Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

I is for Isaac's Storm.  Some time ago I read the Erik Larson book titled "Isaac's Storm", that told about the Great Storm of 1900 by telling the story of Isaac Cline. Isaac was the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the US Weather Bureau at the time of the 1900 Hurricane that devastated the city. The author uses Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, to tell the story of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude.

Some friends of mine from church, Dave and Fay Wiebe, heard me refer to the "Great Storm" of 1900 in a sermon. They brought me a hand typed account by a relative of theirs who survived the storm. The account was dictated and signed by Carrie M. Hughes, and copied by Irby B. Hughes August 9,1957 in Palestine, Texas.

The story tells of how 19 people took refuge in the house. As the water rose, they went to the uppermost room in the house. This is what Carrie Hughes wrote about what happened next. "The tremendous wall of broken houses and debris had struck our house, like a battering ram and crushed the underpart, letting the upper part into the water. As it settled down I felt the ceiling touching the back of my head with the water just under my chin. Instantly the roof of the house seemed to blow over from the south throwing little Mattie and me into a corner of it. The next thing I knew I felt ourselves slipping out. I clutched at the ceiling or walls but could catch hold of nothing. As we slipped into the water my hand was grabbed by Eliza Williams, a colored woman whom I knew well. She drew me partly onto the raft upon which she and her daughter Hattie Banks were floating."



Five members of this family made it through the ordeal and 2 did not. As I read the story, waves of emotion swept over me. I have read many survivor stories before, but this one seemed different, as it was a remembrance recorded so that family members would know what happened that night. Because of my friendship with the Wiebe's it seemed real, like I knew the person telling the story.

This is the way that Carrie finished telling her story. "How gladly would we have lost every dollar we possessed could we have kept dear Mattie and Stuart with us, but we do not morn them as one without hope, knowing we shall meet them again. It is such a comforting thought that they were Christians. We do not know where their beloved remains are resting. It may be in one of the numberless unknown graves that dot the whole face of beloved Galveston. It may be they are resting in the depths of the bay or gulf, or their ashes may have mixed with the earth from which they sprung. Whatever may have become of them we know they are safe in the arms of Jesus."



More than 6,000 men, women and children lost their lives during the Great Storm.   It was the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.  It is hard to imagine what the people of Galveston went through.  Reading the story of her family as written by Carrie Hughes gave me an idea of the terror that people experienced.

I highly recommend the book, "Isaac's Storm", by Erik Larson.

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs.

Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas

On our recent trip to Texas to see our son and his wife, we took a day trip with them to Galveston.  We decided to check out the new Pleasure Pier.  It is a great new mini amusement park built on a pier.

In 1906 Electric Park opened bringing amusement seeking tourists to Galveston. Located at 23rd and Seawall Blvd., just two blocks from the current Pleasure Pier, this electric amusement park lit up the Galveston sky with thousands of lights. The attractions included a roller coaster, carousel, theater, as well as the park’s prized possession, The Aerial Swing. In the early 1900’s Galveston promoted itself as the "The Coney Island of the South.”

The pier was originally built as a recreational facility for the United States military. In the 1940's it was transformed into the Galveston Pleasure Pier and was the largest of its kind in the country. America’s top dance bands routinely filled the mammoth Marine ballroom. Fishing facilities, a full carnival midway and an aquarium made the pier an iconic family destination. The Galveston Pleasure Pier operated as a tourist destination until 1961 when Hurricane Carla severely damaged the property.

Four years after Hurricane Carla, the Flagship Hotel opened on the once devastated Pleasure Pier and quickly became an icon, offering a one of a kind hotel over the Gulf, staying open for over 40 years. On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made its final landfall near Galveston as a strong Category 2 hurricane and damaged the hotel significantly.  Three months after the hurricane I was in Galveston and took a picture of the Flagship Hotel.

Rather than rebuild the hotel, plans were made to transform the Pleasure Pier into a world‐class amusement park for all ages.  The plans were to  recapture the site’s original purpose as a pleasure pier. The Pleasure Pier opened in May of 2012.

We had a great time at Pleasure Pier.  The day had started out very rainy and we were afraid our day trip would be compromised.  It was still raining a bit when we arrived, but the weather improved as the day went on.  Because of the rain the pier was not busy and we didn't have to wait for the rides.

If you are ever in Galveston, check out Pleasure Pier for great family fun.

Isaac's Storm

This weekend we are going to visit my son and daughter-in-law in Conroe, Texas.  We have planned a day trip to Galveston, Texas.  I'm looking forward to visiting Galveston again.  The last time I was there was in December 2008.  At that time Galveston was recovering from Hurricane Ike.  There was still lots of damage visible.  Galveston has had it's share of hurricanes.  The hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900 was so destructive that it is known simply as the Great Storm.

Several years ago I read the book "Isaac's Storm", that told about the Great Storm of 1900 by telling the story of Isaac Cline. Isaac was the chief meteorologist at the Galveston, Texas office of the US Weather Bureau from 1889-1901. Some friends of mine from church, Dave and Fay Wiebe, heard me refer to the "Great Storm" of 1900 in a sermon. They brought me a hand typed account by a relative of theirs who survived the storm. The account was dictated and signed by Carrie M. Hughes, and copied by Irby B. Hughes August 9,1957 in Palestine, Texas.

The story tells tells of how 19 people took refuge in the house. As the water rose, they went to the uppermost room in the house. This is what Carrie Hughes wrote about what happened next. "The tremendous wall of broken houses and debris had struck our house, like a battering ram and crushed the underpart, letting the upper part into the water. As it settled down I felt the ceiling touching the back of my head with the water just under my chin. Instantly the roof of the house seemed to blow over from the south throwing little Mattie and me into a corner of it. The next thing I knew I felt ourselves slipping out. I clutched at the ceiling or walls but could catch hold of nothing. As we slipped into the water my hand was grabbed by Eliza Williams, a colored woman whom I knew well. She drew me partly onto the raft upon which she and her daughter Hattie Banks were floating."



Five members of this family made it through the ordeal and 2 did not. As I read the story, waves of emotion swept over me. I have read many survivor stories before, but this one seemed different, as it was a remembrance recorded so that family members would know what happened that night. Because of my friendship with the Wiebe's it seemed real, like I knew the person telling the story.

This is the way that Carrie finished telling her story. "How gladly would we have lost every dollar we possessed could we have kept dear Mattie and Stuart with us, but we do not morn them as one without hope, knowing we shall meet them again. It is such a comforting thought that they were Christians. We do not know where their beloved remains are resting. It may be in one of the numberless unknown graves that dot the whole face of beloved Galveston. It may be they are resting in the depths of the bay or gulf, or their ashes may have mixed with the earth from which they sprung. Whatever may have become of them we know they are safe in the arms of Jesus."



More than 6,000 men, women and children lost their lives during the Great Storm.   It was the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.  It is hard to imagine what the people of Galveston went through.  Reading the story of her family as written by Carrie Hughes gave me an idea of the terror that people experienced.

I highly recommend the book, "Isaac's Storm", by Erik Larson.  The author uses Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, to tell the story of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude.