Trade and Galveston is the natural entry port for the great Southwest. Its trade, particularly in cotton, places it among the foremost cities of the world in the volume and value of its exports and imports, as the figures will indicate. Galveston has advanced from third to second place in its rank among ex porting ports of the United States. The total value of foreign exports for the trade year of 1917 was $275,000,000 and for 1916, $198,298,736. These figures place Galveston the fourth city in the United States in the volume of its foreign commerce. Galveston has over 50 lines of steamships to foreign ports, besides two regular lines of coastwise vessels to New York and points in the Gulf of Mexico. The do mestic exports are cotton, wool, hides, oil cake and oil meal, cottonseed oil, fish oil, cement and poultry. The domestic imports are drugs, boots and shoes, hats, dry goods, chemicals and like commodities. The foreign exports are cot ton, cottonseed oil, oil cake and meal, wheat, corn, flour, copper and iron ores, cattle, lumber and timber and provisions. The foreign im ports include fire brick, tiles, chemicals, cement, liquors, earthenware, prepared vegetables and fancy woods. There are four export grain elevators, with a storage capacity of 4,000,000 bushels, and one clearing and conditioning elevator.
Government, Public Utilities, Gal veston is governed by a mayor and four com missioners, known as the board of city com missioners. The commission plan was in augurated by the city of Galveston, 18 Sept. 1901 and has proved highly satisfactory. The city owns Pelican Island, immediately across the channel from the city and with a channel frontage of 15,000. feet. On this island are located the dry dock and ship-repairing plants. It is susceptible of development into docks, warehouses and an ideal location for ship building plants. The city owns four public parks. The waterworks, fire department, sewer system and street electric-light plants are owned by the city. The waterworks is valued at $2,000,000. The supply of water comes from artesian wells on the mainland and is piped under the bay. The city also owns a one third interest in the Galveston Wharf Com pany and is represented on its board of nine directors by the mayor and two of the four city commissioners.
Finances and The city has three State, four private and two national banks, 21 building, loan, abstract and real es tate corporations. Two daily papers and six weekly papers are published here; 20 hotels, a large jobbing trade, brewery, cement and pipe works, ice plants, cold storage plants, iron works, sash, door and blind manufactories, cot ton presses, clothing, flour, meal, coffee, baking powder, spices, extracts, pickles, preserves, macaroni and mineral water manufactories and rice mills, book manufacturing, lithographing and printing establishments.
Taxes and assessed val uation of the city for 1918 was $43,000,000. The rate of taxation for the city on $100 valuation is $1.65, and for school purposes 25 cents addi tional. The public debt is $5,655,525.30, includ ing grade raising bond issue.
History.—About the year 1782, a Spanish fleet made an examination of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico west of the Mississippi River, and named Galveston Bay and Island in honor of Conde de Galvez, then governor of Louisi ana. The explorers found on the island one white man who subsisted by hunting and fish ing. Galvez was governor of Louisiana from 1780 to 1785. Until the year 1816 Galveston
Island remained in its primmval state, a low island formed in process of time by the sea throwing up sand and shells. The conjecture that La Salle visited Galveston Island during his brief stay in Texas is without reasonable foundation. The island was long a favorite hunting ground for the Caroillcawas, the once powerful and warlike tribe which inhabited so much of the coast of Texas. Francisco Xavier Mina, a young Spanish soldier, resolved to lend the patriotic cause in Mexico his sword and aid the people of that country in their struggle for liberty. He determined to make Galveston Island his base of operations. He worked in co operation with Don Luis Aury, a naval officer. His plan was approved by Herrera, a com missioner of the Mexican revolutionary or Morelos government to the United States. Her rera, with Aury, landed on Galveston Island with an expedition in September 1816. A gov ernment was organized, Aury was made civil and military governor of Texas and Galveston Island and took the oath of fealty to the Re public of Mexico. In November 1816, Mina arrived at Galveston with a few small vessels and about 200 men. Mina and Aury abandoned the island in March 1817. Just about the time they left Galveston Island we have the first ac count of Lafitte coming to the island. The pirate is supposed to have reached Galveston late in 1816. He held letters of marque from the revolutionary government of Venezuela au thorizing him to prey upon the commerce of Spain. He had a number of vessels and quite a force of adventurers. He also assumed to be governor of Texas under the revolutionary gov ernment of Mexico, probably having received some such authority from Herrera, the Mexi can commissioner in New Orleans. Lafitte's purpose was to capture Spanish vessels sailing under the flag of the Mexican republic. By the close of the year 1817 the population of Galves ton had increased to nearly 1,000. The United States and Spain found cause for complaint against the pirates, but Spain feared the United States would claim the island if the pirates were dispersed by the American naval establishment and the United States did not feel called upon to take action, owing to the attitude assumed by Spain, consequently Lafitte was left undis turbed. In 1820 an American vessel was taken by Lafitte's men. The United States govern meet then dispatched an armed vessel under Lieutenant Kearney to break up the ment at Galveston. Lafitte left Galveston for good, but continued his depredations upon Spanish shipping until 1826. In 1820 Dr. James Long visited Galveston Island to induce Lafitte, who was about leaving Galveston, to co-operate with him in the establishment of a government at Nacogdoches. Lafitte referred to the failure of all previous attempts to invade Texas and re fused to join Long. Before Long left Bolivar Point a French sloop freighted with wine stranded on Galveston Island. Carofikawas to the number of 200 were encamped in the vicin ity. They attacked and butchered the crew, plundered the sloop and engaged in a drunken jollification. Long determined to chastise them. After nightfall with 30 men he passed over to the island in small boats. In the fight the Carofikawas outnumbered the whites seven to one. Long was compelled to retreat. Three of his men were killed; 32 Indians were left dead on the field.