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GALVESTON

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 431 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GALVESTON , a See also:

city and See also:port of entry and the See also:county-seat of Galveston county, See also:Texas, U.S.A., on the Gulf of See also:Mexico, near the N.E. extremity of Galveston See also:Island and at the entrance to Galveston See also:Bay. It is about 48 m. S.E. of See also:Houston and 310 M. W. of New See also:Orleans. Pop. (1890) 29,084; (1900) 37,789, (6339 were See also:foreign-See also:born and 8291 negroes); (1910) 36,981; See also:land See also:area (1906) 7.8 sq. m. It is served by the Galveston, Houston & See also:Henderson, the Galveston, See also:Harrisburg & See also:San See also:Antonio, the Gulf, See also:Colorado & See also:Santa Fe, the Trinity & Brazos Valley, the See also:International & See also:Great See also:Northern, and the See also:Missouri, See also:Kansas & Texas See also:railways, and by numerous steamship lines to Gulf ports in the See also:United States and Mexico, and to See also:Cuba, See also:South See also:America, See also:Europe and the See also:Atlantic ports of the United States. Galveston Island is a See also:low, sandy See also:strip of land about 28 m. See also:long and 11 to 3.1 M. wide, lying from 2 to 3 M. off the mainland. The city, which extends across the island from Gulf to Bay, faces and has its See also:harbour on the latter. The island was connected with the mainland before the 1900 See also:storm by a road See also:bridge and several railway See also:bridges, which, a See also:short distance W. of the city, crossed the narrow strip of See also:water separating the See also:West Bay from Galveston Bay proper; the bridge least harmed (a single-track railway bridge) was repaired immediately and was for a See also:time the city's only connexion with the mainland, but in 1908 bonds were issued for See also:building a See also:concrete See also:causeway, accommodating four railway tracks, one interurban See also:car track, and a roadway for vehicles and pedestrians. An enormous See also:sea-See also:wall (completed in 1904 at a cost of $2,091,000) was constructed on the eastern and Gulf sides of the city, about 5 M. long, 17 ft. above mean low See also:tide (1.5 ft. above the high-water See also:mark of the storm of 1900 and 7.5 ft. above the previous high-water mark, that of See also:September 1875), 16 ft. wide at the See also:base and 5 ft. at the See also:top, weighing 20 tons to the lineal See also:foot, and with a See also:granite rip-See also:rap See also:apron extending out 27 ft. on the Gulf See also:side. The entire grade of the city was raised from r to 15 ft. above the old level.

Between the sea-wall and the sea there is a splendid See also:

beach, the entire length of which is nearly 30 M. Among the See also:principal buildings are the city See also:hall, the See also:court-See also:house, the masonic See also:temple, the Federal See also:custom-house and See also:post-See also:office, the Y.M.C.A. building and the public library. The United States See also:government maintains a marine See also:hospital, a live-saving station, an immigrant landing station, and the See also:state and the Federal government See also:separate See also:quarantine stations. In addition to the See also:Ball public high school, Galveston is the seat of St See also:Mary's University (1854), the Sacred See also:Heart and Ursuline See also:academies, and the See also:Cathedral school, all under See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also:control. The government of the See also:municipality was long vested in a See also:council of See also:ward aldermen, controlled by a " See also:machine," which was proved corrupt in 1894 by an investigation undertaken at the See also:personal expense of the See also:mayor; it gave See also:place in 1895 to a city council of aldermen at large, which by See also:root had proved its inefficiency especially in the crisis following the storm of the preceding See also:year. Government then seemed a business question and was practically undertaken by the city's commercial experts, the Deepwater See also:commission, whose previous aim had been harbour improvement, and who now See also:drew up a See also:charter providing for government by a See also:board of five appointed by the See also:governor of the state. A See also:compromise measure making three members appointees gent See also:Galvanometer. of the governor and two elected by the voters of the city was in force for a time but was declared unconstitutional. A third charter was adopted providing for five commissioners, chosen by the See also:people, dividing among themselves the pests of mayor-See also:president and commissioners of See also:finance and See also:revenue, of water-See also:works and See also:sewerage, of streets and public See also:property, and of See also:police and See also:fire See also:protection, each See also:commissioner being held individually responsible for the management of his See also:department. These are business departments carefully systematized by their heads. The legislative See also:power is vested in the commission as a whole, over whose meetings the mayor-president presides; he has a See also:vote like every other commissioner, and has no See also:veto power. The success of this commission government has been remarkable: in 1901–1908 the city, without issuing bonds except for grade raising, paid off a large See also:debt, raised the salaries of city employees, paid its See also:running expenses in See also:cash, planned and began public improvements and sanitary reforms, and did much for the abolition of gambling and the regulation of other See also:vice.

