 "Condition of Twenty-First Street." September 15, 1900. The Houston Daily Post (Houston, TX), Image 3. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. The "Night of Horrors" September 8, 1900, begins as a 15-foot storm surge rolls across Galveston, Texas, killing over 8,000. Dawn breaks over a grisly scene of bodies in the streets. The Galveston flood is remembered even to this day as the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Read more about it! The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America. The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
Dredge material is pumped into the island during the grade raising after the 1900 hurricane. Residents endured years of pumps, sludge, canals, stench and miles of catwalks during the project. Rosenberg Library
Residents of Galveston stand in the ruins of homes wrecked by the 1900 storm. NOAAOn Sept. 8, 1900, what may have been the deadliest hurricane to ever hit the United States struck Galveston, Texas. As many as 6,000 people died, and more than two-thirds of the burgeoning city's buildings were destroyed. Patricia Bellis Bixel wrote about the years-long reconstruction of Galveston in the book Galveston and the 1900 Storm. She tells Debbie Elliott how the rebuilding effort was carried out. Read an Excerpt from Galveston and the 1900 Storm: The year 1900 began promisingly for Galveston. The Spanish-American War was over, and shipping traffic resumed its normal level. On January 16, 1900, C. P. Huntington confirmed the purchase of the Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railroad and its integration into the larger Southern Pacific rail system. Exports still greatly exceeded imports in port traffic, but the rapid growth of Texas and the upper coast meant increases in arriving goods as well. In the spring, Galvestonians completed the Texas Heroes Monument, a magnificent edifice at the intersection of 25th Street and Broadway, that celebrated Texas's success at the battle of San Jacinto and the subsequent victory for Texas independence. The statue had been part of the bequest of Henry Rosenberg, and the Sidney Sherman chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas supervised its construction. It was dedicated on April 21, 1900 -- anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto -- and celebrated with a long parade and ceremony, the occasion marked by many speeches and much band music. For most of the country the year began January 1, but for large portions of Galveston, the calendar began on September 1, when cotton season opened. Each September the Galveston Daily News acknowledged the event with a large feature devoted to an annual business report of "the trade and commerce of the Port of Galveston." The 1900-1901 season was no exception, and economic forecasters were overwhelmingly optimistic. Galveston had surpassed New Orleans to become the top cotton port in the nation, and during 1899 had moved to second place (after New York) in wheat exports. Transport problems caused by the Spanish-American War were over, and while the troublesome Boers in South Africa affected British ships and shipping, Galveston leaders watched for an expansion in traffic through the port as the year progressed. For the first week of September, the front page of the newspaper reported the ongoing Boxer Rebellion in China and assorted European adventures. The 1900 presidential race was shaping up, and the Daily News dutifully recounted speeches by candidates William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. The status of cotton on the world market was reported on a daily basis, and the decision by Lancashire spinners to buy or not concerned many in the Gulf port. Each Sunday the paper listed the depth of water over Galveston's outer bar for the previous week. On Tuesday, September 5, the Daily News described the Labor Day parade of the previous afternoon, and local unions were commended for their "fine showing in the procession." The writer commented that "there seemed to be more good humor, snap and ginger about yesterday's parade than any turnout for the past several years." Peightal and Booth, contracting tinners, received first prize for their float, which was in the shape of a star on either side of the float, and ornamented with fancy tin work. cornice [sic] worker's furnaces, tinners' tools, and decorative work were placed so as to form a pleasing display... A huge, well fashioned eagle, all in tinwork, was perched aloft." The carpenter's union and the screwmen's benevolent association also received prizes. Elsewhere in the paper that Tuesday, a tropical disturbance was noted to be "moving northward over western Cuba." Eastbound vessels were advised to expect high winds over the eastern Gulf and Florida coast. At the end of the 19th century, Galveston, Texas was booming with a population of approximately 40,000 residents. It was the largest city in the state of Texas, and it had become a thriving commercial port. Since the city’s formal founding in 1839, Galveston had weathered numerous tropical storms, all of which the city survived. On September 8, 1900, however, the Great Galveston Hurricane roared ashore, devastating the island with 130-140mph winds and a storm surge in excess of 15ft. In its aftermath, approximately 8,000 people (20% of the island’s population) lost their lives, making the hurricane the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history up to that time. Thirty-six hundred buildings were destroyed, and damage estimates exceeded $20 million (in 1900 USD; $516 million in 2009 USD).
Although the history of the hurricane’s track and its intensity are not fully known, U.S. Weather Bureau forecasters were aware of the tropical system as early as August 30, 1900. It reached Cuba as a tropical storm on September 3, inundating Santiago with over 610 mm (24 in) of rain in just two days. Cuban forecasters in Havana, closely monitoring the storm, predicted rapid intensification with the system passing through the Florida Straits and then moving northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. forecasters, however, believed the system would recurve, track to the northeast, and impact the mid-Atlantic. Wireless ship-to-shore communications were not yet available. Therefore, there was no way to know when and where the hurricane would strike for certain. The storm did not curve towards the northeast, and as it moved into and over the Gulf of Mexico, it rapidly intensified, so much so that by the time it reached the Texas coast on the evening of September 8, it was a Category 4 hurricane with 225.3 km/h (140 mph) winds. The citizens of Galveston did rebuild in the wake of this great hurricane, and in doing so, have been recognized in achieving a remarkable feat of civil engineering: the grade of the entire city was raised and a seawall was built to protect it. Within a decade, 500 city blocks had been raised by 0.3-3.3 m (1-11 ft) with sand dredged from Galveston’s ship channel. During the same period, a seawall spanning nearly 50 blocks was constructed, providing protection for the heart of Galveston. The seawall was tested in 1915 when a Category 3 hurricane battered the Texas coast with 193.2 km/h (120 mph) winds and a 4.9 m (16 ft) storm surge. Although the city sustained serious flooding and the wall was damaged, a repeat of the 1900 devastation was avoided. Fast Facts:
Sources Divine Wind, K. Emanuel (will need to double check pages) Barry D. Keim and Robert A. Muller. 2009. Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana State Press, Baton Rouge. Pp 1-15. NOAA Hurricane Preparedness site (Hurricane History): http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#galveston "Galveston's great storm". In: Library of Natural Disasters- Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Other Tropical Cyclones. 2008. Editor in Chief, Paul A. Kobasa. World Book. Chicago Pp 20-21 NOAA History- Special Report on the Galveston Hurricane of September 8, 1900 http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/cline2.html NOAA 200th Feature Stories- The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900- history http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/magazine/galv_hurricane/welcome.html references The Handbook of Texas Online, Galveston Hurricane of 1900- http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/GG/ydg2.html Time Magazine- The 1900 Galveston Hurricane. By Amanda Ripley. September 15, 2008. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1841442,00.html Wikipedia: 1900 Galveston Hurricane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane |
How long did it take to rebuild galveston after the 1900 hurricane
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