1935 Labor Day hurricane

Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1935 Labor Day storm the storms that hit Syracuse, New York, in 1998 New York State Labor Day derechos the storm that became known as the 1970 Labor Day storm in Arizona Tropical Storm Norma (1970) August 2024 October 2025 Labor Day hurricane weather map 9-3-1935 (high quality) (4104692).jpg Weather Bureau map on September 3, showing the hurricane shortly after its peak intensity and landfall in the Upper Florida keys 1935 08 29 1935 09 06 1935 09 10 160 892 (Tied for third-lowest in the Atlantic basin) 1935 490 100000000 British Bahamas Florida Georgia Carolinas Mid-Atlantic New England 1935 Atlantic hurricane season The 1935 Labor Day hurricane was an extremely powerful and devastating Atlantic hurricane that struck the southeastern United States in early September 1935. For several decades, it was the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of barometric pressure,Surpassed by Hurricane Gilbert (1988)Hensen Bob Remembering the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/remembering-the-labor-day-hurricane-of-1935-in-the-florida-keys Weather Underground August 14, 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160829042410/https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/remembering-the-labor-day-hurricane-of-1935-in-the-florida-keys August 29, 2016 1-minute sustained winds,Surpassed by Hurricane Allen (1980) and the strongest at landfall by 1-minute sustained winds.Tied with Hurricane Dorian (2019) and Hurricane Melissa (2025). The fourth tropical cyclone, third tropical storm, second hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1935 Atlantic hurricane season, it is the first of four Category 5 hurricanes on record to strike the contiguous United States, along with Hurricane Camille (1969), Hurricane Andrew (1992), and Hurricane Michael (2018). The hurricane intensified rapidly during its time, passing near Long Key on Labor Day evening, September 2. The region was swept by a massive storm surge as the eye passed over the area. The waters quickly receded after carving new channels connecting the bay with the ocean; however, gale-force winds and rough seas persisted into Tuesday, disrupting rescue efforts. The storm continued northwestward along the Florida west coast, weakening before making its second landfall near Cedar Key, Florida, on September 4. The hurricane caused catastrophic damage in the upper Florida Keys, as a storm surge of approximately 18 to 20 ft m swept over the low-lying islands. The hurricane's strong winds and the surge destroyed nearly all the structures between Tavernier and Marathon. The town of Islamorada was obliterated. Portions of the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway were severely damaged or destroyed. In addition, many veterans died in work camps created for the construction of the Overseas Highway, in part due to poor working conditions. The hurricane also caused more damage in northwest Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Meteorological history 1935 Atlantic hurricane 3 path.png new An area of disturbed weather developed northeast of the Turks Islands toward the end of August. By August 31, a definite tropical depression appeared near Long Island in the southeastern Bahamas and quickly intensified. It reached hurricane intensity near the south end of Andros Island on September 1. The storm then explosively intensified and turned toward the Florida Keys at a speed of 10 mph. The storm had an eye 9 – 10 mi km across. The storm made landfall late on September 2 near Long Key, at peak intensity, with an intensity of 892 mbar inHg and 1-minute sustained winds of 185 mph km/h on. After leaving the Keys, the storm weakened as it skirted the Florida gulf coast, making a second landfall at Cedar Key. The storm sped up and rapidly weakened over the Mid-Atlantic states, causing heavy rainfall, with the highest total being 16.7 in mm in Easton, Maryland. The storm finally emerged over the open Atlantic near Cape Henry.Tannehill Hurricanes, Their Nature and History 1938 214–215SA 1–26 Storm Total Rainfall In The United States United States Army Corps of Engineers War Department 1945 The storm continued into the North Atlantic Ocean, where it merged with an extratropical cyclone on September 10. right The first recorded instance of an aircraft flown for the specific purpose of locating a hurricane occurred on the afternoon of September 2, 1935. The Weather Bureau's 1:30 PM advisoryHearings, p. 184, Hathi Digital Trust https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225324/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=192 December 25, 2022 placed the center of the hurricane at north latitude 23° 20', west longitude 80° 15', moving slowly westward. This was about 27 miles north of Isabela de Sagua, Villa Clara, Cuba, and 145 miles east of Havana. Captain Leonard Povey of the Aviation Corps of the Cuban Army (Cuerpo de Aviación del Ejército de Cuba) volunteered to investigate the threat to the capital. Flying a Curtis Hawk II, Captain Povey, an American expatriate, who was the Aviation Corps' chief training officer, observed the storm north of its reported position. Because he was flying an open-cockpit biplane, he opted not to fly into the storm.https://noaahrd.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/80th-anniversary-of-the-labor-day-hurricane-and-first-hurricane-reconnaissance/ 80th Anniversary of the Labor Day Hurricane and first hurricane reconnaissance September 2, 2015 NOAA Hurricane Research Division September 6, 2015Matthew Sitkowski University of Wisconsin–Madison April 9, 2012 August 7, 2015 Investigation and Prediction of Hurricane Eyewall Replacement Cycles http://www.aos.wisc.edu/uwaosjournal/Volume18/Sitkowski_PhD_Thesis.pdf 49Drye Storm of the Century 129–130 He later proposed an aerial hurricane patrol.Cuba May Use Planes to Scout for Hurricanes https://web.archive.org/web/20160427110928/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=esI0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=r4UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=738,2516662 April 27, 2016, AP, Schenectady Gazette, September 23, 1935, p. 7 Nothing further came of this idea until June 1943, when Colonel Joe Duckworth and Lieutenant Ralph O'Hair flew into a hurricane near Galveston, Texas.http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/surprise.html NOAA History, Stories and Tales of the Weather Service The First Flight Into A Hurricane's Eye August 8, 2015 September 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030611/http://www.history.noaa.gov/stories_tales/surprise.html deadLeft Records The Labor Day hurricane was the most intense tropical cyclone known to make landfall in the Western Hemisphere, having the lowest sea level pressure ever officially recorded on land—a central pressure of 892 mbar inHg—suggesting an intensity of between 162 and 164 kn mph. The somewhat compensating effects of a slow (7 kn mph comma) translational velocity along with an extremely tiny radius of maximum wind (5 nmi miles on comma) led to an analyzed intensity at landfall of 160 kn mph km/h 3. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane is also tied with 2019's Hurricane Dorian and 2025's Hurricane Melissa for the highest intensity for a landfalling Atlantic hurricane in HURDAT2, as 1969's Hurricane Camille has been reanalyzed in 2014 to have the fifth highest landfalling intensity with 150 kn mph km/h 3 on winds.American Meteorological Society August 15, 2014 A Reanalysis of the 1931–43 Atlantic Hurricane Database http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/landsea-et-al-jclimate-2014.pdf Journal of Climate 27 6093–6118 Christopher W. Landsea Andrew Hagen William Bredemeyer Cristina Carrasco David A. Glenn Adrian Santiago Donna Strahan-sakoskie Michael Dickinson 16 10.1175/jcli-d-13-00503.1 2014JCli...27.6093L 1785238 August 2014 Preparations left|thumb|215x215px|Weather map of the storm approaching the Bahamas on August 30 Northeast storm warningsThe Hurricane Warning Service, p. 3, June 1, 1933 Flickr https://web.archive.org/web/20150427112340/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/17220032115/in/set-72157651682420888 April 27, 2015 were ordered displayed from Fort Pierce to Fort Myers in the September 1, 9:30 AM Weather Bureau advisory.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 184. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225324/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=192 December 25, 2022 Upon receipt of this advisory, the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Miami, Florida sent a plane along the coast to advise boaters and campers of the impending danger by dropping message blocks. A second flight was made on Sunday afternoon. Afterwards, the planes were placed in the hangar and its door closed at 10:00 AM Monday.Memorandum of interview with Lt. Olson and Lt. Clemmer KennamerU. S. Coast Guard 1935 Hurricane Report Wilkinson https://web.archive.org/web/20150221222458/http://keyshistory.org/35-hurr-USCG.html February 21, 2015 thumb|230x230px|Surface weather map showing the hurricane approaching the Florida Straits on September 1 The 3:30 AM advisory on September 2 (Labor Day) predicted that the disturbance "will probably pass through the Florida Straits Monday" and cautioned "against high tides and gales Florida Keys and ships in path".Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, testimony of Ivan R. Tannehill, p. 184. Hathitrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225324/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=192 December 25, 2022 The 1:30 PM advisory ordered hurricane warnings for the Key West district, extending north to Key Largo.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 199. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225325/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=207 December 25, 2022 At around 2:00 PM, Fred Ghent, Assistant Administrator of the Florida Emergency Relief Administration, requested a special train to evacuate the veterans work camps located in the upper keys.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 336, record of phone calls by Fred Ghent. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=346;q1=%22Veterans%20Rehabilitation%20Program%22 December 25, 2022 The train departed Miami at 4:25 PM. Delayed by a drawbridge opening, obstructions across the track, poor visibility, and the need to reverse the locomotive below Homestead so it could lead the return trip,There were no turntables on the Florida East Coast Railway below Miami. In routine operations locomotives were reversed using the "wye (rail)" junctions at Homestead, Marathon or Key West. In this case, it was decided to use the wye at Homestead and run the locomotive backward to Camp #3 on Lower Matecumbe, and then, using a siding, move it to the other end of the train facing forward for the return trip. Using the Marathon wye would have allowed running the engine forward on both legs, but would have added 45.6 miles to the route, much of which was over open water. As it happened the hurricane's eye passed directly over the Long Key crossings. Caught there the entire train would have been lost in the bay. Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, Statements by Loftin, p. 504, Beals, p. 509 and Branch, p. 514.June 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes it finally arrived at the Islamorada station on Upper Matecumbe Key at about 8:20 PM. This coincided with an abrupt wind shift from the northeast (Florida Bay) to the southeast (Atlantic Ocean) and the arrival of the storm surge along the coast.Monthly Weather Review, September 1935, p. 269. American Meteorological Society https://web.archive.org/web/20150418123712/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/063/mwr-063-09-0269.pdf April 18, 2015 Impact RightIn the Bahamas, the colonial government reported that the cyclone caused minor damage to property, but no injuries or fatalities.https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times/170015494/ Havana, Vera Cruz, And Florida Make Ready for Storms September 2, 1935 Associated Press Corpus Christi Caller 1 April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com Additionally, the Climatological Data journal noted that "there was one report of some damage on the extreme southern end of Andros Island".Barnett W. J. Florida Section Climatological Data September 1935 39 9 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C5D5F555-4725-41CF-89DC-5FFAB1CAE3E0.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20250412053707/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C5D5F555-4725-41CF-89DC-5FFAB1CAE3E0.pdf April 12, 2025 April 12, 2025 Weather Bureau National Centers for Environmental Information Jacksonville, Florida Rough seas impacted the north coast of Cuba, while the storm also caused some impacts in Camagüey and Santa Clara provinces due to overflowing inland streams.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/170054951/ September 3, 1935 The Philadelphia Inquirer Storm Veers From Cuba Associated Press 3 April 12, 2025 Newspapers.com Three ships were reported to have run aground in the Florida Keys during the storm. The Danish motorship Leise Maersk was carried over and grounded nearly 4 miles away near Upper Matecumbe Key, although there was no loss of life. The engine room was flooded and the ship was disabled.http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/063/mwr-063-09-0269.pdf Monthly Weather Review, September 1935 April 9, 2015 April 18, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150418123712/http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/063/mwr-063-09-0269.pdf live The American tanker Pueblo lost control near 24 40 N 80 25 W around 2 pm on September 2 and was pushed around the storm's center, ending up in Molasses Reef nearly eight hours later. The passenger steamship Dixie ran aground on French Reef. She was re-floated and towed to New York on September 19. No fatalities resulted from the incident.Miami Herald September 3, 1935 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/170017810/ Relief Will Tow Dixie to New York 12A April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com The hurricane produced squalls and sustained winds up to 45 mph km/h on on Key West, causing little damage.https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-telegram/170800270/ Key West Escape Damage in Storm September 3, 1935 Long Beach Press-Telegram April 21, 2025 10 Newspapers.com Similarly, mostly minor impacts occurred on Big Pine and No Name keys, aside from winds blowing away tar paper roofs and ripping window screens. In Marathon, the hurricane demolished a large fish house on Boot Key. Many dwellings lost their roofs, while some others were destroyed. A school building also suffered damage to its roof and some doors and windows, while a Florida East Coast Railway dredge was swept about three blocks inland. One fisherman in Marathon died. Significant damage occurred to a fish house on Key Vaca, where water reached up to 8 ft m on above ground, causing the death of one person. Extensive washouts to the railway and roads were reported on Crawl and Grassy keys. Waves swept away four people on the latter. Additionally, a report by the Florida Emergency Relief Administration noted that "the only thing standing on this key is one-half of the white foreman's house".https://www.keyshistory.org/35-hurr-Aides-report.html An Overall Hurricane Damage Report Florida Emergency Relief Administration September 16, 1935 April 21, 2025 thumb|Surface weather analysis showing the hurricane rapidly intensifying in the Florida Straits early on September 2, just several hours prior to landfall in the Upper Florida Keys In the Upper Florida Keys, the hurricane left a path of near-total destruction, centered on what is today the village of Islamorada,https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article245376200.html The day a killer hurricane wiped out parts of the Florida Keys, and what happened next August 31, 2020 Miami Herald May 8, 2025 although the hurricane's destructive path was narrower than most tropical cyclones.https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Powell/coas_c19_03.503-smaller.pdf 19 3 Houston, Sam H. Powell, Mark D. Surface Wind Fields for Florida Bay Hurricanes Journal of Coastal Research 2003 511 0749-0208 May 8, 2025 Its eye was 8 mi km on across and the fiercest winds extended 20 mi km on off the center, similar to 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which was also a relatively small and catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. The Florida section of Climatological Data stated that the Upper Florida Keys experienced winds from 150 to 200 mph km/h on, while gusts probably went above 200 mph km/h on. Tides reached high enough to wash away crossties and railroad tracks of the Florida East Coast Railway, which had viaducts that were 30 ft m on above the average water level. Additionally, storm surge ranged from 18 to 20 ft m on in height.https://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/09/08/irma-great-labor-day-hurricane-1935-keys/ Irma Draws Comparison To Great Labor Day Hurricane Of 1935 September 8, 2017 Craig Setzer WFOR-TV February 29, 2020 thumb|left|Florida East Coast Railway Overseas Railroad relief train derailed near Islamorada|276x276px The cyclone destroyed most of a fishing camp and a hotel, the railway, and vegetation on Long Key. The few buildings that remained standing were moved by the storm surge.