Isaac’s Storm Reader’s Guide #5

Isaac’s Storm Reader’s Guide #5

“Dirty Weather”
An online version of this guide can be found at CooperHistory.com/dirty-weather

Summary
Pages: 57–78 (includes "Thursday, August 30, 1900: 17 N, 59.3 W")

Isaac travels to his first job with the Weather Bureau in Little Rock. He
earns a medical degree because he wants to study the effects of weather on
people's health. Later, he is put in charge of a weather station in Texas. He
is shocked by the brutality of Texans. Conditions are rough. After an
exciting incident with melted hail, Isaac researches and writes about the
topic. He does not respond well to criticism of his work.

He marries Cora May Bellew. Nine months later, his first child (Allie May)
is born.

Meanwhile, the Weather Bureau continues to have problems. It experiences

more scandals, leading to more criticism. Things are made worse when the
service does not predict a major storm that hits New York. Isaac does his
job well, but the Weather Bureau employees in Galveston do not. As a
result, he is transferred to the Galveston station to take it over and improve
it.

Galveston seems like a welcome assignment for Isaac. The city is wealthy,
progressive, and rising in importance. He becomes a father again, this time
to a girl named Rosemary. He spends most of his time trying to make the
Galveston office one of the best in the country. Isaac's brother Joseph
arrives, and a rivalry develops. At the national office of the Weather Bureau,
political changes lead to a new chief being named: Willis L. Moore. Moore
puts Isaac in control of hurricane monitoring stations in Mexico, where
Isaac experiences his first hurricane.

As Galveston grows, it creates an ambitious plan that "promised sure

dominance over Houston in the race to dominate the Gulf" (p. 76).

Last updated on February 28, 2018 Page 1 of 2

 Isaac’s Storm Reader’s Guide #5

Outline
 Isaac is stationed in Little Rock where he earns a medical degree.
 Isaac is relocated to Texas.
 Isaac writes about a freak weather event he witnesses.
 Isaac marries and has his first child.
 The Weather Bureau experiences more scandals and criticism.
 Isaac is stationed in Galveston, where Cora has their second child.
 He experiences his first hurricane (at sea).
 Galveston grows rapidly.

Discussion questions
1. The chapter title "Dirty Weather" could be referring to bad weather
conditions. What else could it be referring to?
2. There is another reference to Jules Verne on page 59. Why would
someone like Isaac would be interested in books by this author?
3. On page 63, Isaac's credibility (see definition above) is challenged.
How does he react to this?
4. Immediately after quoting Bate's assessment of Isaac ("none better"
on page 69), the author introduces Isaac's brother, Joseph. Why
does he juxtapose these two pieces of information?
5. From page 70: "He understood [extreme weather events] the way a
parent comes to understand a difficult child." Where else has the
author compared these two things?
6. Joseph's memoirs, written years after the storm, mention Isaac only
briefly. What do you suppose will happen between now and then that
will cause such a division between the two brothers?
7. From page 75: "Against the hubris of the age, what was a mere
hurricane?" What led people like Isaac to believe this?
8. Near the end of the chapter, Isaac measures the temperature at eight
degrees, while Joseph measures it seven and a half degrees. Why does
the author mention this detail?
9. Why does the author mention the smell of dead fish at the end of the
chapter?

Last updated on February 28, 2018 Page 2 of 2