September 4, 1900 fell on a Tuesday, and for the people on Galveston Island, it was a fairly ordinary Tuesday. The islanders, at that point in time, had no idea of huge catastrophe that would befall them only four days later.
The Galveston Island of September, 1900 was a source of great pride for the state of Texas. The port of Galveston was the only deep water port west of New Orleans at that time. The people of Galveston enjoyed food and goods that most people in the United States could only read about. The culture of Galveston was also a point of Texas pride, as Galveston had become a major door of immigration for people coming from Europe or Asia. Most immigrants moved on to points north, but many immigrants remained on the island, creating a cultural experience unique to the island. The population of the actual city of Galveston was listed at 38,000. Several hundred more people lived along the length of the island outside of the city. Even at this early point in Galveston's history, there were bridges connecting it to the mainland, and railroad lines carried freight to Houston and to cities northwest of the island.
Yes, Galveston Island and the city of Galveston were indeed the pearls of Texas. But on this Tuesday, the 4th of September, clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. As ships and boats began arriving from the Caribbean and southern points, news gradually spread throughout the port that a hurricane had struck Cuba and was most likely headed for Galveston Island. As the days passed, some people left the island just in case the storm did make landfall there. But others, either not hearing the news, or not believing that the storm was to be feared, remained.
It may be difficult for us in the modern world to understand this reticence to leave the island, but in 1900 the people actually had a valid reason to stay, even as knowledge of the impending storm made its way up and down the island. In 1889 one of the most prominent meteorologists in the United States was sent to Galveston to oversee the opening of the first weather station there. At that time the National Weather Service was a section of the United States Army Signal Corps, and Mr. Isaac Cline was one of the better trained weather forecasters of his time. Mr. Cline spent several years studying the weather patterns and the ocean currents around Galveston. Known widely as a very gifted forecaster due his accurate predictions of floods in Tennessee and across the lower Great Plains, any statement made by Mr. Cline concerning the weather carried a great deal of weight with city and county leaders on Galveston Island.
In 1891, Isaac Cline published articles in which he stated there was little danger of a major hurricane striking Galveston. Many residents of Galveston, some of whom had lived on the island much longer than had Cline, had been calling for local leaders to construct a seawall on the windward side of the island, that would run at least the length of the city. Others, including city and county officials, trusted Cline and his weather expertise. The seawall called for in the 1890's was not constructed, and the weather pattern seemed to bear out Mr. Cline's pronouncement regarding serious storms. After all, the last hurricane of any consequence had been recorded in Spanish records more than one hundred years earlier. But as more sailors arrived that Tuesday, September 4, 1900, as they warned the people and as they themselves sailed away into calmer waters, a storm to beat all storms bore down slowly and relentlessly on Galveston Island.
To Be Continued.
The Galveston Island of September, 1900 was a source of great pride for the state of Texas. The port of Galveston was the only deep water port west of New Orleans at that time. The people of Galveston enjoyed food and goods that most people in the United States could only read about. The culture of Galveston was also a point of Texas pride, as Galveston had become a major door of immigration for people coming from Europe or Asia. Most immigrants moved on to points north, but many immigrants remained on the island, creating a cultural experience unique to the island. The population of the actual city of Galveston was listed at 38,000. Several hundred more people lived along the length of the island outside of the city. Even at this early point in Galveston's history, there were bridges connecting it to the mainland, and railroad lines carried freight to Houston and to cities northwest of the island.
Yes, Galveston Island and the city of Galveston were indeed the pearls of Texas. But on this Tuesday, the 4th of September, clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. As ships and boats began arriving from the Caribbean and southern points, news gradually spread throughout the port that a hurricane had struck Cuba and was most likely headed for Galveston Island. As the days passed, some people left the island just in case the storm did make landfall there. But others, either not hearing the news, or not believing that the storm was to be feared, remained.
It may be difficult for us in the modern world to understand this reticence to leave the island, but in 1900 the people actually had a valid reason to stay, even as knowledge of the impending storm made its way up and down the island. In 1889 one of the most prominent meteorologists in the United States was sent to Galveston to oversee the opening of the first weather station there. At that time the National Weather Service was a section of the United States Army Signal Corps, and Mr. Isaac Cline was one of the better trained weather forecasters of his time. Mr. Cline spent several years studying the weather patterns and the ocean currents around Galveston. Known widely as a very gifted forecaster due his accurate predictions of floods in Tennessee and across the lower Great Plains, any statement made by Mr. Cline concerning the weather carried a great deal of weight with city and county leaders on Galveston Island.
In 1891, Isaac Cline published articles in which he stated there was little danger of a major hurricane striking Galveston. Many residents of Galveston, some of whom had lived on the island much longer than had Cline, had been calling for local leaders to construct a seawall on the windward side of the island, that would run at least the length of the city. Others, including city and county officials, trusted Cline and his weather expertise. The seawall called for in the 1890's was not constructed, and the weather pattern seemed to bear out Mr. Cline's pronouncement regarding serious storms. After all, the last hurricane of any consequence had been recorded in Spanish records more than one hundred years earlier. But as more sailors arrived that Tuesday, September 4, 1900, as they warned the people and as they themselves sailed away into calmer waters, a storm to beat all storms bore down slowly and relentlessly on Galveston Island.
To Be Continued.
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