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 178. On the tiny island of Craig Key, a post office, home, and marina were demolished, while the bridge tender's house suffered damage. Following a damage assessment conducted by Dr. R. E. Christie, a Red Cross volunteer director from Miami, he reported that a 12 mi km on-stretch of the Upper Florida Keys from Lower Matecumbe Key to Tavernier was "washed as clean as a billiard table by the tidal wave".https://www.newspapers.com/article/wilkes-barre-times-leader-the-evening-n/172003046/ Red Cross Places Florida Hurricane Deaths at 300 13 September 6, 1935 The Evening News Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania May 8, 2025 Newspapers.com The eye of the storm passed a few miles to the southwest creating a calm of about 40 minutes duration over Lower Matecumbe and 55 minutes (9:20–10:15 PM) over Long Key. At Camp #3 on Lower Matecumbe the surge arrived near the end of the calm with the wind close behind.Testimonies of Davis (p. 538) https://web.archive.org/web/20150827045009/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652758444449 August 27, 2015 and Sheeran (p. 931) https://web.archive.org/web/20150827045006/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157650841976954 August 27, 2015 , VA Investigation, National Archives Building, Washington, DC Nearly every structure was demolished, and some bridges and railway embankments were washed away. The links—rail, road, and ferry boats—that chained the islands together were broken. The main transportation route linking the Keys to mainland Florida had been a single railroad line, the Florida Overseas Railroad portion of the Florida East Coast Railway.St. Petersburg Times September 5, 1935 1 Storm Danger Fades Here, Damage Heavy https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FDlPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5581%2C392065 April 12, 2025 Google News thumb|230x230px|Wreckage and destroyed homes in the Florida Keys after the hurricane On Upper Matecumbe Key, near Islamorada, an eleven-car evacuation train encountered a powerful storm surge topped by cresting waves. Eleven cars6 coaches, 2 baggage cars, and 3 box cars. The box cars were at the rear of the train; being empty and smaller than the other cars they blew off the tracks even before the storm surge arrived, stopping the train from continuing past Islamorada. A close examination of photographs of the wreck show one box car still coupled to the last baggage car. The other two broke off completely and were carried by the surge half-way across the key towards the bay. Two other boxcars were on a siding before the storm and ended up wedged against the sides of coaches 5 and 6, counting back from the locomotive. Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, Statements by Loftin, p. 504, Aitcheson, p. 506, and Branch, p. 515 https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225325/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=516 December 25, 2022 were swept from the tracks, leaving only the locomotive and tender upright and still on the rails. Remarkably, everyone on the train survived.Scott Loftin, FEC co-receiver, concluded on September 6, 1935, that the delays likely saved the crew and passengers; if the train had arrived an hour earlier it would have been on Lower Matecumbe or the narrow Indian Key fill when the surge struck and destroyed. "From what we now know it seems that the men could not have been extracted from the camps unless the train had left Miami about 10:00 am". Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 504. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225324/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?num=504&u=1&seq=342&view=image&size=100&id=mdp.39015049888574&q1=%22Veterans+Rehabilitation+Program%22 December 25, 2022 The locomotive and tender were both barged back to Miami several months later.June 2026 Storm surge and abnormally high tides also removed just over 2 mi km on of fill between Lower and Upper Matecumbe Key, restoring the natural channel between the two islands. Captain Ed Butters on Upper Matecumbe Key claimed that his barometer fell to 26 inHg mbar on flip. However, this could not be verified because Captain Butters tossed the instrument into the storm under distress. Thus, the observation of 892 mbar inHg on recorded on Craig Key remains the lowest barometric pressure associated with the hurricane.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 311. Only a bathtub remained of the Carribee Colony tourist camp, while the storm severed off the second floor of the Hotel Matecumbe.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 174. thumb|The Matecumbe Ferry Slip after the hurricane|left|245x245px An account by Ernest Hemingway noted that "not a blade of grass" remained on Indian Key.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 195. However, at Alligator Reef Lighthouse, located about 5 mi km on 5 to the southeast, a large glass plane remained intact.Knowles. Category 5. p. 279. On Windley Key, 40 people sheltered in a makeshift veterans hospital were forced to move to the second floor due to storm surge flooding, before the building was eventually destroyed.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 163. Five or six washouts occurred along the highway from Snake Creek (between Windley Key and Plantation Key) to Key Largo.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/172272746/ Havoc Caused By Hurricane is Described The Sun Baltimore, Maryland September 4, 1935 6 May 13, 2025 Newspapers.com Tides at Tavernier reached 15.2 ft m on above mean sea level at a train station, or roughly 6 ft m on above ground.Knowles. Category 5. p. 283. Approximately 30 out of the 50 residences in Tavernier were virtually demolished.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/172272466/ 100 Are Dead in Storm in Florida Keys The Sun Baltimore, Maryland September 4, 1935 6 May 13, 2025 Newspapers.com Farther north on Key Largo, the Card Sound Bridge was washed out. Florida Road Department chief engineer J. H. Dowling estimated that throughout the Florida Keys, the hurricane destroyed approximately 15 mi km on 5 of the Overseas Highway.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/172455369/ Highways In State Hard-Hit By Storm September 6, 1935 Associated Press 1 The Palm Beach Post May 15, 2025 Newspapers.com thumb|The devastation of the Caribbee Colony in Matecumbe Key after the hurricane|245x245px After the third day of the storm corpses swelled and split open in the subtropical heat, according to rescue workers. Public health officials ordered plain wood coffins holding the dead to be stacked and burned in several locations. The National Weather Service estimated 408 deaths from the hurricane. Bodies were recovered as far away as Flamingo and Cape Sable on the southwest tip of the Florida mainland.February 2021 The United States Coast Guard and other federal and state agencies organized evacuation and relief efforts. Boats and airplanes carried injured survivors to Miami. The railroad was never rebuilt, but temporary bridges and ferry landings were under construction as soon as materials arrived. On March 29, 1938, the last gap in the Overseas Highway linking Key West to the mainland was completed. The new highway incorporated the roadbed and surviving bridges of the railway.July 2022 Parts of southeast Florida, including Miami and West Palm Beach, mainly experienced downed trees, signs, and powerlines, leaving some people without electricity.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/170028258/ Miamians Repairing Minor Storm Damage September 4, 1935 Miami Herald 10 April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post/170028057/ September 4, 1935 Little Damage Done By Disturbance Here The Palm Beach Post 1 April 10, 2025 West Palm Beach, Florida Newspapers.com However, sustained winds estimated at 80 mph km/h on in Homestead led to substantial crop damage in southern Dade County, while a warehouse was partially deroofed and numerous trees littered the road to the Florida Keys.https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-telegram/170029377/ Heavy Damage to Citrus Crops in Florida Reported September 3, 1935 Associated Press Long Beach Press-Telegram 1 April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com Losses to crops in the vicinity of Homestead ranged from $400,000 to $600,000.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/170029290/ Hurricane Causes Crop Heavy Losses In South Florida September 4, 1935 2 United Press International The Tampa Tribune April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com Around Cape Sable, the storm destroyed many structures and crops and severely injured three people at Flamingo.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 193. In Collier County, Seminole camps suffered damage due to high winds and floods, while the roads leading from the Tamiami Trail to Marco Island and Everglades City were left impassable due to being submerged.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/170025131/ Storm Badly Damages Fishing Pier At Naples September 4, 1935 Miami Herald April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com Everglades City itself was inundated with up to 2 ft m on of water, but no noteworthy damage occurred other than to wires, trees, and vegetation.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/170025131/ Little Damage Seen At Everglades City September 4, 1935 Miami Herald April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com left|thumb|Weather map of the hurricane moving up the West Coast of Florida on September 4 The hurricane destroyed over half of Naples's 1000 ft m on fishing pier. One person died on State Road 80 near the Hendry–Lee county line when a bus overturned in rainy conditions. The latter also reported damage to approximately 25% of citrus crops, several unroofed buildings, and numerous toppled trees. Rainfall inundated some streets along the Caloosahatchee River with up to 2 ft m on of water.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/170021947/ Driver Is Killed As Bus Overturns During Lee Storm September 4, 1935 The Tampa Tribune 2 April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com The hurricane deroofed several homes on Gasparilla Island, including at Boca Grande, causing most people on the island to evacuate.