Lindsey Graham

Workers used manual screwjacks to raise some 2,000 buildings, including a cathedral, and then filled the space underneath with millions of pounds of sand dredged from the Gulf.

They raised streets, water mains, trolley tracks, and gas lines, the entire city infrastructure.

But while the city took responsibility for raising municipal property and providing fill, private property owners were required to pay for the raising of their own homes, businesses, and barns.

Many homeowners who could not afford the cost simply moved upstairs and allowed the first floor of their homes to be filled in.

During these years of construction, Galveston was a city on stilts, and residents got around on a constantly changing network of elevated wooden catwalks.

When the work was finally finished in 1911, 500 blocks had been filled in with more than 16 million cubic yards of sand at a cost of $3.5 million.

And just four years later, the monumental effort and expense for the project paid off when on August 17, 1915, another immensely strong hurricane struck Galveston.

This time, despite the same high winds and elevated tides, there were only 11 deaths.

And there were other encouraging signs of recovery.

By 1910, Galveston's population had bounced back to nearly 37,000 residents, just 800 fewer than there were in 1900.

And by 1912, Galveston was the second most valuable port in the United States, surpassed only by New York City.

But in the years that followed, despite the best efforts of citizens and city leaders, Galveston would lose its prominence to Houston, its longtime northern rival.

In January 1901, Texas saw its first major oil discovery at the Spindletop Oil Field in Beaumont, Texas.

And as oil production skyrocketed, Houston's business leaders argued that the nation needed a reliable inland port to serve this booming industry.

They convinced Congress to fund the dredging of the Buffalo Bayou.

And by 1914, Houston had a 50-mile deepwater channel linking the city to the Gulf of Mexico.

This new waterway, combined with Houston's inland location and access to rail networks, made the city far more attractive to oil companies and shippers than Galveston.

So over time, Galveston's trade dominance waned and its population stagnated.

Ultimately, it would thrive mainly as a seaside getaway for visitors from Houston, never regaining its pre-storm economic status.

By then, Isaac Klein and his brother Joseph had long since moved on to new posts within the Weather Bureau.