A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
The Galveston/Texas Hurricane of 1900: A Review of the Events that Led to the Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising
At the turn of the twentieth century, the City of Galveston was emerging as one of the most important cities in Texas. The City was the home to the third largest port in the country and was the second-most-heavily-traversed entry for immigrants from Europe. Then on September 8, 1900, the island was virtually wiped out by a hurricane (now classified as a Class 4). With approximately 8,000 to 10,000 fatalities, the event ranks as the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States. In the wake of the destruction, Alfred Noble (who became ASCE's president in 1903) and Henry Robert (who authored Robert's Rules of Order) were hired as consultants. The engineering recommendation was to raise the structures on the island using 17 feet of hydraulic fill and to construct (on timber piles) a long concrete seawall. Railroad tracks were constructed along the wall to transport the extensive materials needed. All of the utilities for Galveston residents and businesses had to be relocated and raised. In 2001, ASCE recognized the contributions of the Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising and the Corps of Engineers with a ceremony and plaque for a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (NHCEL). The account of the storm provided by U.S. Weather Bureau's meteorologist Isaac Cline in the bestseller "Isaac's Storm" are summarized. Engineering aspects of the grade raising and seawall are reviewed.
The Galveston/Texas Hurricane of 1900: A Review of the Events that Led to the Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising
At the turn of the twentieth century, the City of Galveston was emerging as one of the most important cities in Texas. The City was the home to the third largest port in the country and was the second-most-heavily-traversed entry for immigrants from Europe. Then on September 8, 1900, the island was virtually wiped out by a hurricane (now classified as a Class 4). With approximately 8,000 to 10,000 fatalities, the event ranks as the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States. In the wake of the destruction, Alfred Noble (who became ASCE's president in 1903) and Henry Robert (who authored Robert's Rules of Order) were hired as consultants. The engineering recommendation was to raise the structures on the island using 17 feet of hydraulic fill and to construct (on timber piles) a long concrete seawall. Railroad tracks were constructed along the wall to transport the extensive materials needed. All of the utilities for Galveston residents and businesses had to be relocated and raised. In 2001, ASCE recognized the contributions of the Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising and the Corps of Engineers with a ceremony and plaque for a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (NHCEL). The account of the storm provided by U.S. Weather Bureau's meteorologist Isaac Cline in the bestseller "Isaac's Storm" are summarized. Engineering aspects of the grade raising and seawall are reviewed.
The Galveston/Texas Hurricane of 1900: A Review of the Events that Led to the Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising
Juch, Martha F. (author) / Rogers, Jerry R. (author)
Fourth National EWRI History Symposium at World Environmental and Water Resources Congress ; 2007 ; Tampa, Florida, United States
Environmental and Water Resources ; 144-147
2007-04-30
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007
Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising Project: Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Island, Texas
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001