The Galveston Storm

Paper Summary:

On September 8, 1900, powerful winds running over 140 mph devastated the whole city of Galveston, Texas, killing 6000 people and destroying most of the city. The paper examines the role several people and public institutions played in the Galveston Storm, including the Weather Bureau which ignored warnings of the hurricane from 'unofficial' sources. The paper also looks at the personal stories of residents such as Isaac Cline who worked for the Weather Bureau, as well as the nuns and children from the Sisters of Charity Orphanage, who lost their lives in the storm.

From the Paper:

"The storm took the lives of a lot of people. Amongst them were the Sisters of Charity Orphanage. 10 Sisters and 90 children lost their lives. The Sisters ran an infirmary and an orphanage. The orphanage was located on the beach. On the day of the storm Sister Elizabeth Ryan had commuted to town to get food for the children. She rushed back to the orphanage to be with the children. The storm water had reached the dormitories and was slowing causing the buildings to collapse. The sisters gathered all the children into the girl's dorm. They sang "Queen of the Waves" to calm the children down. In order to save their lives the sisters tied six to seven children around their waist. It was a very brave gesture on their part to protect the children. Sadly the storm waters claimed their lives and only 3 children managed to survive. The survivors lived to tell the eye witness encounter of the sisters' bravery. Thus every year on September the 8th the Sisters of the Charity Orphanage sing "Queen of the Waves" around the same time they perished."

More papers on The Galveston Storm:

• Descriptive Essay # 4743 : "Issac's Storm: The Galveston Hurricane of 1900"
• Essay # 29621 : "Isaac's Storm"
• Film Review # 38469 : "Transcendentalism in "The Perfect Storm"

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