Evening star., 1932-08-30
HURRICANE PASSING
SLOWLY TO GULF
Moving Over Everglades as
South Florida Escapes
Serious Damage.
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
MIAMI, Fla, August 3o.-The trooi-
cal storm that gave South Florida n
scare, but did little known damage, VISA
losing intensity today in moving over
thinly settled everglades swamps from
the Atlantic toward the Gulf OF Mexico.
Richard w. Gray, meteorologist at the
Miami Weather Bureau, located the
center Of the disturbance 40 miles south
Of Fort Myers this morning and dis
closed its force decreased after It swept
in from the ocean last night He said
1t would eventually pass out into the
Gulf Of Mexico.
Disruption Of telephone communication
to Everglades and Naples, on the South
ern Gulf Coast, prevented an accurate
chart On the progress Of the storm that
caused only slight property damage on
the Eastern shore of the peninsula.
Fort Myers reported "a to 80 mile
East wind and Key West a Southwest
wind OF 30 miles an hour. Heavy rains
are falling.
Gray said the disturbance apparently
was travelling slowly, accounting for a
slow upward swing Of the barometric
pressure here
Reports from inland Everglades COM
munities indicated no damage had been
caused to rich farming communities
that fringe the eastern shore Of Lake
Okeechcbee.
Residents Flee Storm.
Reports from Pahokee and Belle
Glade IN the Upper Everglades said no
appreciable damage had been done
there, although torrential rain and
strong winds at Pahokee caused MANY
people to evacuate the region.
N. c. Aston of Belle Glade said all
convictS at the State prison farm near
there were moved to Okeechobee City
during the night and lodged in jafls
there.
At Pahokee Chief Of Police F. r. Har-
r1son said more than 2,oOo colored farm
laborers, abandoning their frail homes,
gathered at that town last night and
slept in public buildings. They were
oSperSlng this morning, solving what
rad threatened to be food and SAM.
tation problem.
At both Everglades towns belief was
expressed there was little crop damage.
Strong winds and heavy rains bat
tered the palm beaches through the
night. Streets in. Palm Beach were
Uttered with palm fronds and coconuts.
but there was no heavy damage.
Fort Myers escaped damage but tele-
phone communication south of that city
was crippled.
Only light rain and a mild wind was
noted at Sarasota.
Although Meteorologist Gray said the
disturbance apparently passed inland
from the Atlantic In the vicinity OF
Homestead. reports from there today
indicated property damage has been
slight.
A. L. Chandler, manager of the Ameri-
can Fruit Growers Association, said the
storm hardly put dent in the Red
land and Homestead fruit crops.
Prospects Cheering"
Five per cent viii cover 1t In my
opinion" Chandler said. mo trees ap-
pear down. Pears suffered somewhat
more than citrus. The prospects ap-
pear quite cheering" 49,.
j. M. Holsenbeck OF the International
Fruit Growers Corporation, said ZAP
proximately a third of the avocadoes
were knocked on by the wind" In the
Redland- Homestead area.
Reports along the East Coast indi-
Gated the storms damage was only su-
perficial, although the rainfall was
heavy. A total Of 1923 inches fell here
in "a hours.
Some debris was scattered over docks,
but the Miami waterfront escaped Sc
rious damage The wind reached We
locity of 80 miles an hour, but there
was no damage to homes or business
establishments. some Of which were
boarded up yesterday as precautionary
measure.
Small boats along the lower East
Coast found haven in rivers or small
streams, while larger vessels were tied
firmly to docks and were unharmed by
the lashing waters.
Edmund S. Friedman, county engi-
neer, said the county causeway between
Miami and Miami Beach was found to
be sinking Slightly in some places. One
portion Of the northeast Seventy-ninth
Street CauSeway was washed out, but
1t did not hamper trafic.
Farther up the East Coast Fort Laud-
erdale received a wind lashing ana
drenching, but scattered foliage and
some debris along the waterfront, were
the only evidence of the storm.