When the Heavens Frowned - Paperback

by Joseph Cline (Author)

The autobiography of the maligned, cussed, discussed, much beloved Texas weatherman who played a pivotal role in the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

Back Jacket

The autobiography of the maligned, cussed, discussed, much beloved Texas weatherman who played a pivotal role in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.

"Galveston was a delightful place in which to live, and possessed a lotus-eater charm for the visitors. . . . Yet all this brightness, beauty and happiness were to be swiftly blotted out by the dark shadow of a terrific hurricane."
--Joseph L. Cline

In 1892 Joseph L. Cline, the brother of Dr. Isaac Monroe Cline, joined his sibling in the service of the Weather Bureau in Galveston. Eight years later, he became one of the town's heroes.

Working in conjunction with his brother, Cline was responsible for sending out the last message to Washington, D. C., that explained the gravity of the situation at Galveston. As a result, aid was swift in arriving, and many lives were undoubtedly saved. The chief of the Weather Bureau wrote that "probably no man will ever render such noble service for humanity" as Joseph L. Cline did at Galveston.

But Joseph L. Cline's life encompassed so much more than his actions in Galveston. As a cattle trader, teacher, and salesman, Cline quickly rose to the height of each profession before venturing into the fledgling field of weather forecasting. And his romance with his wife, the former Ula Jackson, is worthy of a novel in itself.

While meteorology was neither his first calling nor his strongest love, it nevertheless proved to be his most productive passion.

Forever linked to the storm of the century, Joseph L. Cline, along with his brother, became one of the premier pioneers in the field. Therefore it is only fitting that he include some observations on such topics as forecasting, rainfall and forestry, and his Weather Bureau work in his thorough, inspirational autobiography.

Author Biography

Dr. Joseph L. Cline spent forty-seven years of his life predicting the weather for the state of Texas. The brother of Dr. Isaac Monroe Cline, he joined his sibling in the service of the Weather Bureau in Galveston during the great 1900 hurricane that destroyed the city and took more than six thousand lives. Born in Madisonville, Tennesse, in 1870, Dr. Cline was one of ten siblings who grew up on the familyís small farm. He earned his B.S. in 1891 from Hiwassee College and subsequently worked as a teacher in a public school in Mount Vernon, Tennesse. In 1892 he accepted an appointment as assistant observer for the Weather Bureau under his brother in Galveston. At Galveston, he made the most accurate predictions in the bureau, correct 95 percent of the time. During his time there, he also earned his Ph.D from Add-Ran University in Waco, Texas. Despite these accomplishments, it was his actions during the famous Galveston hurricane in 1900 that made him legendary. Dr. Cline managed to send the last message out to Washington, D.C., which stressed the violence of the storm and the disastrous situation on the island, allowing officials to send aid more quickly to the victims. Wading through waist-deep waters, he then walked a mile down the coast warning the citizens to move to safer shelters on the interior of the island and also helped save the lives of his brotherís children while staying afloat for three hours on various drifting debris. Of the author, the chief of the Weather Bureau wrote that