Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1926-09-25

The devastating hurricane at Mi
ami, Florida has shocked the coun-
try. Its toll of death and destruc-
.tion rivals the earthquake years ago
in California. 1t is estimated that
the number Of dead will reach 400
and the injured 5000, many of
wnom are colorcd people. No such
a catastrophe has taken place in that
imme date section since the founda-
tion of this government and it is
oGe of the mysteries of nature. The
following interesting report will eX-
plain itself:
Fort Pierce, Fla, Sept. 20.-kirby
Jones, representative of the Amer
lean Bakeries Company. who left
Miami on the first train out after
the storm, described today conditions
in that city during the hurricane.
The storm started at i A. NJ. Sat
urday," he said, ''and ragged until 2
u. Nj. Saturday 1t started with a
terrific wind followed few minutes
later by heavy rains. About A.
NJ. Saturnay both wind and ra n
abated.
'It was this lull which indirectly
caused most of the casualties. Hun
dreds of persons, believing the storm
MAS. oxer- started for work. But
about O'Clock the rain began agan
and the wind grew more and more
violent.
The city was covered with a pail
of darkness which obscured every
thing Between 8 o'clock and noon
the wind velocity reached its maxi
mum. Thousands of homes were
ripped from their foundations and
the air was filled with flying tim
bers.
II was in a building seeking shel-
ter from the storm when the roof
caved in. There were about $50
other people with me at the time.
All fled to a school house a block
away.
''It was a pitiful sight to see that
crowd running through the driv mg
rain, barely able to make headway
against the terrific force of the
wind.
Atlanta, Ga, Sept. 20-Vivid de.
,scriptions of the havoc wrought
the hurricane at Miami were given
by members of the train crew of the
Dixie Flyer, arriving II Atlanta to-
day from Jacksonville and calrying
Pullman sleepers from Miami and
Key West.
Roy Jackson of Chicago, a Negro
porter, went through the storm in
his car which was parked directly in
front of the railroad station at Mi
ami.
@'1t was the worst thing | ever
saw" said Jackson "Our car was
right at the station and from the
time the storm hit about midnight
Friday, until we left at 1 80 Sunday
morn ng we were right in the mid
die of it
There were three separate storms
1t began to blow and rain just after
midnight Friday and continued to
do so until about o'cloik Saturday
morning. 1t was tedrible. You
couldn't see ten feet in front of you
and the wind blew so hard it rocked
the car like 1t vas cradle. We were
standing end-on to the wind, too,
headed north and south. If we had
been headed east and west the car
would have been blown away.
SECOND AND THIRD STORMS.
about O'Clock Saturday morn
ing the wind died down a whole lot
and folks began to get out and look
around. Then it started up again
and blew until noon, with another
terrible rainstorm, and thunded and
lightning and water everywhere.
Then it died again and folks thought
it was all over, but it started up the
third time late in the afternoon,
worse than ever.
1--WE stayed in the car most OF
the time and about twenty-five peo-
pie came and stayed with us for
shelter. Their homes had beenwash-
ed away or blown down and they
had no place to go. The water was
up to the body of the car IN the
yards at the station and three or
four feet of water was washing
through the station.
you can't imagine such wind.
Along toward daylight Saturday
morning you could see limbs of trees,
roofs of houses and great Big tim
bers sailing along through the air.
and the rain came in regular sheet
before the wind,