urn:taro:uh.sc.00028 Galveston 1915 Hurricane Photographs Text converted by SPI Content Sciences Inc., June 2003. Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Frazier, Rex Dunbar Galveston 1915 Hurricane Photographs1915 The photos date primarily from August 18, 1915 and were taken by Rex Dunbar Frazier, a Stone & Webster Engineering representative called in to collect storm damage data and photographs. 1 box; .5 linear feet 1997-002 Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries Historical Note

On August 16-19, 1915, Galveston Island was hit by a devastating hurricane. Damage amounted to $50 million, but there were only 275 deaths. The low loss of life is attributed to the protection of the seawall, constructed after the 1900 hurricane which did $40 million worth of damage and killed thousands of people.

 Scope and Contents

The Galveston Hurricane Photograph collection comes from a scrapbook of pictures taken by Rex Dunbar Frazier, a Stone & Webster Engineering representative called in to collect storm damage data and photographs.

Photos were removed from an acidic scrapbook for preservation purposes, yet folder captions were copied exactly from those provided. Folder captions below have been abbreviated as necessary.

The photos date primarily from August 18, 1915, although many are undated. Later photos show repairs. Dated photographs have been filed chronologically, and undated photographs have been loosely grouped into categories of Buildings/Streets, Railroads (general), Interurban Railroad, Causeway/Temporary Trestle, Drifting/Damage, Misc. People, and Misc.

 Access Restrictions

Open for research.

 Use Restrictions

The material in this collection is in the public domain. However, Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, and all reproduction restrictions apply.

Index Terms

Terms are either Library of Congress Subject Headings or taken from local sources.

 Subjects (Persons) Frazier, Rex Dunbar Subjects Galveston Island (Tex.) Hurricanes Texas Galveston. Formats Photographs Preferred Citation

Galveston, 1915 Hurricane Photographs, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries

 Acquisition

Mrs. H. C. Frazier donated these photographs.

 Processed

K. Fox, 1997

 Detailed Description 1-13 1 Waves over seawall 4:30-5 p.m. Aug. 16, 1915 2 Looking toward Galveston Island from south end of arched bridge. Aug. 18, 1915 3 View of Causeway arches. Aug. 18, 1915 4 Galveston Electric Company tracks crossing City Park adjacent to Hotel Galvez. Aug. 18, 1915 5 Looking east toward 52nd St. on Interurban right-of-way. Aug. 18, 1915 6 Interurban right-of-way at Crockett, west of Galveston Packing Company. Aug. 18, 1915 7 View down Q St., Galveston. Aug. 18, 1915 8 Government Reservation Fort Crockett parade ground. Aug. 18, 1915 9 East end of Seawall Blvd. Sidewalk slabs in foreground. Aug. 18, 1915 10 East end of Seawall Blvd. Aug. 18, 1915 11 Broadway and 21st St. intersection, looking east on Broadway. Aug. 18, 1915 12 Seawall Blvd. Sept. 28, 1915 13 First Interurban train to cross temporary trestle under own power. Oct. 18, 1915 14-26 Buildings/Streets 14 County Court House. 3000 stayed here during storm. undated 15 Causeway Inn wreckage on Santa Fe right-of-way at Virginia Point undated 16 Site where Causeway Inn collapsed. undated 17 Rogers Oyster Resort. undated 18 Wrecked summer hotel next to the Hotel Galvez. undated 19 Murdoch Bath House wreckage on Seawall Blvd. undated 20 Colombo Cafe & Casino wreckage on Beach Blvd. undated 21 Partially demolished houses on east end of Galveston. undated 22 Wrecked houses, east end of Galveston, Seawall Blvd. undated 23 East end houses, submerged in sand. undated 24 Seawall Blvd., east end. undated 25 Repairing Seawall Blvd. undated 26 Replacing rip-rap at seawall. undated 27-30 Railroads (general) 27 Southern Pacific equipment borrowed for cleanup/reconstruction. undated 28 Repairing track around Texas City junction. undated 29 Repairing Galveston Electric Co.s track around baseball park. undated 30 Galveston Electric Co.s tracks crossing City Park adjacent to Hotel Galvez. undated 31-41 Interurban Railroad 31 Interurban passenger car that went down with Causeway. undated 32 Interurban passenger cars that went down with Causeway. undated 33 Interurban cars that went down when Causeway collapses. undated 34 Train cars that went down with Causeway, after being righted and preparatory to lifting to temporary trestle. undated 35 Reconstructing the overhead, Oyster, Galveston Island. undated 36 Reconstructed Interurban at Oyster, Galveston Island. undated 37 Rebuilt Interurban at Oyster, Galveston Island. undated 38 Interurban right-of-way near Oyster. undated 39 Interurban right-of-way between Dickinson and La Marque. undated 40 Interurban right-of-way at Virginia Point. undated 41 Interurban right-of-way between Texas City junction and Virginia Point. undated 42-57 Causeway/Temporary Trestle 42 Last poles and track left on mainland side (Texas City junction). undated 43 Causeway: from island to arched bridge portion. undated 44 Causeway from Virginia Point. undated 45 Causeway wreckage. undated 46 Arched bridge portion of Causeway, looking toward mainland. undated 47 Toward arched bridge portion. undated 48 South to mainland from north end of arched bridge portion. undated 49 Toward Galveston Island from south end of arched bridge part of. undated the Interurban right-of-way. 50 View of Causeway from Virginia Point showing completed single. undated track untreated pile trestle. 51 Completed trestle crossing demolished portion of Causeway. undated 52 Wrecked semaphore bridge, pipe, poles, and car caught on. undated Causeway during collapse. 53 Causeway trestle showing partially completed overhead. undated 54 View of completed trestle. undated 55 Interurban trains crossing temporary trestle. undated 56 Santa Fe engine returning to Galveston after hauling Interurban trains across trestle. undated 57 Work, supply, and passenger trains crossing temporary trestle. undated 58-71 Drifting/Damage 58 Pierce Fordyce Oil Assoc. tank. undated 59 Pierce Fordyce Oil Assoc. tank car. undated 60 Oil tank, dredge pipe, pontoons north or Texas City terminal tracks. undated 61 Oil barge north of Texas City terminal tracks. undated 62 Gas buoy from Galveston entrance stranded. undated 63 Large coal barge stranded. undated 64 Coal barge north of Texas City terminal tracks. undated 65 Coal barge stranded on steam road tracks at Texas City junction. undated 66 Boxcars near Texas City junction. undated 67 Overturned Southern Pacific passenger station. undated 68 Steam road tracks between Texas City and La Marque. undated 69 Ocean going freight vessels that broke away from Pier 30. undated 70 Harlesdon stranded between Virginia Point and Texas City. undated 71 Eton Hall stranded between Virginia Point and Texas City. undated 72-76 Misc. People 72 Rex Dunbar Frazier in camp. undated 73 Major General J. Franklin Bell, commander of Texas City and Galveston. undated 74 Stone & Webster Engineering camp at Virginia Point. undated 75 All that remained of his home. undated 76 Storm victims graves near Texas City. undated 77 Misc. 77 Dead cattle between Texas City and Virginia Point. undated