The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1928-09-27
FLORIDA STORM DESTROYS NEGRO TOWNS
l,200 Colored
Inhabitants Said
To Be Victims

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla, Sept.
22.-Pelican Bay, a village of APP
proximately 400 Negro inhabitants,
was wiped out by the hurricane of
last Sunday and relief workers re-
turning tonight expressed the opinion
that few, if any, of its inhabitants
survived.
A rescue expedition today pene-
trated point opposite the little set
tlement and found 200 bodies just
across the water from the destroyed
village.
They did not reach the village it
self.
Town Overlooked
The village, nestled on one side
of a bay leading. Unto the lake, had
been overlooked as rescuers plunged
into other stricken areas, until yes
terday, when Gov. John w. Martin
asked what conditions were there.
Today the story was unfolded,
when relief expedition reached the
side of the bay opposite the settle
ment and beneath piles of debris
found the bodies of 200 of the vii
lagos inhabitants.
With the Pelican Bay tragedy re-
vealed, the death list tonight was
said officially to stand at 1000 with
80 per cent of the victims Negroes.
1,500 Dead, Estimate
Officials estimated the final
count of the dead from the storm
would reach 1900. Bodies of 724
victims have been buried here, seven
ty-one of them white persons.
Throughout the past five days res
cue crews have gone into the towns
along the Big Lake, Pahokee, on the
north of Pelican Bay, Belle Glade
on the south and other points had
been reached and the story of their
tragedies told, but until today none
had been able 20 reach the little viii
lage.
SiXty-two bodies had been brought
here and buried up to noon today, a
check with officials and undertakers
tov'r rs a..sgsDAe of tfess vyxie
white persons and have been identi-
fled. They were residents of Belle
Glade, Pahokee and vicinity. The
remainder of the bodies were those
of Negroes, many of whom have not
been identified.
In addition, undertakers reported
that bodies of many Negroes, recov-
cred from the waters, were buried
on high ground several miles from
the city. Squads of national guards
men and civilians are working to re-
cover bodies.
Throughout the area around the
southeastern shores of Lake Okee-
chobee the situation was described as
"deplorable" by residents and relief
workers, who came out of the area,
1t was in the lake region that the hur-
ricane took its terrible toll, swoop-
ing down upon the little settlement
nesting under the dikes of the lake
and releasing the impounded waters
upon them.
Bodies Hidden In Debris
It was impossible to determine ex-
actly how many persons were drown
ed, relief workers said, because in adj
ditlon to bodies recovered, or seen
floating in the flooded fields, others
were believed to be hidden in the
debris of wrecked homes and tangled
in the rank saw grass of the marshes.
Most of the dead were said to be
Negroes, laborers and their families.
often unidentified and buried as
quickly as possible when they had
been hauled to dry land.
Units of national guardsmen ar
rived in the Palm Beach area last
night to assist the local authorities. |
Sections around Pahokee and Canal
Point were under military control.
while national guardsmen also were
engaged in clean up work in the O.
keechobee City area.