Storm Surge

The storm will probably continue slowly northward and its effects will be felt as far as the lower portion of the middle Atlantic coast by Friday night. " (Page 113)"My family pleaded with me to remain at home, said A. R. Wolfram, a Galveston shopkeeper, but I was determined to go to town. I tried to reassure them and promised that at the first signs of the storm''s approach, I would return home. He did go home, for lunch, but left again to return to work, despite the tearful pleadings of my wife and children. " (Page 1 50)Hey Spencer! ne man shouted from across the room. ''I''ve Just counted and there are thirteen men in this room. '' Spencer laughed. Other diners joined in, glad for the relief the laughter provided. ''You can''t frighten me,'' Spencer shouted. ''I''m not superstitious. '' (Page 159)The wind grew so strong it planed the sea. ''The surface of the water was almost flat. The wind beat it down so that there was not even a suspicion of a There was no doubt that there was a storm in Cuba. According to the "Law of Storms," all tropical systems would turn north and head up the Atlantic coast.

Most meteorologists of the time period did not believe it was possible for a hurricane to strike the gulf coast. People regarded the Gulf of Mexico more as a warm lake than an open ocean. On September 6th, the national weather bureau released a prediction on the storm in Cuba: "The storm will probably continue slowly northward and its effects will be felt as far as the lower portion of the middle Atlantic coast by Friday night. " (Page 113) The hurricane was not headed up the Atlantic coast, but set a deadly track west towards Galveston.

By Friday, September 8th, a few ships had driven directly into the raging hurricane. Their captains were the only ones who knew of the storm''s destiny; it was headed straight towards an unprepared city and there was nothing they could do about it. Captain Simmons of the Pensacola steamship reported a pressure of 28. 5 inches and a wind of one hundred miles per hour. He anchored the ship, which strained in the monster waves and threatened to sink. Astoundingly, its passengers survived the Galveston Hurricane, but those in the city the following day would not be so lucky. wave. "'' (Page 201)