Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-09-16
zoo Reported Hurt in Hurricane
AS Flames Sweep Florida Base;
Hundreds of Planes DESTROYED
Warnings Are Hoisted
All Over Peninsula;
Sc, 900 Quit Homes
By the Associated Press.

Ao', oCpb. lO.-MOTe
than 200 persons were reported
injured tonight in a fire at the
Richmond Navy blimp base as a
tropical hurricane that reached
q peak velocity of 143 m.p.h.
swept inland across the Florida
Keys.
Hurricane warnings were ordered
hoisted over all of the Florida penin-
sula. Fifty thousand persons were
driven to seek emergency shelter in
South Florida alone.
Seventh Naval District headquar-
tiers said it had learned via radio
communications that 2l3 naval
planes, 1853 civilian planes, rs blimps
and three giant hangers had been
destroyed at the Richmond base,
80 miles from here.
The report, describing the hangers
as the worlds largest single-arch
wooden constructed hangers, added
that all the aircraft had been flown
to the base for refuge. Fourteen of
the bllmps were in storage and no
longer in commission.
The naval spokesman said that at
midnight (EWT) 10 searching par
ties were still combing the debris
but there were no indications of
any fatalities.
Ambulances Rushed to Base.
The Navy said all available
ambulances, doctors and medical
personnel were being rushed through
the storm to the base.
Three hundred enlisted men from
Opa Locka Naval air station. Miami,
were dispatched to help combat the
flames.
Ambulances were called to Miami's
municipality Jackson Me-
mortal Hospital to remove 10 preg-
nancy cases to make room for in
jured from the blimp base.
Blood Palsma Brought IN.
Mercy vehicles that sped to the
Richmond lighter-than-ai station
carried 200 units of plasma, and rs
additional units were rushed there
later
The extent of the disaster at the
bllmp base was kept hidden by
ripped communications, flooded
roads and washed out bridges.
The Red Cross reported the fire
was caused by an explosion while
heavy winds roared outside.
Homestead Buildings Damaged.
Wooden structures at Homestead,
40 miles south of Miami, were badly
damaged by the storm, the Red
Cross said, but no injuries have
been reported.
Another fire sprang up on the
northwest fringe of downtown
Miami, destroying a furniture fac
tory and a ile-manufacturing plant.
Relief workers went into the Flor
Ida keys as the core of the storm
ragged over the Everglades in a curv-
ing northward movement. Hundreds
of homes were reported damaged in
the keys, where the hurricane
reached an officially recorded veloc-
1ty of l43 m.ph. at Carysport Light,
40 miles south of Miami
Winds of SO m.p.h. roared over
Miami but damage was held to a
minimum by the tightly boarded up
city.
An unconfrmed report said ST.
100000 worth of Navy and private
planes, shifted from the Miami area
to the hurricane-proof Richmond
blimp base, were endangered by the
fire there.
Jacksonville Included.
An advisory issued by the weather
bureau at 9 pm. said:
Extended hurricane warnings 9
pm. of Florida peninsula to include
Jacksonville and ST. Marks.
THE severe hurricane is central
over the Florida Everglades go miles
west of Miami, attended by winds of
full hurricane force.
Highest wind reported at Miami
was SO M. P. H.
1T is apparently moving north
westward at II to 16 M. P H., with
tendency toward a slow north
ward curve which will probably ter
inmate in a definite northeastward
movement while still over Florida
interior close to the gulf coast or
after emerging a short distance out
in the Gulf of Mexico. This move
ment will cause the storm to affect
all of peninsula Florida and adjacent
water area.
Destructive winds are indicated
for Central Florida late tonight and
Sunday and over North Florida
Sunday. Hurricane winds that now
prevail over extreme South Florida
will begin to diminish slowly after
midnight
Hurricane warnings are now dis
(See HURRICANE, Page A-5.)