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September 9, 2000
Web posted at: 0:19 HKT (0019 GMT)
September 8, 2000
Web posted at: 12:19 p.m. EDT (1619 GMT)
GALVESTON, Texas -- A huge storm was threatening, and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word had to do something to protect the 90 orphans under their care.
Little did they know how huge and deadly a storm it would be. Little did they know how futile their attempts would be.
The sisters, hoping to keep the children safe, each tied a piece of clothesline around their waists and then around the wrists of about six or eight children.
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When the bodies of all 100 were found, many were still bound by those cinctures of hope. Three boys, found clinging to a tree, survived.
Deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history
On Friday, the Sisters of Charity remembered the 90 children and 10 nuns who died in the Galveston Hurricane of September 8, 1900. The seaside orphanage was destroyed in the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
After memorial speeches were given and a hymn was sung at the site where the St. Mary's Orphanage buildings once stood, a wreath was carried a short way to the shore and placed at the foot of a plaque that memorializes the storm that devastated Galveston.
Some 8,000 people perished in the hurricane, which destroyed nearly 75 percent of the city of Galveston.
As storm raged, nuns led children in prayers
For the nuns looking out for their young charges on that day, their first move was to relocate the children to the new girl's dormitory. It delayed the terror. The water was quickly coming ashore, and they watched as the boys' dormitory collapsed in the storm.
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The nuns led the children in prayers and hymns. One hymn was called "Queen of the Waves," which traditionally was sung by French fishermen during storms.
By nightfall, though, the winds were at 150 mph. It was time for desperate measures.
The nuns tied their charges to themselves and placed their fate in God's hands.
Eventually, the girls' dormitory fell into the waves, washing the nuns and the children into the tumult.
A Mass in memory of the storm victims will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church later on Friday. A candlelight memorial service for those killed in the hurricane is scheduled for Friday night.
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RELATED SITES:
The 1900 Storm from the Galveston County Daily News
Tales of the storm from the National Weather Service
Galveston Historical Foundation
Rosenberg Library: Galveston & Texas History Center
American Red Cross
Galveston Anniversary
Disaster Services - Individual and Family Disaster Safety Tips
In the News - Harris Poll Shows Public Ill-Prepared For Hurricanes
Random House books: Isaac's Storm
Weatherwise Magazine: The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900
KHOU-TV: Voices from the Storm, the 1900 Galveston HurricaneNote: Pages will open in a new browser window
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