Isaac's Storm (52 page)

37.
Samuel
Rodman
Jr.:
Ibid.,31-32.

38.
The
first
"scientific":
definition
Frisinger,
5.
38.
The
first
person
to
show:
Ibid.,
47.

38.
Aristotle
proved:
Ibid.
,67.

39.
With
the
sobriety:
Ibid.,
32.

39.
Columbus
set
off:
Morison,
198;
Ludlum,
1-3.
39.
"The
weather
was":
Morison,
201.

40.
Columbus
and
his
captains:
Ludlum,
1;
Douglas,
47.
42.
Columbus
had
at
least:
Morison,
584-93.

42.
"The
storm
was
terrible":
Ludlum,
6.

43.
Only
one
ship:
Morison,
590.
43.
In
1638,
Galileo:
Frisinger,
67.

43.
The
meteorological
significance:
Ibid.,
68.

44.
To
get
any
observable
effect:
Ibid.,
68-69.
44.
The
term
barometer:
Ibid.,
72.

44.
Isaac
considered
him:
Cline,
"Century,"
3.

45.
The
Reserve
put
in:
Snow,
1-17;
Douglas,
132-35.

48.
In
1627,
a
very
brave:
Lockhart,
37.

49.
It
was
Edmund
Halley:
Frisinger,
123-25.

49.
In
1735,
George
Hadley:
Ibid.,
125-28.

50.
A
century
later:
Lockhart,37;
Watson,
28;
Trefil,
96-104.

50.
Isaac,
in
his
1891
talk:
Cline,
"Address."

51.
"Who
can
attempt":
Thomas,
164.
Thomas
reproduces
Archer's
full
account
on
154-69.
See
also
Reid,
296-303.
For
detailed
accounts
of
the
three
hurricanes,
see
Reid,
Douglas,
and
Ludlum.
For
official
death
toll,
see
Rappaport
and
Fernandez-Partagas,
"Deadliest."

51.
The
second
hurricane:
Ludlum,
69-72;
Reid,
340-65.

51.
"The
most
beautiful
island":
Ludlum,
69.

51.
The
storm
lurched:
Reid,
345.

51.
The
third
hurrican:
Douglas,
173;
Ludlum,
72-73.

51.
Together
the
three:
Douglas,
173.

52.
The
first
captain:
Friendly,
146.

52.
On
September
3,
1821:
Ludlum,
81;
for
complete
account,
see
81-86.
Also,
Douglas,
221-26;
Rosser,
W.
H.,
9-17.
For
an
account
of
the
long-burning
feud
between
Redfield
and
James
Espy,
"The
Storm
King,"
see
Laskin,
138-40.

53.
It
was
Piddington:
Douglas,
224.

53.
"The
unfortunate
inhabitants":
Tannehill,
31.

54.
"I
had
studied":
Cline,
"Century,"
25-26.

54.
Piddington,
in
his
immensely
popular:
For
example,
Piddington,
102
3
and

134-37.
54.
"you
have
the
hurricane
inyourhand":
Piddington,
134.
54.
As
one
nineteenth-century
captain:
Rosser,
W.
H.,
41.

55.
The
chief
did
not
want:
For
grave
robbing,
see
Whitnah,
75.
For
sex
scandals,

see
Cline,
Storms,
76-78.
55.
Isaac
gave
a
beauty
queen's
answer:
Cline,
ibid.,
35.

55. "1was
twenty-one":
Ibid.

The
Storm:
Tuesday,
August
28,1900

56. The
earth's
rotation:
Author
interview,
Willoughby
(see
note
for
page
23).

Cyclones
in
the
northern
hemisphere
always
rotate
counterclockwise,
in
the

southern
hemisphere,
clockwise,
which
helps
explain
why
no
hurricane
can

cross
the
equator.
I
simply
could
not
understand
how
a
counterclockwise

cyclone
could
be
generated
by
right-veering
Coriolis
winds,
until
Willoughby

patiently
explained
the
process.
Blame
for
the
pool-cue
analogy,
however,

belongs
entirely
to
me.
See
also
Tannehill,
5-6.

56. On
Tuesday,
August
28:
Fernandez-Partagas,
96,
note
1.

Galveston:
Dirty
Weather

57. "Something
new":
Cline,
Storms,
39.