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel/170031217/ Tampa Feels Storm's Fury Orlando Morning Sentinel 2 Associated Press September 4, 1935 April 13, 2025 Newspapers.com Despite wind gusts reaching 65 mph km/h on, Tampa held municipal elections on September 3. A two-story building housing a voting precinct was destroyed, while many other polling places lost electricity, forcing voting to be conducted in candlelight. Throughout the city, the hurricane downed wires, signs, and trees, and washed out roads in a number of places. The Ybor City neighborhood reported the deroofing of a post office and the shattering of windows at several businesses.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/170019418/ 1 Storm Passes North In Gulf After Lashing Tampa Section September 4, 1935 The Tampa Tribune April 10, 2025 Newspapers.com Along Florida's gulf coast, the hurricane impacted Cedar Key particularly severely. Nearly all roofs experienced at least minor damage, many of which were blown off, while winds also downed many trees and power lines. The cyclone also severely damaged docks and fishing vessels. Three deaths occurred in the town.http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/metadata_master.html#1935_3 Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT Landsea, Christopher W. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration April 12, 2025 Miami, Florida etal thumb|Weather map of the storm over Georgia on September 5 Florida governor David Sholtz described Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County" as "completely isolated, with nearly every home there destroyed". A loss of roughly 80% of commercial timber occurred in neighboring Taylor County, where approximately 300 families became homeless.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-valdosta-daily-times/170132363/ Associated Press Damage In Storm Reaches Millions September 10, 1935 The Valdosta Daily Times 8 April 13, 2025 Newspapers.com In Gainesville, a large pine tree struck an engineering department building at the University of Florida.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 198. Governor Sholtz also reported high winds and that "all communications facilities have been disrupted" in Tallahassee.St. Petersburg Times September 5, 1935 2 Sholtz Reports Heavy Winds at Tallahassee https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FDlPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2218%2C396165 April 12, 2025 Google News The storm brought over 5 in of rain to parts of Georgia when it passed over the state between September 4–5. The heavy rainfall in southern Georgian counties led to the spoilage of cotton. Attendant winds also ruined crops and inflicted minor damage to property,Mindling George W. Georgia Section Climatological Data September 1935 39 9 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-E600958E-F3E8-457A-A1A3-772930C56510.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20210201163444/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-E600958E-F3E8-457A-A1A3-772930C56510.pdf February 1, 2021 February 1, 2021 Weather Bureau National Centers for Environmental Information Atlanta, Georgia including a power line falling on a store in Quitman, which set the building on fire. Barometric pressures fell to 28.9 inHg mbar flip on at Valdosta, the lowest ever recorded there.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 201. left|thumb|244x244px|Map of the total rainfall from the hurricane Property damage along the coastal regions of South Carolina amounted to $15,000, with the damage primarily occurring in the vicinity of Beaufort, Georgetown, and Walterboro. Damage to crops in South Carolina was also considerable, with high winds blowing down cotton, corn, sugar cane, and other unharvested crops. Windthrown trees also injured several people.Merchant G. C. South Carolina Section Climatological Data September 1935 38 9 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-32D153B5-3C54-40C2-A1E0-86F071539A0F.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20220706160840/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-32D153B5-3C54-40C2-A1E0-86F071539A0F.pdf July 6, 2022 July 6, 2022 Weather Bureau National Centers for Environmental Information Columbia, South Carolina In North Carolina, several houses in New Bern were set ablaze after the storm toppled many power lines and poles. The downed power lines also led to two deaths.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 212. Another fatality occurred in North Carolina near Gastonia due to blinding rains preventing a driver from seeing an oncoming train.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 211. Corn suffered heavy losses in Virginia, contributing the bulk of the state's $1.65 million crop damage toll. A tornado in Farmville killed two people and another twister in Courtland caused one fatality after destroying a home. The former tornado also impacted Hampden–Sydney College, deroofing an administration building, unrooting ancient oak trees, and tossing approximately 20 headstones from a cemetery on the school's property.thumb|Weather map of the hurricane's extratropical remnants to the south of Newfoundland on September 7|235x235px Although winds had decreased over land by the time the storm reached the Mid-Atlantic states, the storm brought excessive rainfall that caused substantial damage to the region's crops. The storm became the wettest tropical cyclone on record for ten counties in Maryland and two counties in Delaware, with rainfall totals peaking between 15 – 16 in; the highest measured rainfall total was 16.63 in in Easton, Maryland. Approximately 1,000 people along the Eastern Shore fled their homes due to flooding.Drye. Storm of the Century. p. 213. Impacts from the storm in Maryland and Delaware were primarily concentrated in the southern portions of the two states; the cost of the damage amounted to around $2 million, including losses of $1 million in Caroline County, Maryland.Weeks J. R. Maryland and Delaware Section Climatological Data September 1935 40 9 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-1352E209-FDD6-4F8E-8726-40A5144DF3A3.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20220706163040/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-1352E209-FDD6-4F8E-8726-40A5144DF3A3.pdf July 6, 2022 July 6, 2022 Weather Bureau National Centers for Environmental Information Baltimore, Maryland High tides and heavy rains over South New Jersey flooded parts of Cape May County, with knee-high water leaving many families marooned. Four communities lost electricity after lightning struck a transformer in Sea Isle City. Many boats were submerged at Stone Harbor and Ocean City.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jersey-journal/172932704/ Storms Here Will Be Over Tomorrow The Jersey Journal September 6, 1935 12 Jersey City, New Jersey May 22, 2025 Newspapers.com Aftermath Response Veterans' work camps thumb|Destruction of the Caribbee Colony after the hurricane|250x250px|left Three veterans' work camps existed in the Florida Keys before the hurricane: #1 on Windley Key, #3 and #5 on Lower Matecumbe Key.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 3, Testimony of J. Hardin Peterson HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=9 December 25, 2022 The camp payrolls for August 30 listed 695 veterans.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 390, Letter Hines to Rankin.HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225326/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=404;q1=%22Veterans%20Rehabilitation%20Program%22 December 25, 2022 They were employed in a project to complete the Overseas Highway connecting the mainland with Key West. The camps, including seven in Florida and four in South Carolina, were established by Harry L. Hopkins, director of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). In the autumn of 1934 the problem of transient veterans in Washington, D.C. "threatened ... to become acute and did become acute in January".The New York Times August 8, 1935 11 4,000 Veterans Placed in Southern Camps https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/08/08/93474679.pdf April 20, 2025 Facilities in the capital were inadequate to handle the large numbers of veterans seeking jobs.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 364, Testimony of Frank Hines. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225325/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=377;q1=%22Veterans%20Rehabilitation%20Program%22 December 25, 2022 Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 443, Testimony of Aubrey Williams. Hathitrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=455 December 25, 2022 President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Mr. Hopkins and Robert Fechner, director of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to discuss solutions. He "suggested the Southern camp plan and approved the program worked out by Mr. Hopkins for their establishment and maintenance". The VA identified eligible veterans.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 365. