Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-21
Hurricane Dead
Near 10OMark
On Gulf Coast
BiIoxi-GuIfport Resorts
Virtually Smashed;
New Storm Brews
death List on Page A.3.)
BY the Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 90
The estimated death toll of the
fearful hurricane that swept the
Gulf Coast Friday neared the
100 mark tonight as the lift
ing storm and receding water
permitted survey of casualties
and destruction.
Death laid its heaviest hand on
the resort area of the Mississippi
coast in the Biloxi Gulfport vicinity.
which was f1attened as If by a
giant scythe.
Twenty-three bodies were re-
covered in the Biloxi-Gulfport
vicinity of the Mississippi coast
resort area, where the storm was
deadliest. The Red Cross reported
as many as "a persons dead or
missing, emphasizing that the re-
ports were not verified. The Gulf.
port chief of police was quoted as
saying 100 bodies were expected to
oe recovered from the ruins of
smashed Pass Christian.
Martial Law Declared.
The estimates were swelled nv
reports, which the Red Gross said
were not confirmed, of is dead at
Waveland, Miss, five to IL dead. at
Pass Christian. and 81 men aboard
three commercial fishing boats,
missing off Gulfport.
DAMAGE RI h,,jld;or. asJ
mounted into the millions of dollars.
The entire coastal area was under
martial law tonight.
An emergency appeal was made
for doctors and nurses at Pass
Christian and Bay st. Louis. Rex
Thomas, Associated Press reporter.
SAID at Gulfport that damage in
those two communities seemed to be
much heavier than at Gulfport.
Even as the weather bureau re.
ported the storm blowing itself out
in northwest Texas and Oklahoma.
the Miami bureau reported a new
disturbance was expected to pass
over the Florida Straits and West
ern Cuba waters early tomorrow,
While small craft were warned, the
bureau said that no well-defined
calculations had developed. A Navy
hurricane hunter sent to inyesti-
gate the area landed at Jamaica to
report the storm had mo organized
center yet"
A third storm, now a week old,
was centered 5000 miles south of
Miami and was under surveillance.
Estimates Mount Steadily
AS searchers began clearing away
the debris from the storm-de-
scribed as the worst to hit the area
in a generation-communications
lines were restored, gradually bring
ing steadily mounting estimates Of
the death toll. >
Gov, Fielding H. Wright Of Mis-
sissippi and his adjutant general
sped to the stricken area to invests
gate and direct law enforcement.
The Navy at New Orleans planned
to send an Lei dnfantry landing
craft to Bay ST. Louis tomorrow
with 5000 emergency rations and
other supplies. Fifty volunteer Ma
rlne reservists were to 60 to Bay
ST. Louis In another landing craft
for any necessary duty, taking along
two portable generators for power
as needed.
Electric current was restored to
the business section of Gulfport to-
night after being of "a hours.
Pass Christian Hard Hit,
At Pass Christian, Mayor Francis
Hursey estimated that IS per cent
of the homes and businesses were
either destroyed or damaged and
that the loss would extend to
$1,000, 900.
On the principal street, bordering
the gulf, every structure was crum-
bled or damaged in some way.
A bayou near Pass Christian
backed up and flooded II square
miles, including some urban areas.
At one point the bayou washed a
mile across the city and joined
waters in the gulf.
The residential and waterfront
areas OF Pascagoula took terrific
beating.
Carl Weisenberg, Red Cross dis
aster chairman. said nearly every
one of the 1000 homes in the city
and its suburbs was damaged, with
100 classified as severly damaged.
Mayor John Watts estimated dam
age to homes at more than 100000.
Cattle Washed Up Alive.
c. c. Mccoy, a telephone worker,
told of seeing six Brahma cattle
from Horn Island wash UP on the
beach yesterday after hours in the
churning seas. Two of them still
were alive, and walked away.
One of the identified dead was
George Wiltenmuth. II, Biloxi night
tSee HURRICANE, Page AID