The 1900 Storm.....Galveston Island, Texas

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The 1900 Storm.....Galveston Island, Texas

#1 Postby Johnny » Mon Jul 28, 2003 12:47 pm

Just thought I'd share a good website I found about the 1900 storm. Lots of good information on it. Any thoughts are welcome.




http://www.1900storm.com/
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JetMaxx

#2 Postby JetMaxx » Mon Jul 28, 2003 1:30 pm

That's an excellent website for those seeking information on the Galveston hurricane.

Folks today can learn so much from hurricanes of the past such as the Galvestion disaster....learn from the mistakes that cost so many lives.

If a hurricane of that size and intensity were to strike the upper Texas Coast this season, there would likely be plenty of advance warning...but if folks are too apathetic and complacent to react, the death toll could be just as horrendous as a century ago.

The only difference in now and then is the technology that allows us to know ahead of time it's coming.
If we fail to use that advantage to our advantage, we're just as vunerable and doomed as those unfortunate folks were in 1900...once the tides and winds begin to rise :(

PW
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#3 Postby crazy4disney » Mon Jul 28, 2003 1:34 pm

That's a great site! Thanks, Johnny!! :)
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#4 Postby southerngale » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:14 pm

Thanks Johnny...great site. I viewed the pictures....the destruction is horrific!!! I hope everyone who lives where hurricanes strike will look at these and remember them when they say they want to ride out a cat4 or cat5 hurricane.

This is one of the many interesting things you'll find on this site. In case you missed this part, I'd recommend reading what the witnesses had to say. Here's one from a man at the Galveston Weather Bureau.


One of the thirty-three accounts is a letter written by John D. Blagden to his family in Duluth, Minnesota, while serving a temporary assignment at the Galveston Weather Bureau office away from his permanent station in Memphis, Tennessee. Aside from Isaac Cline's personal report, Blagden's letter is the only other account at the Rosenberg Library of someone stationed at the Weather Bureau office.




Weather Bureau
Galveston Tex
Sept 10, 1900

To All at home

Very probably you little expect to get a letter from me from here but here I am alive and without a scratch. That is what few can say in this storm swept City. I have been here two weeks, to take the place of a man who is on a three months leave, after which I go back to Memphis.

Of course you have heard of the storm that passed over this place last Friday night, but you cannot realize what it really was. I have seen many severe storms but never one like this. I remained in the office all night. It was in a building that stood the storm better than any other in the town, though it was badly damaged and rocked frightfully in some of the blasts. In the quarter of the city where I lodged (south part) everything was swept and nearly all drowned. The family with whom I roomed were all lost. I lost everything I brought with me from Memphis and a little money, but I think eighty Dollars will cover my entire loss: I am among the fortunate ones.

The Local Forecast Official, Dr. Cline, lives in the same part of the City and his brother (one of the observers here) boarded with him. They did not fare so well. Their house went with the rest and were out in the wreckage nearly all night. The L O F Dr. Cline lost his wife but after being nearly drowned themselves they saved the three children. As soon as possible the next morning after the waters went down I went out to the south end to see how they fared out there. I had to go through the wreckage of buildings nearly the entire distance (one mile) and when I got there I found everything swept clean. Part of it was still under water.

I could not even find the place where I had been staying. One that did not know would hardly believe that that had been a part of the city twenty-four hours before. I could not help seeing many bodies though I was not desirous of seeing them. I at once gave up the family with whom I stayed as lost which has proved true as their bodies have all been found, but the Clines I had more confidence in in regard to their ability to come out of it. I soon got sick of the sights out there and returned to the office to put things in order as best I could. When I got to the office I found a note from the younger Cline telling me of the safety of all except the Drs. wife. They were all badly bruised from falling and drifting timber and one of the children was very badly hurt and they have some fears as to her recovery.

Mr. Broncasiel, our printer, lives in another part of the town that suffered as badly is still missing and we have given him up as lost. There is not a building in town that is uninjured. Hundreds are busy day and night clearing away the debris and recovering the dead. It is awful. Every few minutes a wagon load of corpses passes by on the street.

The more fortunate are doing all they can to aid the sufferers but it is impossible to care for all. There is not room in the buildings standing to shelter them all and hundreds pass the night on the street. One meets people in all degrees of destitution. People but partially clothed are the rule and one fully clothed is an exception. The City is under military rule and the streets are patrolled by armed guards.

