The Tragic Death of Stanley Spencer
A husband, a father, a businessman, and
the first death of the 1900 Storm
"Papa telephoned us that he would not be home for several hours on account of this business," Alexander Spencer said. "That is why we were not worried about him." Little did Alexander know, in just a few minutes his father would be dead, the first casualty of the 1900 Storm. As the winds gained ferocity, the roof above Ritter's Saloon and Café was ripped off causing a printing press to fall from the second floor, killing Stanley Spencer and several others. His body wouldn't be recovered until the next day when about one hundred volunteers, searching for survivors, dug his body out of the ruins. He would be the first recorded and the first funeral attributed to the storm.
Alexander was just 15 years old. He weathered the storm in this house along with his mother, Josephine, and his younger brother, Stanley Jr., who was 13. The family was accompanied by five big dogs, three puppies, several cats, many neighbors, and some strangers who sought shelter in one of the only structures to survive in the area. "All we could do was thank God that He had given us a place of shelter which we could share with those less fortunate," Alexander said.
Pictured above: The Times of Philadelphia with photographs of the Spencer Family
This clip from the History Channel's documentary "Issac's Storm" tells the tragic story of Mr. Spencer's death at Ritter's Cafe
Pictured above: Ritter's Saloon and Café after the storm
By 1900, Galveston was one of the leading ports in the United States. Stanley Spencer was the general manager of a shipping agent representing the Elder, Dempster & Co. Steam Ship Line and North German-Lloyd Steam Ship Co. Pictured above is their advertisement in the City of Galveston Directory of 1899.
Leaving the Stricken Island
After the loss of her husband, Josephine and her two sons returned to Pennsylvania to be near family. On September 12th, The Philadelphia Times published an article announcing that Mrs. Spencer and her children were indeed safe and alive.