57.
"They
evidently
learned":
Ibid.,
39.

58.
It
did
exist:
Ibid.,
45.

58.
"I
was
told":lbi&.,45.

59.
"That
looks
like":
Ibid.,
46-47.

60.
Far
to
thenorth:
McCullough,Mornings,
316-37.

60.
Roosevelt
called:
Ibid.,
337.

61.
During
a
visit:
Cline,
"Summer,"
336.

62.
It
was
August:
Cline,
Storms,
51.

62.
He
tracked
down
reports:
Ibid.,
52.

63.
"She
was
a
beautiful":
Ibid.,
57.

63.
An
inefficient
man:
Traxe\,
42.

64.
"In
the
past":
Ibid.,
42.

64. In
Greely's
first
year:
Cline,
Storms,
65.

64. Hefired:lbid.,65.

64.
A
fondness
for:
Ibid.,
66.

65.
An
observer
in
the
Midwest:
Ibid.,
66.

65. On
January
21,
1888:
National
Archives:
Inspection
Reports,
Galveston,
Janu-

ary
l888.

65.
And
then
came:
Laskin,
146-47.
67.
The
city
had:
Turner,
Elizabeth,
24.

67.
Through
the
Negro
Longshoremen's
Association:
Mason,
51.
See
also
Turner,
Elizabeth,
371-72.

68.
On
November
13,
1893:
National
Archives:
Inspection
Reports,
Galveston,
November
13-15,1893.

69. At
the
time
of
Harrington's
appointment:
Cline,
Storms,
74.

71.
In
a
later
memoir:
See
Cline,
Joseph,
Heavens.

71.
Morton's
assault:
Abbe,
Container
8.

71.
"Nearly
every
real
advance":
Ibid.
June
17,1893.

72.
"Dunwoody
is
a
selfish
intriguer":
Whitnah,
79.

73.
The
system,
he
told
Congress:
Ibid.,
87.

73.
Moore,
greedy
for:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Letter,
March
29,1900,
Willis
Moore
to
Owen
P.
Kellar.

73.
"I
knew,"Moore
wrote:
Tannehill,
110-12.

74.
"Wilson,"he
said:
Ibid.,
112.

74.
He
told
Moore:
Ibid.,
112.

75.
At
breakfast:
Cline,
Storms,
83.

75.
Indeed,
in
that
same
hurricane
season:
Miller,
x
(Introduction).

76.
On
November
26:
Traxel,
296-99.
76.
The
sudden
cold:
Cline,
Storms,
88.

The
Storm:
Thursday,
August
30,1900

78.
At
9:00A.M.:
Alexander,
380.
78.
"About
10P.M.":
Ibid.,
380.

78. There
was,
according
to
the
Antigua:
Standard
Ibid.,
380.

Galveston:
An
Absurd
Delusion

79. In
January
1900:
Coulter,
63.

80. He
explained
first:
Cline,
"West
India
Hurricanes."

80. "No
greater
damage":
Ibid.

80. "The
damage
from
the
storm
":
Ibid.

81. "The
single
tornado
".Ibid.

81. By
5:00P.M.:
Greely,
444.

81.
"This
evidence
of":
Ibid.,
444.

82.
"ebb
surge":
I
first
heard
this
term
from
Nicholas
K.
Coch,
professor,
School
of
Earth
and
Environmental
Science,
Queens
College,
City
University
of
New
York.

82. "The
tide
now
swept":
Greely,
444.

82. But
Gen.
Adolphus
Greely:
Ibid.,
443.

83. "The
water
in
the
bay
":
Tannehill,
35.

83. "The
appearance
of
the
town":
Ibid.,
35.

83.
the
Progressive
Association:
Mason,
74.

84.
The
city's
engineer:
Ibid.,
74.

84. The
city's
Evening
Tribune:
Ibid.,
74

84. "But,"engineer
Hartrick
wrote:
Ibid.,
74.

84. "It
would
be
impossible":
Cline,
"West
India
Hurricanes."