The Galveston See also:

Plan and similar schemes of government have been adopted in many other See also:American cities. Galveston's manufactories, the products of which in 1900 were valued at $5,016,360, a decrease of 12'4% from 18go (value of products under " factory See also:system," $3,675,323 in 1900; $2,996,654 in 1905, a decrease of 18.5%), include See also:cotton-See also:seed oil refineries, See also:flour and feed See also:mills, See also:lumber mills, wooden-See also:ware factories, breweries, See also:cement works, creosoting works, See also:ship-yards and See also:ice factories. There are extensive cotton warehouses, See also:coal and See also:grain See also:elevators, and large wholesale See also:supply depots. The Gulf See also:Fisheries See also:Company has its See also:fleet's headquarters and large packing-houses at Galveston. It is as a commercial port that Galveston is chiefly important. In 1907 it was the second port in the United States in the value of its exports (domestic and foreign, $196,627,382, or 10.22% of the See also:total), being surpassed only by New See also:York City; and was the first of the Gulf ports (having 45'43% of the total value), New Orleans being second with $164,998,540. Galveston's imports in 1907 were valued at $7,669,458. Galveston is the greatest cotton-exporting port in the See also:Union, its exports of cotton in 1907 being valued at $163,564,445. Other exports of great value are cotton seed See also:pro-ducts (oil and cake, $10,188,594 in 1907), See also:Indian See also:corn ($3,457,279 in 1907), See also:wheat ($9,443,901 in 1906), lumber and flour. The electric See also:lighting and water-supply systems are owned and operated by the municipality. The harbour of Galveston seems to have been named about 1782 by See also:Spanish explorers in See also:honour either of Jose de Galvez, See also:Marquis of Sonora, or his See also:nephew Bernardo, governor of See also:Louisiana; and in the See also:early days of the 19th See also:century was the principal See also:rendezvous of a powerful See also:band of See also:buccaneers and pirates, of whom, for many years, the notorious See also:Jean Lafitte was See also:chief. After much difficulty these were finally dispersed about 182o by the United States authorities, and in 1837 the first See also:settlement from the United States was made on the site of the See also:present city.

The See also:

town was incorporated by the legislature of the See also:Republic of Texas in 1839. On the 8th of See also:October 1862 the city was taken by a Federal See also:naval force under See also:Commander See also:William B. Renshaw (1816–1863). After a See also:sharp engagement a Confederate force under See also:General See also:John B. Magruder (1810–1871) retook the city on the 1st of See also:January 1863, one of the Federal See also:ships, the " Harriet See also:Lane," falling into Confederate hands, and another, the "West-See also:field," being blown up with Commander Renshaw on board. Thereafter Galveston remained in Confederate hands, although rigidly blockaded by the Federal See also:navy, until the See also:close of the See also:war. On the 8th of September 190o the city was seriously damaged by a West Indian See also:hurricane, which, blowing steadily for eighteen See also:hours, reached a velocity of 135 M. an See also:hour. The See also:waters of the Gulf were piled up in enormous waves that swept across a large See also:part of the city, destroying or badly damaging more than 8000 buildings, entailing a loss of about 5000 lives, and a property loss estimated at about $17,000,000. Liberal contributions came from all over the See also:country, and the state partially remitted the city's taxes for 17 years. The city was rapidly rebuilt on a more substantial plan.

End of Article: GALVESTON

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