Hurricane of 1900

On September 8th of 1900 a hurricane wiped out most of the Texas Gulf coast from Louisiana down past Galveston. Galveston was the hard hit with the highest point of the island at time approximately 2 feet underwater at one point. Durring this storm Capt. W. H. Plummer was the Keeper at the Sabine Pass Lighthouse and through his efforts many lives were saved from that terrible storms wrath. Afterwards Plummer was award a Life Saving Medal by the Secretary of the Treasury. William Henry Plummer was twice an assistant keeper at Sabine Pass lighthouse from 1860-1862 and in 1886.

The Washington Post reported the award presentation on May 28, 1903.

Secretary of the Treasury Bestows Medal Upon Hero of Galveston Hurricane

The Secretary of the Treasury yesterday forwarded to Capt. W. H. Plummer, now at Willbridge, Me., a gold live-saving medal awarded to him under the acts of Congress approved June 20, 1874 and May 4 1882, in recognition of this heroic conduct in saving and assisting to save a very large number of persons from drowning during the memorable hurricane of September 8, 1900 at Galveston, Tex. Plummer, it is stated, rescued and delivered to places of safety upward of 156 men, women and children. In closing his letter, which accompanied the medal the Secretary says:

"If would be difficult to exaggerate the merits of your services. You acted entirely of your own mention, under no compulsion from any source except your own commanding sense of humanity; you neglected your own property, and gave up the work of rescue only when your boat was so disabled that you were compelled to abandon it and swim to a place of refuge. Your conduct was of the highest order and derserves the highest recognition. That is affored by the accompanying medal, which is authorized by law to be bestowed only upon those who perform, at the jeopardy of their own lives, deeds of the most extreme and heroic darin in saving others from the perils of the see."

Plummer was assisted in his work of rescue by Joseph Contheli and by his two sons, Guy and Jack Plummer.