A meeting to discuss aftermath management was assembled on August 17 at Galveston's Cotton Exchange Building, with mayor Fisher presiding and representatives of the city's interests present. Drinking water was made available on request via the pumping station on 33rd Street, which would be able to supply potable water for two weeks. The mayor also ordered the establishment of a milk depot. Fisher ordered all Galveston saloons closed and persons suspected of liquor possession searched. He asserted at the meeting that federal assistance was likely unnecessary, instead convening a relief committee composed of 50 members of the city's commercial association, maritime association, retail merchants' association, cotton exchange, and labor council, with the head of each group appointing 10 people to the committee. Members of the U.S. Fifth Brigade assisted with local residents in recovery efforts. Cleanup work quickly began on the Galveston Causeway and construction began on a temporary trestle bridge connecting Galveston and Virginia Point. Longer-term plans to restore the causeway were deliberated upon by engineers at a conference in Houston on August 31. By September, rail service with Galveston was reestablished. Fireboats pumped sewage and debris from the city out into Galveston Harbor. Seven salvage firms presented bids to refloat steamships grounded by the hurricane. The cities of San Antonio and Dallas each delivered approximately 10,000 loaves of bread to Houston for distribution in affected areas. Several infrastructure plans were forwarded to mitigate impacts from storms like the 1915 hurricane, including elevating the city further and extending the seawall; these proposals would necessitate millions of dollars.