Book Review: Isaac's Storm by Erik Larsen

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson

Erik Larson gives a riveting account of meteorologist Isaac Cline's life through the lens of the 1900 storm that nearly wiped Galveston, Texas, off the map. Meteorology is the big focus, especially on hurricane detection and survival. Larson gets into the history of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean going all the way back to Christopher Columbus. He gives a brief history of the barometer, a key tool for weather data collection and analysis. Larson comes back to Cline as he describes the nascent National Weather Service, from its training to its maneuverings in Washington's governmental bureaucracy. Cline was a star student and a bit full of himself, a reflection of the larger culture.

The late 1800s saw a flourishing of scientific endeavors and optimism. Many weather scientists were looking for "The Law of Storms," a way to predict hurricanes and other foul weather so as to prepare for their impact and avoid catastrophic losses. Knowledge gives power, or so the thinking went, which implied control or mastery, which isn't necessarily so. The hubris of the age led to the tragedy of Galveston, with six to ten thousand deaths and massive amounts of destruction on Galveston Island and mainland Texas. An interesting conflict was in Cuba, where the National Weather Service representatives felt they were in competition with a local observatory that was "less scientific" but more accurate (though often more bombastic) in forecasting storms. The NWS people used their government connections to cut off the locals' access to telegraph services, leaving the United States with only the NWS predictions. When the fateful storm came through Cuba, the NWS predicted that it would turn north and east toward Florida--that's the official story that went out. The locals predicted that it would go north and west toward Texas--but they could not tell the mainland. Galveston couldn't avoid the storm but they certainly could have been warned earlier.

Larson gives a lot of detail of Galveston, how the people were used to storms coming in and it was a booming town in competition with Houston for greatness. The people had a lot of pride and some ambition, so even if they got the warning maybe they would not have left in time. A lot of people (including Isaac Cline) thought their houses were safe enough to weather any storm. Cline's house was shorn off the island, leaving him and his family adrift as the hurricane raged on Saturday night, September 8, 1900. The details of the destruction and loss of life are heart-rending and vividly described. The horrible aftermath has less detail but wraps up the story. Cline was moved by NWS to New Orleans, which he saw negatively. A lot of the difficult people in the Weather Service were sent there, making it hard to manage and a virtual dead end for his career.

I found the writing uneven. Larson writes beautiful text and it is very evocative. But the theme of scientific hubris, the main focus of the first third of the book, mostly drops out in the last two-thirds as the storm hits. Plenty of action and drama takes over the narrative. Larson took a little more license than I was comfortable with as he describes the inner feelings and mindsets of the people. Big chunks read more like dramatic recreations than objective narratives of what actually happened. The historic records aren't as detailed as they are nowadays, especially with Isaac losing all his letters and writings with his house.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Through a Night of Horrors ed. by C. E. Greene and S. H. Kelly

Through a Night of Horrors: Voices from the 1900 Galveston Storm edited by Casey Edward Greene and Shelly Henley Kelly

This compilation of eyewitness accounts shows the residents' reactions to the storm that struck Galveston Island in 1900. It's divided into letters, memoirs, and oral histories that have been transcribed. Interspersed with the letters are reports from National Weather Service meteorologist Isaac Cline who was stationed at Galveston through the storm. The texts give a very vivid portrait of what people went through. A common theme is the belief that they wouldn't make it through the night. Another striking reaction is in the aftermath when people were just numb to the horror of the situation--the thousands of dead, the wretched smell of mud and slime, the complete devastation in some areas. Survivors describe walls of debris, some two stories tall, caused by the storm surge that came in from both the north and south sides of the island. Most people had no sense of how bad it would get since they had lived through plenty of other "big blows." The book includes dozens of pictures of the devastation and maps to show where the various survivors waited out the storm. The end notes explain various details or discrepancies that arise from people misremembering what happened.

Recommended--this book is more for people interested in the history of the storm than for general readers.

Book Review: A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems

A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane hit Galveston Island. At the time, there was little advanced warning and the islanders were used to big storms coming through. Most houses were built above ground so the "overflows" from the Gulf of Mexico or from Galveston Bay would do minimal damage. The 1900 storm was considerably worse than any previous storm. It caused the greatest natural disaster in American history with approximately 6000 dead. The devastation was so great, a precise number is impossible. Large sections of the city were flattened or washed away.

Weems chronicles the weekend (the storm hit on a Saturday) with eyewitness accounts of various survivors and the more reliable of reports from local newspapers. Galveston was a large city at the time, the second largest in Texas. The summer season was just ending and the docks along the north side of the island had many merchant ships coming and going. The National Weather Service had indications of a large storm near Cuba days earlier but they predicted landfall in Louisiana. The rough surf on Saturday morning grew into an overflow that would cover the entire island by nightfall. The winds from the north blew water from Galveston Bay onto the north of the island as the storm surge started to cover the south of the island. The winds grew more ferocious during the day, strong enough to blow the anemometer off the roof of the local weather service. People fled to the most stable houses they could find and slowly moved upstairs as the day grew progressively worse. Many people were trapped. Some were blown out of their shelters, riding out the storm on detritus or in the branches of trees that still poked out above the water. Some were blown far inland; many were lost at sea. Hundreds of houses and businesses were completely destroyed. The shock of survivors on Sunday led into a long and desperate recovery that took months.

