Evening star., 1926-09-20

Continued from First Page.l
messages TO relatives and friends OF
the dead and injured.
1t was thought here the letter car
liers and other postal employees might
prove of valuable help in Identifying
bodies. The postmaster at Miami was
instructed to get additional help to
facilitate his work. Reports reaching
Washington disclose that the main
post office in Miami was not material
ly damaged. although a temporary
addition in the rear was washed away.
Message to Governor.
Secretary Davis message to Gov.
Martin said:
Il desire to offer such assistance in
connection with disaster which has
occurred in your State as is within
means at the disposal of the War De
paltment Maj. Gen. Johnson HagoOd,
commanding 4th Corps Area. has
been directed by radio to render all
possible aid where immediate action
is necessary to prevent extreme suf-
fering on where local authorities are
clearly inadequate to cope with the
situation
/
Hagood at Atlanta said:
"Secretary of War direct that you
investigate conditions existing in
Florida as result Of storm. and take
necessary action in accordance with
Army regulations. You are authorized
10 call upon exempted stations in your
CORPS area for such assistance as may
he required. Governor Of Florida has
been notified that you will cooperate
to extent conditions warrant. Report
conditions and action taken to War
Department..
Infantry and Air Aid.
Through removal of the exempted
STATIONS restrictions. the department
has placed the infantry school at Fort
Renning. Ga. and the flying fields or
the Army Air Corps in the 4th Corps
Area al the disposal of General Ha-
good in emergency relief measures in
Florida he may find it possible to
take.
Washingtonians. meanwhile. await
cd eagerly and anxiously today for
word. however. meager, concerning
the fate of dear ones who had placed
their fortunes under the magic spell
of Florida'S dream cities.
AS hourly press reports added but
drab strokes TO the picture of <esola'
ton already painted. local telegraph
and newspaper offices were besieged
with frantic inquiries from relatives
and friends of those thought to have
been in the storm-strlcken area
Only Few Wires Up.
With only a few makeshift telegraph
lines strung into the heart of the
vortex of destruction at Miami. the
messages that would allay fears or
crvptically confirm them filtered into
Washington with agoniZing sluggish
ness. Two of these wires. placed into
service by emergency crews of the
Western Cnion Telegraph Co, began
operation for the first time shortly
before last midnight, 1t was an
nounced at local offices of the com
pany. The Postal Telegraph Co. had
no lines in commission south OF Or
lando until today. when the Wash
ington office began 10 receive few
messages from Miami.
Scores Of brief messages telling or
the safety of local people poured into
the Washington office of the former
company all night long, and con-
tinued to arrive almost without in
termisson during the day. Some
were in reply to the hundreds OF
queries regarding the welfare OF
loved ones filed here in the veritable
avalanche of outgoing messages to
Florida points.
It seems that inquiries and re-
spondents had their own established
form of message. The question which
almost invariably was flashed over
the busy wires TO the scene of devas-
tation was:
Wire Immediately IL you are safe"
The standard reply was:
we are all o. * Stop. More
later"
The influx of messages since the
storm has been SO heavy that the
operators have found iAmpossible to