The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 65, July 1961 - April, 1962 Page: 304
663 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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304 Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Inquiries about how Galveston was faring in the storm came
from all over the United States and from as far away as Mel-
bourne, Australia. The editor of the News-Tribune said he felt
coverage had been surprisingly accurate. With so many reporters
working, many of them unfamiliar with the area, he said he felt
it was surprising more inaccuracies did not creep in. One of these
appeared in the September 25 issue of U. S. News and World
Report. The article stated that between 15,000 and 18,ooo houses
were destroyed or seriously damaged.7
The story of damage could not be told entirely in the round
figures which were released to cover total damages on the island.
A middle-aged woman standing in a line at Red Cross headquar-
ters said, "I lost everything I had. The salt water and mud ruined
'most everything." She, like those who had suffered great per-
sonal loss, could not look at the situation objectively and say the
losses had been light.
Most of Galveston's public buildings stood well the onslaught
of the hurricane, but the Galveston County courthouse, a place
of refuge in 1900 and again in 1961, had a part of its roof torn
off by the tornado which accompanied Carla. Stewart's Beach
lost much of its sand to the ravages of the waves, but experts
say the beach will rebuild itself. On the west end of the island,
beyond the seawall, pasture-land was flooded by the waves from
the Gulf of Mexico, and emergency feed supplies had to be
brought to the island to feed the cattle.
Books on the lower shelves in the basement of the Rosenberg
Public Library were soaked, and a call was sent out after the
storm for electric heaters and fans to speed up the drying process.
Librarian Charles O'Hallern said some of the magazines which
had been destroyed would be replaced with microfilm copies.
Unfortunately some of the library's rare but seldom-used books
were also stored in the basement. Some were destroyed, but others
were dried so that they can be used. The library's Texas history
collection was on the first floor of the library and was not damaged.
To many Galvestonians one of the saddest losses was that of
Ursuline Academy which in 1900 had sheltered fifteen hundred
refugees from the rising waters. The center portion of the long
27U. S. News and World Report, September 25, 1961.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 65, July 1961 - April, 1962, periodical, 1962; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101195/m1/340/?rotate=90: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.