rapidly throughout Texas
and other states between 1901and 1920.
This form of city governmentlasted in Galveston until 1960,
when Galveston adopted a citycouncil form of government.
The Great Storm of 1900 not onlydestroyed the city of Galveston
but changed the course of Texashistory.
(22:36):
In the years following thestorm, the commercial center and
major seaport in the regionrelocated to Houston.
Galveston was never able tofully recover to its former
glory, but today where's a badgeof resilience?
And this badge cannot be deniedIn memory of those lost during
the Great Storm.
September 8th and 9th 1900,galveston, texas.
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