Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-09-22
HEFUTURE OF GALVESTON.
Views Of Professor MCGEE Of the
Smithsonian institution.
Why The Site Should Not Again Be Used Tor
a Popular City.

pressiVe lesson not only to the cities
of the Gulf, but to the whole world,
says Professor w. j. MCGEE head of
the Bureau of Ethnology Of the Smith
sonian Institute. Washington, who has
given considerable study to the en-
croachmentS of the sea. Galveston
ought not to be rebuilt at least upon
the former plan, because the liability
Of similar occurrences would be very
great. All things considered, ii is a
wonder that the city has survived so
long as ii has. 1t would be feasible TO
maintain a harbOr, at Galveston, max
ing il a point of storage and shipment,
but ii ought not to be the site Of
populous city. If it We're maintained
simply as a depot Of commerce the
population on the island need not. dur
ing the daytime exceed 800 or LOCO I'M
der existing conditions. and the night
population ought not to exceed 80. The
city would be simply q workshop. hut
not the permanent habitatiOn of a
large population. 1t is ineXcusable to
leave families within reach Of the
waves as they have been on Galveston
island: it would be a crime if there
were sufficient knowledge on the part
of the public to realize fully what it
means.
This plan is one of the four pro-
posals that | think of for treating the
problem presented by the disaster. The
first thing that will occur to most
people is the complete abandonment Of
the city. \ third way out of the diff
Guilty would be the establishment Of
new Galveston at the head Of Cal
weston bay. ten miles away, with the
opening and maintenance Of a canal to
it. A fourth plan would be the cutting
OF canal directly through the land To
a suitable site. I do not consider the
suggestion that Houston should be
made the seaport as feasible What
the Texas coast needs is a city equally
accessible to sea going vessels and tp
the railroads. However costly the
dredging Of a deep channel 70 Houston
would be. the expense Of getting up to
il would still further operate against
it, Port Arthur, which is Of late maxi
ing considerable strides is somewhat
safer than Galveston, because the land
is not subsiding so rapidly there. but
this is about all that can be said for it.
II is not a suitable site for a populOus
city.
There is no feasible plan for the
protection Of Galveston on its present
site. The trouble comes in the lack Of
suitable foundation for structures NJ
sufficient strength to insure protection
against any severe storm. 1t might be
possible to put in an exceedingly broad
foundation of artificial stone, or wood
so protected as to be 0n-combustihe
and safe from the attacks Of insects
but such a work would have to be not
less than 1000 feet broad and would
be enormously expensive. 1t would
cost a great deal more than cutting
canal to the head Of Galveston bay.
The safest plan would be to cut such
canal right through the land Of Gal
weston island because it would be
easier to keep open canal there, and.
although the first cost Of its cOnstruc-
ton would be greater than the deepen
ing Of the existing channel. the cost Of
its maintenance would be very much
less.
THE sandbank on which Galveston was
built, with the surrounding natural fta-
ures furnishes record OF past wave
work which might wei have deferred the
founders of the city. Tn chief work Of
waves and wind-driven sea currents ev-
erywhere is the building ~ bars of sand
or gravel gathered from neighborins
shore stretches OF washed mp from snail
low bottoms; only less conspicuous is the
work Of these agents in carving sea-ciifs.
Both results are characteristic of our
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Jersey Iit DaiH blll $500 lt'l7 ~. I''il'.
lht one sItlyht.!5 ACI'r9 lIL' nlpIIh7 MI
sIIitS +lloLug''iIl- I."".I tit ''i'
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mem 9t'"IuS my 5'.D5D vi N, y" I-I'T ''Iu.
ne S'b-SllllN pIt"ptIItHatt' WINE dinHS
tne natter coasts iik' JHur' Nl lNt FIl
OF Mexico, the bans Or krtS. pTt4lpm-
nate and they are commonly separated
from the mainland hy sounds. tuIt is To-
say. the character of the shore is deter
mined primarily M its height above tt1t.
ana secoudariiy by the effect of waves
and sea-curreuts iu buildin- bars lnd
carving cliffs
The important point ia connection
with the bar is the fact that I'D is built bv
waves aided by thc currents WV that it-
height and breadth afford = Fir measure,
of local wlya work This dp,- NOT MN
the idIc rrpIes of THE calm. ur even the
breakers or the lesser storms. nor y.t the
great hurricanes happening 40 intervals
Of centuries, bun rather tnr greater
storms W.T. current decades. The crest DIT
the key thus marks The reach of the great
storms. hut NIT ol ilc phenomtndl temp
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,t,l' 81 'iie .,'.E vi S"Du 9l'I ms
,,a,,t i, rl it'3I ''t-
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