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Imagine it's lunchtime on Saturday, September 8th, 1900 in Galveston, Texas.

You're a steamship agent from New York, and you're sitting down at a corner table in Ritter's Cafe in saloon.

With a bad storm raging outside, you're relieved to be sheltered from the rain, dining with a local grain exporter named Richard.

You'll unfold your napkin as a waiter in a white jacket sets down a platter of shrimp in the middle of your table. Richard takes a hearty swig of his cocktail and then spears a shrimp with his fork, but you're distracted by the sight of the doors and windows rattling from the force of the wind. Well, this is some storm. You ever see anything like it? Richard just shrugs. Oh, it's nothing. Just a little rain. You know, Galliston has weathered plenty of storms before. You should hear my old man talk about the hurricane back in 75. Hurricane? You think this is a hurricane? I wonder if I might be better off heading out of town early. I mean, there's a train leaving at 1.30 this afternoon. You think I might be able to catch it? Oh, don't be such a worry war. It will be fine. And how do you know that? Because I spent my whole life here. Besides, our local weatherman says it's practically impossible for a storm to do any real damage to the island. Something about coastal shells or something. I don't know. Don't ask me to explain it. You whip your head around as a tree branch smacks the side of the restaurant. Some of the other diners exchanged nervous looks, but Richard remains focused on his lunch. You know, I just count it. Then there are 13 men inside this dining room right now. I think it must be an omen.

Richard gives you a knowing wink and you can't help it laugh. Oh no, you can't scare me. I'm not

superstitious. But your laugh dies in your throat as a wooden bean cracked above you and the whole

building starts to shudder. The fork slips from your fingers as you lock eyes with Richard

whose face has suddenly

gone pale.

There's a deafening crash, an instinct takes them.

You lunge beneath the table, your heart hammering in your chest as it seems the entire

world collapses around you. From Audible

I'm Lindsay Graham,

and this is American history tellers, our history, your story.

Music On September 8th, 1900, a catastrophic hurricane came charging toward the island city of Galveston, Texas. But officials had

downplayed the danger, and few residents realized the threat facing them. So even as the wind and rain

intensified, businessmen sat down for lunchtime meetings at Ritter's Cafe and Saloon, a popular

restaurant at Galveston's commercial district. But when a violent gust of wind tore off the building's roof and brought the ceiling down on

the diners, everything changed.

Over the next few hours, thousands of men, women, and children waited through fast-rising

...