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=379;q1=%22Veterans%20Rehabilitation%20Program%22 December 25, 2022 FERA offered grants to the states for their construction projects if they would accept the veterans as laborers. The state Emergency Relief Administrations were responsible for the daily management of the camps.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 435. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225326/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=447;q1=%22Veterans%20Rehabilitation%20Program%22 December 25, 2022 thumb|The temporary highway ferry slip on Upper Matecumbe after the hurricane In practice the state ERAs were very much the creatures of FERA, to the extent of handpicking the administrators.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 49, Testimony of Julius Stone. Hathitrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=57 December 25, 2022 Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 435, Testimony of Aubrey Williams. Hathitrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225334/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=447 December 25, 2022 That only two states participated was perhaps attributable to the then popular impression that the transient veterans were "diseased" bums and hoboes.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 445, Testimony of Aubrey Williams. Hathitrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=459 December 25, 2022 It was a characterization enthusiastically fed by the media. In August 1935 both Time MagazineTime August 26, 1935 Relief: Playgrounds for Derelicts http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,748899,00.html and The New York Times published sensational articles.The New York Times August 7, 1935 1 Veterans Find a 'Heaven' In Federal Camp in South http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/08/07/93473532.html?pageNumber=1 April 20, 2025The New York Times August 14, 1935 1 Bonus Army Digs Old 'Swimmin' Hole' as Rehabilitation https://www.nytimes.com/1935/08/14/archives/bonus-army-digs-old-swimmin-hole-as-rehabilitation-such-is-result.html April 20, 2025 On August 15, 1935, Hopkins announced the termination of the veterans work program and closure of all the camps.The New York Times August 16, 1935 9 Veterans' Camps to be Abandoned https://www.nytimes.com/1935/08/16/archives/veterans-camps-to-be-abandoned-3500-men-in-south-will-be-put-in-ccc.html April 20, 2025 thumb|left|Church destroyed at Islamorada On August 26 and 27, 1935, one of the veterans, Albert C. Keith, wrote letters to both the President and Eleanor Roosevelt urging that the camps not be closed. Keith was editor of the weekly camp paper, the Key Veteran News. He was emphatic that the veterans were being defamed and that their work program was a success story, rehabilitating many veterans for return to civilian life. The News published occasional reports from Camp #2, Mullet Key, St. Petersburg, Florida, at the entrance to Tampa Bay. This was the "colored" veterans camp; the Keys camps were white only. In early August the colored veterans were transferred to the new Camp #8 in Gainesville, Florida. Rescue Improved weather conditions on Wednesday, September 4, permitted the evacuation of survivors to begin. Participation of the rescue included American Red Cross, Florida National Guard, Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), United States Coast Guard, American Legion,The American Legion Monthly, Volume 19, No. 5 (November 1935), p. 28, "Rendezvous with Death" by Fred C. Painton American Legion Digital Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150504193847/http://archive.legion.org/handle/123456789/3437 May 4, 2015 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Dade County Undertakers Association, Dade County Medical Society, city and county officials, and numerous individuals, including Ernest Hemingway. Headquarters of the operation was the near shore of Snake Creek on Plantation Key. With the bridge over the creek washed out, this was the farthest point south on the highway. On September 5 at a meeting of all public and private agencies involved Governor David Sholtz placed the sheriffs of Monroe and Dade Counties in overall control.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 331. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=341 December 25, 2022 On the evening of September 4, 1935, Brigadier General Frank T. Hines, VA Administrator, received a phone call from Hyde Park, New York. It was Stephen Early, the President's press secretary. He had orders from the President who was very distressed by the news from Florida. The VA was to: 1. Cooperate with FERA in seeing that everything possible be done for those injured in the hurricane; 2. See that the bodies were properly cared for shipment home to relatives, and that those bodies for which shipment home was not requested be sent to Arlington National Cemetery; and, 3. Conduct a very careful joint investigation with Mr. Hopkins' organization, to determine whether there was any fault that would lie against anyone in the Administration. Hines's representative in Florida was to take full charge of the situation and all other organizations and agencies were ordered to cooperate.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 371. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225327/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=383 December 25, 2022 The President's first order was straightforward and promptly executed. 124 injured veterans were treated in Miami area hospitals; 9 of these died and 56 were later transferred to VA medical facilities.Letter, Machlan to Hines, September 16, 1935, VA Investigative Records, National Archives Building, Washington DC Uninjured veterans were removed to Camp Foster in Jacksonville and evaluated for transfer to the CCC; those declining transfer or deemed unemployable were paid off and given tickets home.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 332. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225328/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=340 December 25, 2022 All of the FERA transient camps were closed in November 1935.The New York Times October 10, 1936 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/10/06/93778559.pdf 'Transients' Lose Federal Aid Soon https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225323/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/10/06/93778559.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false E11 December 25, 2022 In December 1935 FERA itself was absorbed within the new WPA, also directed by Hopkins.The New York Times November 20, 1935 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/20/93716248.pdf WPA Speeds Work to 'Wartime Rush' 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225323/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/20/93716248.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false December 25, 2022 Recovery The second and third orders, however, were almost immediately compromised. At a news conference on September 5, Hopkins asserted that there was no negligence traceable to FERA in the failed evacuation of the camps as the Weather Bureau advisories had given insufficient warning. He also dispatched his assistant, Aubrey Willis Williams, to Florida to coordinate FERA efforts and to investigate the deaths.The New York Times September 5, 1935 Defends Failure to Move Veterans; Hopkins Says Action Was Not Warranted by the Reports of Hurricane's Course 9 https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/06/archives/defends-failure-to-move-veterans-hopkins-says-action-was-not.html April 20, 2025 Williams and Hines' assistant, Colonel George E. Ijams, both arrived in Miami on September 6. Ijams concentrated on the dead, their collection, identification and proper disposition.S. L. Leithiser Veterans Administration Hurricane of September 2, 1935 September 19, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157631453839018/ April 12, 2020 This was to prove exceptionally difficult. Bodies were scattered throughout the Keys and their rapid decomposition created ghastly conditions. State and local health officials demanded a ban on all movement of bodies and their immediate burial or cremation in place; the next day Governor Sholtz so ordered.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 332.HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225328/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=340 December 25, 2022 This was reluctantly agreed to by Hines with the understanding that those buried would be later disinterred and shipped home or to Arlington when permitted by the State health authorities.Hines to Col. McIntyre, Third Report on Evacuation of Veterans from Florida, September 7, 1935, Hurricane Records, FDR Library The cremations began on Saturday, September 7; 38 bodies were burned together at the collection point beside Snake Creek. Over the next week 136 bodies were cremated on Upper Matecumbe Key at 12 different locations. On Lower Matecumbe Key, 82 were burned at 20 sites. On numerous small keys in Florida Bay, bodies were either burned or buried where found. This effort continued into November. 