PART
II:
THE
SERPENT'S
COIL

The
Storm:
Spiderwebs
and
Ice

87.
The
storm
entered:
Fernandez-Partagas,
108.

87.
As
vapor
rose:
For
an
excellent
discussion
of
clouds
and
cloud
physics,
see
Volland.

88.
But
hurricanes
defeat
this
cycle:
For
a
comprehensive
analysis
of
this
phenomenon,
see
Liu.

88.
In
1979
a
tropical
storm:
Henry
et
al.,
22.

88.
A
Philippine
typhoon:
Ibid.,
22.

88.
Ninety-six
and
a
half
inches:
Tannehill,
72.

88.
Hurricane
Camille:
Pielke,
Roger
A.,
Sr.,
2-3.

89.
Camille's
rain
fell:
Ibid.,
3.
Hugh
Willoughby
of
the
Hurricane
Research
Division,
in
reading
the
manuscript
of
Isaac's
Storm
for
accuracy,
called
this
an
urban
legend.

Galveston:
Louisa
Rollfing

I
based
this
entire
chapter
on
Louisa
Rollfing's
autobiography,
in
the
Galveston
Collection
of
the
Rosenberg
Library.

The
Levy
Building:
Isaac's
Map

98.
At
three
o'clock:
Galveston
News,
Sept.5,1900.
98.
At
the
police
station:
Ibid.

98.
Isaac
heard
the
first
clap:
Daily
Journal.

99.
One
of
the
newest
arrivals:
The
New
York
Times,
Sept.
11,1900,3.
(See
"Vessels
at
Galveston.")

99.
Isaac
sent
a
man:
Young,
1.

99.
Throughout
July:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Letters:
James
Berry
to
Official
in
Charge,
Galveston,
July
5,
1900;
Isaac
Cline
to
Weather
Bureau,
July
9,
1900;
James
Berry
to
Official
in
Charge,
Galveston,
Aug.
16,
1900;
Isaac
Cline
to
Weather
Bureau,
Aug.
19,1900.
Box
1423.
100.
He
told
Secretary:
National
Archives:
Letters
Sent.
Moore
to
Wilson,
Sept.
15,
1900.

100.
Baldwin
left:
National
Archives:
Administrative.
Box
7.
Slip
Book.
Aug.
29,

1899-Oct.23,1900.No.425.
100.
Moore
promised:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Telegram,
Aug.

20,1900.
Box
1473.
See
also
letters
(No.
L.R.
7510-1900):
Acting
Chief
Clerk

to
Official
in
Charge,
New
York,
and
Acting
Chief
Clerk
to
Official
in
Charge,

Galveston,
both
of
Aug.
22,1900.
100.
He
telegraphed
Moore:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Telegram,

Aug.
20,1900.

100.
For
the
last
week,
Young:
Young,
1.

101.
"He
agreed
with
me":
Ibid.

Cuba:
Suspicion

102. Through
Dunwoody,
Moore
persuaded:
National
Archives:
General
Correspon

dence.
Letter,
Moore
(as
acting
secretary
of
agriculture)
to
Gen.
T.
T.
Eckert,

Western
Union,
Aug.
28,1900.
Box
1475.

102.
Cuba's
meteorologists
had
pioneered:
Douglas,
230-36;
Hughes,
13;
Tannehill,
63.

103.
"It
was
at
first
very
difficult":
National
Archives:
Records
of
Surface
Land
Observations.
Records
Relating
to
Hurricane
Display
Systems
in
the
West
Indies.
Report,
Fiscal
Year
Ending
June
30,1899.
William
B.
Stockman.
Box
1.

104.
Internal
memos
flew:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Box
1470.
The
saga
begins
with
Stockman's
report
of
july
31,1900.
At
one
point,
Moore's
office
advises
Stockman,
"it
is
thought
well
to
suggest
care
on
your
part
that
you
may
not
allow
your
work
to
get
beyond
your
strength;
and
thus
impair,
through
physical
disability,
the
excellent
record
made
by
you
at
Havana."
Garriott's
wonderfully
crafted
note
is
numbered
L.R.
7057-1900.
Moore's
note
is
scrawled
in
pencil
at
the
bottom
of
a
memo
slip
in
the
same
file.
104.
It
was
paramount:
National
Archives:
General
Correspondence.
Letter,
July
6,
1900,
Stockman
to
Official
in
Charge,
St.
Kitts.