$50.00 CAD
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Two photo postcards dating to around September 16th 1915, with images of damage done in the Texas City TX area.
Photo of building with collapsed roof and walls. Written on negative ‘HURRICANE TEX CITY 9-16-15 no 34'
Photo of the Artesian Ice & Cold Storage Company buildings, also damaged during the hurricane
‘AZO’ photographic paper dates them to 1904-1918.
Unused.
Toned on back of one card.
(Red text is an electronic watermark that is not physically part of the cards)
Texas City was hard-hit by the hurricane, sustaining $400,000 in damage and the loss of 18 lives. Eight were killed following the collapse of the top two stories of a recently completed building. An estimated 250 people took shelter in the building, though a majority left when the building was first unroofed.
An estimated 150 buildings, primarily small frame residences and structures, collapsed; eight businesses were destroyed. Some businesses and residences were unroofed, and while most remained standing, many frame buildings were torn from their foundations and lay afloat in the floodwaters. In total, damage to homes and businesses was estimated as between $35,000–$100,000. Damage to refineries amounted to $75,000 and losses to warehouses and piers amounted to $50,000. Total losses to the Texas City Transportation Company's shipping facilities was estimated at $200,000, including the loss of three large oil tanks and coastal installations. Several dredges were damaged and grounded at Texas City. Floodwaters 4.5–6 ft deep swept the city streets.
The U.S. Army camp in Texas City was destroyed, with the loss of most tents and wooden structures; ten soldiers were killed there. The dredge Sam Houston capsized in a channel 7 mi off of Texas City, drowning 56–60 people; there were only three survivors. Two oil tank steamers were grounded between Texas City and Virginia Point while numerous small craft sank.
WIKIPEDIA