They are expected to shoot at once anyone found pilfering. I understand four men have been shot today for robbing the dead. I do not know how true it is for all kind of rumors are afloat and many of them are false. We have neither light, fuel or water. I have gone back to candles. I am now writing by candlelight.

A famine is feared, as nearly all the provisions were ruined by the water which stood from six to fifteen feet in the streets and all communication to the outside is cut off.

For myself, I have no fear. I sleep in the office. I have food to last for some time and have water, and means of getting more when it rains as it frequently does here and besides I have made friends here who will not let me starve. We had warning of the storm and many saved themselves by seeking safety before the storm reached here. We were busy all day Thursday answering telephone calls about it and advising people to prepare for danger. But the storm was more severe than we expected.

Dr. Cline placed confidence in the strength of his house. Many went to his house for safety as it was the strongest built of any in that part of the town, but of the forty odd who took refuge there less than twenty are now living.

I have been very busy since the storm and had little sleep but I intend to make up for sleep tonight. I do not know how or where I can send this but will send it first chance. Do not worry on my account.

Write soon.
Yours truly
John D. Blagden
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#5 Postby Guest » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:20 pm

Chilling account.
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#6 Postby JetMaxx » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:33 pm

Very sobering account of nature at it's worst...and the author of that letter was one of the lucky ones....he was still alive.
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#7 Postby Lindaloo » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:39 pm

What really got to me was the story of the 10 sisters and the 90 orphans that perished!! What a heart-wrenching story!!
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#8 Postby Johnny » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:41 pm

I read that myself southergale. Thanks for posting. I believe this was a cat.3 or 4 storm which was estimated years later by the NWS I believe. Of course there was no seawall at the time but went up not too long down the road after this devastation. When Claudette sideswiped Galveston not too long ago, waves came crashing over the seawall and onto Seawall Blvd. That's not a good sign. The Galveston Seawall would not be able to handle a strong category 3 storm or bigger. It's been a loooooong time since Galveston has been hit head on by a strong hurricane. Alicia was the last if I'm not mistaken.
I've heard alot of stories over the years about the 1900 storm. The entire island of Galveston was completely under water. Wow.
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#9 Postby southerngale » Mon Jul 28, 2003 2:57 pm

Yeah Johnny....if another major storm is headed for Galveston, everyone should evacuate. This was in one of the articles, "It is estimated that the winds reached 150 mph or maybe even 200. The tidal surge has been estimated at from 15 to 20 feet."

Lindaloo....I just read that story. It brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine what they went through...it just breaks my heart.

Over 6000 people died in that storm. That's one person with family and friends 6000 times!!
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Re: The 1900 Storm.....Galveston Island, Texas

#10 Postby Scott_inVA » Mon Jul 28, 2003 3:14 pm

Everyone should buy and read Isaac's Storm.

BTW, the company that did Perfect Storm owns the movie rights to Isaac's Storm. Good news... it would be an incredible movie. Bad news... could be fraught w/errors like Perfect.
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#11 Postby JetMaxx » Mon Jul 28, 2003 3:15 pm

No one knows with certainty, but the best estimate NHC and NOAA's Hurricane Research Division (AOML/HRD) determined that the Galveston hurricane was about the same intensity as Carla, Donna, and Hugo....with a central pressure around 27.50"/ 931 mb...a category 4 hurricane.

Sustained winds were likely in the 135-145 mph range, with gusts of 170 mph or higher. Galveston was apparently in the NE eyewall, but the anemometer failed at 84 mph sustained, gusting over 100 mph...and the lowest pressure at the Weather Bureau office was 28.55" (966.7 mb).

The storm surge of 15.7' would indicate a hurricane in the 935-940 mb range along that coastline....however, even higher storm surge values (17-18') occurred just SW of Galveston Island...near San Luis Pass, indicating a hurricane closer to 930 mb.

PW
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#12 Postby GalvestonDuck » Mon Jul 28, 2003 3:57 pm

Ugh, Scott...please don't tell me the producers/writers of Perfect Storm are going to do Isaac's Storm. Well, hmph! They may have the rights to the book, but they don't have rights to the whole history. Besides, there's already a previously written script called "The Passion and the Fury." http://www.valuecom.com/acclaim/Texas/E ... _Fury.html

Guess I'll scrap my idea for a 1900 script and do one about the Texas City disaster.
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