The story is harrowing and sobering. The ground-eye view from the survivors gives the narrative authenticity. Many survivors said that you can't imagine what it was truly like. They lived through a horrible afternoon and night where they did not expect to survive. This is a book that's hard to put down.

Highly recommended.

Broken Spoke, Austin

Broken Spoke claims to be one of the last authentic Texas honky tonks. For those who don't know, a honky tonk is a bar/restaurant with live country music and dancing. This particular establishment opened in 1964 and has kept going strong even as the neighborhood around it gets more gentrified. 

Broken Spoke out front

Tombstone or cornerstone?

More of the exterior

They have live music in the front room/restaurant from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and then live music in the back dance hall from 9 p.m. till closing time. We took the kids in for dinner and caught the front room show with Tracie Lynn. I had their famous chicken-fried steak which was very yummy, along with a Lone Star draft which was also good.

Dinner

We took the kids back to the hotel to hang out with grandpa while my wife and I returned for the 8 p.m. dance lesson. The dance instructor was very colorful. She spent the first ten minutes talking about proper dance etiquette (which way to go around the floor, etc.) and the basics of the two-step. She was quite salty and gave advice to the bachelorette party that was clearly there for a good time more than to learn the two-step. She also had some choice words about the "younger generation" and how they are not good at listening, among other flaws. She finally taught the steps and had us practice. She then paired up one couple at a time to give them pointers in front of everyone else. She started at one end of the floor and we were in the middle, so we got to see her instruct others before she got to us. When our turn came, we got by well enough not to get too much salt.

A band led by Tylor Brandon played music that we danced to. We practiced the two-step and snuck some swing dancing in too.

A view of the dance hall

It was a fun night and an experience of classic Texas culture.

Just South of Austin Is Bats

A popular tourist attraction (so popular, even locals come to see it) is the flight of the bats off of South Congress Bridge on summer evenings in Austin, Texas. Before going in the evening, we went to scope out the area. We took a walk along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail which is on the south side of the Colorado River and goes under the bridge. We had some really nice views of the skyline.

Pretty buildings

Google is building a new skyscraper in front of its other skyscraper.

Google and Google the second

More skyline

The above set of buildings had a fun mural on the side of a short building.

Wonderful!

I saw a bell tower that was intriguing because it seemed out of place, like it was part of a building from over a hundred years old.

Mysterious tower

Another nearby building had a fun, Inception-like top.

Maybe it will transform?

Not much further along we saw the famous bat-bridge. 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats have taken up residence under the South Congress Bridge. They fly out at dusk nightly during the summer months (and Texas has a lot of summertime). We first saw the bridge from a distance.

South Congress Bridge

We walked along the trail, eventually going under the Congress Bridge. We heard some weird noises and smelled some weird odors. Our trip was two hours before sunset, so no sign of the bats flying around for their nightly feeding.

At the bridge

View to downtown

One of the cottage industries that's grown up around the bats is boat rentals and cruises along the river. We passed four or five launch points offering sales and deals. My favorite was this round boat because of its bumper sticker.

Various ways to see the bats from the water

Awesome bumper sticker

We went later one evening and saw the bats flying out.

Barton Springs Municipal Pool, Austin

One of the fun curiosities in Austin, Texas, is the Barton Springs Municipal Pool. As the name suggests, the pool is filled by spring water that keep the temperature around 68 degrees. People swim in it year round and the pool covers three acres of Zilker Park, just south of the city.

Pool with a little bit of downtown showing

My son getting in

The pool is a natural swimming hole that's been enhanced with sidewalks on one side and a dam at each end to keep the water levels up (the deepest part is 18 feet).

An idyllic setting

Using the diving board

Used the diving board

Another view of town

The far end of the pool is dammed and has Barton Creek flowing towards it. The creek water is diverted underneath the sidewalk so it can make it to the other end without washing away the swimmers.

Far end of the pool

Barton Creek

The downstream end of the pool has a runoff gate with a spillway beyond.

Keeping the water from getting too high

Continuing Barton Creek

View down the creek

Three separate springs fill the pool, each named after one of William Barton's daughters. The Eliza spring is the most visible.

Eliza Spring

Just outside the pool is a sculpture commemorating "Philosophers' Rock," a spot where three friends would meet to discuss pretty much anything. Naturalist Roy Bedichek, folklorist J. Frank Dobie, and historian Walter Prescott Webb are the three men depicted in the sculpture.

