The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-09-05
as three miles east of Thomasville,
Ga, and announced it no longer
was of hurricane velocity.

as three miles east of Thomasville,
Ca, and announced it no longer
was of hurricane velocity.
Many Reports on Dead
A United Press survey, including
many reports based on the stories
of rescuers and not otherwise
confirmed, indicated the eventual
death toll would exceed 500 and
that the number Of injured, includ-
ing those not seriously hurt, would
approximate 500.
The Miami Beach Daily Tribune,
in a copyrighted article, estimated
the dead at 749, the injured at 429,
the missing at 900.
The Red Cross official estimate
said the number Of dead would
approximate but not quite reach
800.
The Red Cross estimate was
made last night before rescuers
reached the remote sections of Key
Largo and upper and lower Meta
combe keys, and further out along
the natural causeway to Key West.
Airplane flights yesterday indicated
tho devastation would duplicate in
every way that found on the Keys
already investigated.
Bodies of Veterans
A coast guard cutter arrived at
Snake Creek, separating Key Largo
and upper Metacombe Key, with
A bodies of war veterans killed
in the FERA camp No. l. one of
four such camps in which unoffi-
cial estimates said at least 800 died.
These bodies were brought here,
but approximately so more re-
NAMED there, awaiting transporta-
ton. There still remained 200
empty collins piled up on the bank
of the creke, awaiting occupants.
Leonard X. Thompson, Red
Cross executive in charge of res
cue work, hoped to have all injured
and all survivors in omestead and
Miami by 8 a. m. today. All
through the night, ambulances and
private oars carried the injured
over the ruined highways of the
keys to the mainland. Some sur
vivors walked, others rode on
trucks loaded with caskets con-
tanning the bodies of the dead.
Begin Digging Graves
Thompson ordered CCC workers
to begin digging raves for the dead
today. Most were war veterans
employed on FERA road buildin
projects, killed in their camps on
the Metacombe Key. Some bodies
could not be identified. Finger
prints were taken of all and will
be compared with prints in veter-
ans bureau files to establish iden-
tity.
Veteran Red Cross officials, ac-
customed to disasters, compared
the hurricane to that of 1926 that
killed 1000 persons. DR.. Joe Stew
art, one of them, working dee in
the devastated district, placed the
number Of dead at slightly less
than 900. Approximately 800 bod
sic had been checked sJA4 removed
from the Keys at a. m. today.
Defics All Description
The destruction defied all de-
Bcription. Captain Ed Buffers said:
"Of the "a persons that lived IN
our little village of Islamoradd,
only four escaped alive. A 15-foot
wall of water swept over our viii
lage."
Five hundred collins were sent
to Snake Creek. which separates
Key Largo and upper Metacombe
Key. There bodies were taken,
placed in collins, and sent on to
Miami.
National guard tents were
pitched at Homestead for surviv-
Ors. The school, the church, and
the hospital there were crowded
with men, women and children
suffering from multitudinous va
riety of injuries, and from ex-
posture and hunger.
Authorities. using all needed re-
sources of Florida and the army
and navy, undertook to establish
the number of persons in the
string of Keys extending in a line