123 bodies had been transported to Miami before the embargo. These were processed at a temporary morgue staffed by fingerprint experts and 8 volunteer undertakers under tents at Woodlawn Park Cemetery. The intention was to identify the remains and prepare them for burial or shipment. With the embargo in force, immediate burial of all the bodies at Woodlawn was mandatory. FERA purchased a plot in Section 2A. The VA coordinated the ceremony with full military honors on September 8.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/170422357/ Veterans Who Died on Florida Keys Go to Their Final Resting Flag-Draped Coffins Miami Daily News September 9, 1935 8 April 16, 2025 Newspapers.com 109 bodies were buried in the FERA plot: 81 veterans, nine civilians, and 19 unidentified bodies.Plot Plan, Woodlawn Park Cemetery of Hurricane Victims of Keys September 2 & 3, 1935 with notes, VA Report of Investigation, National Archives Building, Washington, DC. Plot PlanApril 12, 2020 History Of The Florida Keys Memorial http://www.keyshistory.org/hurrmemorial.html Keys Historeum Wilkinson Jerry The Florida Emergency Relief Administration reported that as of November 19, 1935, 423 people died: 259 veterans and 164 civilians. By March 1, 1936, 62 additional bodies had been recovered, bringing the total to 485: 257 veterans and 228 civilians.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 332, HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225830/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=340 December 25, 2022 The discrepancy in veterans' deaths resulted from the difficulty in identifying bodies, particularly those found months after the hurricane, and a question of definition; whether to count just those on the camp payrolls or to include others, not enrolled, who happened to be veterans. thumb|Collection of hurricane victims thumb|September 7, 1935, Cremation of hurricane victims, Snake Creek The Veterans' Affairs Administration (VA) compiled its list of veterans' deaths: 121 dead-positive identifications, 90 missing, and 45 dead-identification tentative - totaling 256. Five others are named in a footnote. One proved to be a misidentification of a previously listed veteran; two were state employees working at the camps, and two were unaffiliated veterans caught in the storm. This gave a total of 260 veterans.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, ps. 390 – 400. HathiTrust Digital Library Adding this to the Florida Emergency Relief Administration number for civilians gave a total of 488 deaths, 12 of the dead were listed as "colored".Woodward E.U Mathison J.C. Bilsbrough A.P. May 13, 1936 English: Cremations and burials on Florida Keys following the hurricane of Sept. 2, 1935 (including civilians and veterans) Ernest Hemingway visited the veteran's camp by boat after weathering the hurricane at his home in Key West; he wrote about the devastation in a critical article titled "Who Killed the Vets?" for The New Masses magazine. Hemingway implied that the FERA workers and families, unfamiliar with the risks of Florida hurricane season, were unwitting victims of a system that appeared to lack concern for their welfare.http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/16158 When Hemingway Took the Government to Task for a Hurricane Disaster that Cost Hundreds of Lives | History News Network historynewsnetwork.org September 26, 2005 In the same issue of The New Masses appeared an editorial charging criminal negligence and a cartoon by Russell T. Limbach, captioned An Act of God, depicting burning corpses.The New Masses, September 17, 1935, Pg 3 A The Washington Post editorial on September 5, titled Ruin in the Veterans' Camps, stated the widely held opinion that the camps were havens of rest designed to keep Bonus Marchers away from Washington ... Most of these veterans are drifters, psychopathic cases or habitual troublemakers ... Those who are nor physically or mentally handicapped have no claim whatsoever to special rewards in return for bonus agitation.The Washington Post Editorial September 5, 1935 https://www.proquest.com/docview/150588904 Ruin in the Veterans' Camps April 20, 2025 150588904 thumb|left|upright|"An Act of God", by Russell T. Limbach Investigation thumb|September 8, 1935, Mass burial at Woodlawn Park Cemetery Meanwhile, Williams rushed to complete the investigation. He finished on Sunday, September 8, the day an elaborate memorial service and mass burial of hurricane victims (both coordinated by Ijams) were held in Miami.Miami Daily News https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/170422461/ September 9, 1935 1 Thousands Bow in Tribute Paid to Storm Dead April 16, 2025 Newspapers.com Ijams, who had been too busy to participate in the investigation and had not questioned any of the 12 witnesses interrogated by Williams, nonetheless signed the 15-page report to the President.Report to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the hurricane of September 2, 1935 Williams Aubrey Ijams George E. September 8, 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt FDR Library https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/albums/72157651991134805/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120740/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/albums/72157651991134805/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 That night Williams released it to the Miami press in a radio broadcast immediately following the memorial ceremony. Ijams considered the timing unfortunate after receiving several critical telephone messages.Telegram by George E. Ijams to Frank T. Hines Ijams, George E. Frank T. Hines September 9, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/16974696839/in/album-72157651991134805 April 20, 2025 The report exonerated everyone involved and concluded: "To our mind the catastrophe must be characterized as an act of God and was by its very nature beyond the power of man or instruments at his disposal to foresee sufficiently far enough in advance to permit the taking of adequate precautions capable of preventing the death and desolation which occurred".Miami Daily News September 9, 1935 9 Storm Deaths an Act of God, Says Williams https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/170422526/ April 16, 2025 Newspapers.com Early also found the publicity around the report "unfortunate". In a telegram to his colleague, assistant Presidential secretary Marvin H. McIntyre, Early wrote that he had authorized Hines to proceed with a "complete and exhaustive" joint investigation with Hopkins. Significantly Hines was to "instruct his investigator that under no circumstances will any statement be made to the Press until final report has been submitted to the President".Early Marvin H. McIntyre Telegram on the Ijams - Williams report September 10, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651991134805/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120811/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651991134805/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 Hopkins gave similar instructions to his investigator. McIntyre also was involved in damage control. On September 10, 1935, the Greater Miami Ministerial Association wrote the President an angry letter labeling the report a "whitewash". McIntyre forwarded it to FERA for a response. Williams returned a draft for the President's signature on September 25 insisting the report was only preliminary and that the "final and detailed report ... will be both thorough and searching".Correspondence regarding letter from the Greater Miami Ministerial Association Franklin D. Roosevelt September 10, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652081355106/with/16630675443/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120737/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652081355106/with/16630675443/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 Williams assigned John Abt, assistant general counsel for FERA, to complete the investigation. On September 11, 1935, Hines directed the skeptical and meticulous David W. Kennamer to investigate the disaster. There was immediate friction between them; Kennamer believed Abt did not have an open mind and Abt felt further investigation was unnecessary.Kennamer, D. W. Sam Jared Jr. September 12, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652134280172/ Correspondence from D. W. Kennamer on John Abt https://web.archive.org/web/20150601092639/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652134280172/ June 1, 2015 April 20, 2025 Working with Harry W. Farmer, another VA investigator, Kennamer completed his 2 volume report on October 30, 1935. Farmer added a third volume concerning the identification of the veterans. Kennamer's report included 2,168 pages of exhibits,List of Exhibits from D. W. Kennamer's Investigation of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157649993000704/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150601092632/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157649993000704/ June 1, 2015 April 20, 2025 118 pages of findings,Administrative letters and findings from D. W. Kennamer's Investigation of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 October 1935 Chief, Investigative Division https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651889987429/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150601092643/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651889987429/ June 1, 2015 April 20, 2025 and a 19-page general comment.Memorandum and General Comments October 5, 1935 Kennamer, D. W. https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652013696432/with/16976698627/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150419015428/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652013696432/with/16976698627/ April 19, 2015 April 20, 2025 His findings differed substantially from those of Williams, citing three officials of the Florida Emergency Relief Administration as negligent (Administrator Conrad Van Hyning, Asst. Administrator Fred Ghent and Camp Superintendent Ray Sheldon). In a response to Abt's draft report to the President,Draft Report to the President regarding the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, ca. December 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651946146877/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150601092641/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651946146877/ June 1, 2015 April 20, 2025 Ijams sided with Kennamer.Revised conclusions on hurricane report Ijams, George E. Frank T. Hines January 10, 1936 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157650074623814/with/17207345408/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150601092635/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157650074623814/with/17207345408/ April 20, 2025 June 1, 2015 Hines and Hopkins never agreed on a final report, and Kennamer's findings were suppressed. They remained so for decades.VA letter denying release of Kennamer's report Mathis von Brauchitsch Rettew Jr., W. L. March 26, 1968 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Letter,_Rettew_to_von_Brauchtisch,_RE_release_of_Kennamer_Report,_March_26,_1968.jpg April 20, 2025 thumb|left|upright|Letter One might speculate that Hines wished to avoid a public quarrel with Hopkins, who had enjoyed Roosevelt's patronage since his term as New York Governor. Hines was a holdover from the Hoover administration. Such an internal dispute would embarrass the Roosevelt administration at the time a vote on the Adjusted Compensation Payment Act ("Bonus Bill") was upcoming (it passed on January 27, 1936, over the President's veto).Miami Daily News January 27, 1936 Roosevelt Veto Upset By 76-19 In Upper House 1 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/170422680/ April 16, 2025 Newspapers.com Also, 1936 was a presidential election year. Kennamer did appear at the House hearings in April 1936, along with Hines, Ijams, Williams and the 3 officials he pilloried in his report. He was not questioned about his controversial findings nor did he volunteer his opinions.Florida Hurricane Disaster Hearings, p. 334. HathiTrust Digital Library https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225830/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/imgsrv/html?id=mdp.39015049888574;seq=342 December 25, 2022 On November 1, 1935, the American Legion completed its own report on the hurricane. The Legion's National Commander, Ray Murphy, mailed a copy to President Roosevelt. It concluded that: ... the blame for the loss of life can be placed on "Inefficiency, Indifference, and Ignorance". Inefficiency in the setup of the camps. Indifference of someone in charge as to the safety of the men. Ignorance of the real danger from a tropical hurricane. And these "I's" can be added together and they spell "Murder at Matacombe" . [The] committee early in its investigation noticed a tendency on the part of some to reflect on the character of the men who were veterans in the camps. Several parties referred to them as "bums," "drunkards," "crazy men," "riff-raff" and the like. They seem to think that "they got what was coming to them". How anyone could arrive at such a conclusion is impossible for us to determine. If these men were "bums," "drunkards," "crazy men" etc. then it was all the more necessary that every precaution be taken to protect them. If they fell into this category they were subnormal men and should have been treated as such. If they were incapable of caring for themselves then the government should have placed them in hospitals and not have sent them to a wilderness in the high-seas on a so called "rehabilitation program". Others testified that the men were well-behaved and that a great majority of them would have preferred to have been placed under military discipline in the camps. But these observations are of no real value except to show that some people are trying to "cover up" the real guilt of responsible parties.Report of Special Investigation Committee, Florida Hurricane Disaster to National Executive Committee, The American Legion Melton, Quimby November 1, 1935 6 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651944831880/with/17341961906/ https://web.archive.org/web/20150529223152/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651944831880/with/17341961906/ May 29, 2015 April 20, 2025 Williams prepared a response for the President stating: "A final report, based upon the facts obtained in this investigation [by the VA and FERA], will be submitted to me shortly. At that time I shall transmit a copy of the report to you for your information and consideration".Draft letter, Franklin D. Roosevelt to Ray Murphy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Ray Murphy November 14, 1935 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651944831880/with/17341961906/ April 20, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20150529223152/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157651944831880/with/17341961906/ May 29, 2015 Memorials Islamorada thumb|left|Dedication of Florida Keys Memorial, November 14, 1937 Standing just east of U.S. 1 at mile marker 82 in Islamorada, near where Islamorada's post office stood, is a monumentFlorida Keys Memorial Flickr https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120732/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157633373342365/ July 24, 2020 designed by the Florida Division of the Federal Art Project and constructed using Keys limestone ("keystone") by the Works Progress Administration. It was unveiled on November 14, 1937, with several hundred people attending.Matecumbe Monument Honors Victims of 1935 Hurricane The Palm Beach Post 10 November 15, 1937 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/20968899795/in/album-72157633373342365/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120830/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/20968899795/in/album-72157633373342365/ July 24, 2020 April 16, 2025 President Roosevelt sent a telegram to the dedication in which he expressed "heartfelt sympathy" and said, "the disaster which made desolate the hearts of so many of our people brought a personal sorrow to me because some years ago I knew many residents of the keys". The welcoming committee included Key West Mayor Willard M. Albury, and other local officials.Miami Daily News February 16, 1939 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/170422779/ 1 Florida Awaits Train Bearing Roosevelt Here April 16, 2025 Newspapers.com Hines had been invited to speak but he declined.Hines, Frank T. Hines Charles A. Mills November 2, 1937 Response to invitation for the unveiling of Islamorada monument https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652118331741/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724122840/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652118331741/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 His attitude to the project was unenthusiastic. In a letter to Williams on June 24, 1937, regarding what to do with the many skeletons of veterans recently discovered in the Keys, he wrote: ″It occurs to me that if a large memorial is erected adjacent to this highway at the place of the disaster it will be observed by all persons using the highway and will serve as a constant reminder of the unfortunate catastrophe which occurred.