Sculpture and plaques

Close up

It's a fun place to visit with a minimal fee from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visitors can come as early as 5 a.m., with the early hours being free.

Austin Capitol Area

The Texas Capitol is the third building to serve as home to state politicians and civil servants. The first structure was built in 1853 but by 1881 the people wanted to build a new one. The old one was burnt down and the offices of government moved to temporary quarters across the street. The new building was completed in 1888. The building was touched up and expanded in the 1990s, building an extension underneath and toward the north. The Sunset Red granite is striking and distinctive. The four-block grounds on which it is situated is home to plenty of trees and memorials.

Texas Capitol from the edge of Capitol Square

South entrance

By the south entrance is an old drinking fountain that is no longer in use, except as a light post.

Drinking fountain

Inside the south entrance is a foyer with statues of Stephen F. Austin (who is known as "The Father of Texas") and Sam Houston (who fought for Texas independence and was the first president of the Republic of Texas).

Stephen Austin

Sam Houston

The Rotunda features portraits of the governors of Texas, with the most recent at the bottom. Once a new one is elected, all the pictures have to move up one! There's still plenty of space at the top.

Rotunda with tour guide

A bust of the first female governor, Miriam Ferguson, is on display. She served two non-consecutive terms (1925-1927 and 1933-1935). Her husband had been governor from 1915-1917, so she quipped on the campaign trail that she was a "two for the price of one" deal. Ferguson was also the second woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state, though Nellie Tayloe Ross won her election in Wyoming on the same day and was sworn in two weeks earlier than Ferguson, so she is the first female governor by a small margin. 

Miriam Feguson

The dome reaches up 218 feet. The tour guide said that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside the rotunda! The star at the top is eight feet across.

Dome

Our tour took us to the Senate Chamber. Thirty-one senators come to work with the House of Representatives to craft legislation. The upper galley is open to anyone who wants to see the proceedings.

Senate Chamber

The desks are the original desks from the 1800s, though they have been modified. The ink wells now hold microphones for the senators and a phone is installed on the left leg of the desk. Senators choose their own seats, with senior senators getting first choice. So the parties are mixed on the floor. The guide said that they still vote by hand. One finger is a "yes" vote; two fingers is a "no" vote; three fingers is a "present but not voting" gesture.

Desk

The back of the room has two large paintings by Henry Arthur McArdle (1836-1908). I took a picture of Dawn at the Alamo.

Dawn at the Alamo

Across the hall is the House of Representatives Chamber. It's the largest room in the Capitol. 150 representatives work here. We were unable to go in because the room was temporarily closed (maybe because of the flight of the Texas Democrats in July 2021 when we visited?).

Temporarily closed or out of order?

Our tour took us to the new extension where we could view the dome from the outside. On top of the dome is the Goddess of Liberty. The original statue was weather-worn and thus replaced in the 1990s by helicopter! The original statue is in the Bullock Texas State History Museum just north of the Capitol.

Dome with Goddess of Liberty on top

Picture of the restoration

The grounds of the Texas Capitol have several statues and memorials scattered through the twenty-two acres that make up Capitol Square. The weather was beastly hot, so we only saw a few things. The Volunteer Firemen Memorial was striking to me.

Volunteer Firemen memorial

Close-up of the fireman statue

Terry's Texas Rangers monument is nearby. 

Terry's Texas Rangers statue

On the periphery of the square is The Price of Liberty, a recent statue dedicated to those who have died in service since September 11, 2001.

The Price of Liberty

We also stopped in at the Capitol Visitors Center which has some displays about Texas history. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the food of Texas!

Whattaburger, cookbook, and Blue Bell ice cream

The Capitol is recreated in Legos!

Lego Capitol building

A model of the rotunda and dome shows how it was put together.

Rotunda model

The wrought iron grille below was originally in the Capitol's South Foyer and protected an original copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Texas Secretary of State Jane McCallum found the document in 1927 and the display was commissioned. When the 1990s restoration happened at the Capitol, the original 1880s appearance required the removal of the grille.

Texas Independence!

Upstairs, a walk-through display showed what life was like for the first settlers coming to Texas. People were drawn to the Republic of Texas by land offers. Simple houses were built and the fledgling country grew.

Log cabin decorations/useful tools

A good variety of period costume are also on display.

I'd rather wear the right outfit

More outfits

We saw the outside of the Texas Library and Archives. The seals on the outside of the building represent the six countries that have ruled over the land. First, Spain held the territory, then France, then Mexico, then the Republic of Texas, then the Confederate States, then the United States. That's the order of the seals, obviously Texas was part of the United States before joining the Confederacy.

Back of the Library and Archives

Nearby is the Catholic Saint Mary Cathedral. We were sick the weekend we visited, otherwise we'd have gone to Mass there. It's quite impressive from the outside. 

Saint Mary Cathedral

The back of the cathedral