The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-17
HURRICANE HEADS
TOWARD CAROLINA
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
by Board of Inquiry now investi-
eating the accident in which one
man died.
Fifty sailors were injured, only
few of them sufficiently to- be
hospitalied.-
The towering, 190-foot high roofs
Of the three hangars-1argest Sir
gle span wooden structure in the
world-reportedly collapsed as hur.
ricane winds Of 100 miles an hour
howled acros sthe lighter than atr
station.
Planes sheltered within their l..
l00-foot length and 320-foot w tn
burst into flame as wreckage fell
upon them and the three struc'
lures went up in flames. The men
we're injured as they fought the
flames in the roaring storm.
Harry H. Schultz of Miami, civil
ian fire chief at the base, was kill
ed. He was to have received a
Navy certificate OF Merit at a
chicken dinner in one Of the hang.
ars today, the third anniversary OF
the Richmond base.
The chicken and other food pre-
pared for the party was. fed to
emergency crews last night.
A fire within Miami thai destroy
ed furniture factory and TT
manufacturing plant while 99-mlle
winds blew caused $l5o,0oo- dam
age.
Destruction of flimsy buildings.
tandscaping and crops accoun' J
for the remainder Of the loss. Fruit
trees in South Florida and early
vegetable crops In the Lake Okee.
chobee. region were badly damaged.
The death toll stood at two to-
night as the storm whipped neal
Daytona Beach, headed back to.
ward the sea.
The other death was a Honduran
seaman who drowned while at.
tempting to rescue his dog aboard
the storm-foundering two-masteo
schooner 1caros.
A late afternoon weather ad
vistory reported the storm stin
blowing at IS miles an hour over .
small area.
First Navy reports that 200 per
sonnet were injured in the fire at
the Richmond Blinp base dwirdl
ed to so and finally to an officially
announced 20 late today, with only
three cases sufficiently serious to
warrant them remaining in hospi-
tai. .
Rounds of 5O-caliber ammunition
were still exploding in the Quilted
hangers = biggest single-arched,
wooden hangers in the world - as
firemen still squirted streams Of
water on the hot smoking ruins to,
day and steel-helmeted ~MP's lad
to warn civilian sightseers to keep
a safe distance.
Navy officials said the res
sprang up almost simultaneously IN
the three hangars-two lying close
together, the third some 2,ooo zee,
away-as the huge roofs OF tne
sheds, supposedly tested as hurrl.
cane-proof, collapsed and flames
broke out.
Miami Miami Beach and Coral
Gables. once trim winter vacati'n
meccas, were untidy messes, litter
al with broken palm fronds ana
sma she'd trees. But Miamlans grim,
nod cheerfully at having escaped
so lightly from the severest cane
IN nearly 20 years. The task OF
cleaning up started today.
With many if not most MONIES
c,,t off from electricity and only a
fhin trickle of water emerging 1roi,
the taps. hungry Miamians crowu
ad tho few downtown restaurants
which chose to open and "aI-.in..
",1a,,es before every hambuge1
49, diner and cafe were again
IOl0C, ulIlSA o
d The water supply failed at the
hei At of the storm, compelline 'ne
Miami Herald to run hose rom
street fire hydrant to its compos,
ING room to obtain water 10 coo'
stereotype machines.
The great storm provided the best
test vet for rigid building codes
which required thorough storm
worthiness for each structure erect
ed during the past 20 years.
Thousands of tidy, pastel-colored
concrete residences rode out lie
storm like strongboxes, at most suf-
fering few roof tiles blasted loose
and windowpanes broken. Struc-
turally, all concrete buildings in
zoned areas withstood the storm,
although trees crashed upon roofs
and porches and flying debris
struck walls. ." .zs,.
A number of dwellings in UNION
ed areas suffered heavy damage
During the 1926 and 1928 hurri
canes-before building codes re.
duired hurricane-proofing = hun
dreds of flirnsily built structures
were destroyed.
Greatest damage to large and
small estates in the Miami Coral
Gables and Miami Beach areas
was suffered by ornamental trees
and shrubbery. Valuable palm
trees, hibiscus plants. flame vines
royal poincianas and other tropi-