″Hines, Frank T. Discovery of skeletons of veterans in the Florida Keys Aubrey Williams June 24, 1937 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652118331741/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724122840/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652118331741/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 Hines recommended the remains be buried at Woodlawn. A frieze depicts palm trees amid curling waves, fronds bent in the wind. In front of the sculpture a ceramic-tile mural of the Keys covers a stone crypt, which holds victims' ashes from the makeshift funeral pyres, commingled with the skeletons. thumb|upright|Relief and dedication Although this is a gravesite, no name appears anywhere on the monument. This is not a requirement for the estimated 228 civilian dead, 55 of whom were buried where found or in various cemeteries. A memorial with identifying information is a statutory entitlement for the veterans.38 U.S. Code § 2306 (b) Cornell Law https://web.archive.org/web/20150521085506/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/2306 May 21, 2015 The memorial was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1995.National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Reference No. 95000238 A Heritage Monument Trail plaque mounted on a coral boulder before the memorial reads: The Florida Keys Memorial, known locally as the "Hurricane Monument," was built to honor hundreds of American veterans and local citizens who perished in the "Great Hurricane" on Labor Day, September 2, 1935. Islamorada sustained winds of 200 miles per hour and a barometer reading of 26.35 inches for many hours on that fateful holiday; most local buildings and the Florida East Coast Railway were destroyed by what remains the most savage hurricane on record. Hundreds of World War I veterans who had been camped in the Matecumbe area while working on the construction of U.S. Highway One for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were killed. In 1937 the cremated remains of approximately 300 people were placed within the tiled crypt in front of the monument. The monument is composed of native keystone, and its striking frieze depicts coconut palm trees bending before the force of hurricane winds while the waters from an angry sea lap at the bottom of their trunks. Monument construction was funded by the WPA and regional veterans' associations. Over the years the Hurricane Monument has been cared for by local veterans, hurricane survivors, and descendants of the victims.Florida Keys Memorial Islamorada Historical Heritage Monument Trail Trail plaque 2008 Islamorada, Florida Local residents hold ceremonies at the monument every year on Labor Day (on the Monday holiday) and on Memorial Day to honor the veterans and the civilians who died in the hurricane.Matecumbe Historical Trust, Calendar of Events https://web.archive.org/web/20151107125924/http://matecumbehistoricaltrust.com/calendar.cfm November 7, 2015 for May and September Woodlawn Park North Cemetery thumb|left|upright|Hurricane Monument, Woodlawn Park North Cemetery, Miami, FL, on site of mass grave On January 31, 1936, Harvey W. Seeds Post No. 29, American Legion, Miami, Florida, petitioned FERA for the deed to the Woodlawn plot.Resolution, Harvey W. Seeds Post No. 29, American Legion, January 31, 1936 Resolution The Legion would use the empty grave sites for the burial of indigent veterans and accept responsibility for care of the plot. After some initial confusion as to the actual owner,Woodlawn Cemetery Plot Wickenden, E. Park Trammell March 9, 1936 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Letter,_Wickenden_to_Trammell,_RE,_Woodlawn_Plot,_March_9,_1936.jpg April 20, 2025 the State of Florida approved the title transfer. A monument was placed on the plot, inscribed: Erected by Harvey W. Seeds Post No. 29, The American Legion, in Memory of Our Comrades Who Lost Their Lives on the Florida Keys during the 1935 Hurricane, Lest We Forget.Lest We Forget Harvey W. Seeds Post No. 29, American Legion Headstone 1936 Miami, Florida As with the Islamorada memorial no names are listed, nor were the individual grave sites for the 81 identified veterans marked at Woodlawn. The VA again chose not to obey the President's order, this time to rebury the unclaimed bodies at Arlington. Four bodies were, however, exhumed from Woodlawn cemetery by the families: Brady C. Lewis (November 12, 1936), Benjamin B. Jakeman (December 12, 1936), Thomas K. Moore (January 20, 1937), and Frank De Albar (September 26, 2016). Families marked 5 more graves at Woodlawn. The cemetery director, Gabriel E. Romanach Jr., marked 71 graves with VA markers, leaving 1 unmarked grave as of 2024.Preservationist Jerry Wilkinson visits unmarked Miami graves of soldiers killed in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane You Tube https://web.archive.org/web/20191106234948/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ADNIYGbDmU&gl=US&hl=en November 6, 2019 September 2019 One other veteran killed in the storm rests at Arlington, Daniel C. Main.Main grave site Arlington NC His was a special case, the only veteran who died in the camps who was neither cremated in the Keys nor buried at Woodlawn. Main was the camp medical director and was killed in the collapse of the small hospital at Camp #1. His body was quickly recovered by survivors and shipped to his family before the embargo.Injured Recount Camp Gale Horror Associated Press http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/09/05/93482510.html?pageNumber=3 The New York Times September 5, 1935 3 https://web.archive.org/web/20221225225827/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/09/05/93482510.html?pageNumber=3 December 25, 2022 April 20, 2025 "Dr. Lassiter Alexander, medical officer at Camp No. 1, Snake Creek, who had injuries to his back, related: ... One of those killed in the collapse of the Snake Creek Hotel was Dr. E. C. Main, medical director of the camp, who lost his life before my eyes".Bodies Buried at Woodland Cemetery Victims of Hurricane September 13, 1935 Sacco, S. C. 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/8695951325/in/album-72157633373970669/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200724120755/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/8695951325/in/album-72157633373970669/ July 24, 2020 April 20, 2025 Veterans Key On February 27, 2006, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved a proposal by Jerry Wilkinson, President, Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys, to name a small island off the southern tip of Lower Matecumbe Key for the veterans who died in the hurricane. It is near where Camp #3 was located. Veterans KeyVeterans Key, U.S. Board on Geographic Names https://web.archive.org/web/20200725005013/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:2084384 July 25, 2020 and several concrete pilings are all that remain of the 1935 bridge construction project.Veterans Key Images Flickr https://web.archive.org/web/20150601111243/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bareford94/sets/72157652459576601/ June 1, 2015 Department of Veterans Affairs Actions thumb|Memorial markers for veterans lost in 1935 Hurricane at South Florida National Cemetery Government furnished headstones and grave markers are provided for eligible veterans buried in National Cemeteries, State veterans cemeteries and private cemeteries. Memorial markers are also provided when remains are unavailable for burial. Under a 2009 VA regulation the applicant in all cases was defined as the veteran's next of kin.38 CFR 38.632 Cornell Law https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061657/https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/38.632 March 4, 2016 Prior to the 2009 rule any person with knowledge of the veteran could apply. When enforcement began in 2012, many groups and volunteers objected. They had worked for decades in cooperation with the VA to mark unmarked veterans' graves, many from the Civil War era. They argued that the next-of-kin (if any) was often impossible to locate and that the very existence of an unmarked grave was evidence of the family's indifference.Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, October 30, 2013 House Archives https://web.archive.org/web/20150609134725/http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/focused-issues-on-dignified-burials-a-national-cemetery-update June 9, 2015 Two bills were introduced in Congress, H. R. 2018 and S. 2700 which would have again allowed unrelated applicants. Both bills died in committee. On October 1, 2014, the VA proposed a rule change which would include unrelated individuals in the categories of applicants .AO95 - Proposed Rule - Applicants for VA Memorialization Benefits regulations.gov https://web.archive.org/web/20120925153342/http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=VA-2014-VACO-0020-0001 September 25, 2012 The revision became effective on March 2, 2016.Federal Register /Vol. 81, No. 41 /Rules and Regulations, Page 10765 It added several categories of applicants unrelated to the veteran for headstones and grave markers; however, it retained the family member only restriction on memorial markers. This provision was challenged in an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, No. 19-4633, Richard C. Bareford, Appellant, v. Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Appellee The case was argued on January 14, 2021, and decided on February 28, 2022. The court ruled that the restriction was arbitrary and capricious, that it be set aside and remanded for further development. The VA appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but filed a joint stipulation of voluntary dismissal on April 24, 2024.United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 2023-1189, Richard C. Bareford, Claimant-Appellee, v. Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Respondent-Appellant. Memorial markers for 166 veterans lost in the Labor Day Hurricane were placed at South Florida National Cemetery in 2023. See also Tropical cyclones List of Atlantic hurricane records List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes Notes References Further reading Histories Douglas Marjory Hurricane Rinehart 1958 978-0891760153 https://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Marjory-Stoneman-Douglas/dp/B0007DMRTC Excerpt:The Florida Keys, 1935 Drye Willie Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 National Geographic Society 2002 978-0-7922801-0-1 https://books.google.com/books?id=ikQTAAAAYAAJ Knowles Thomas Neil Category 5: The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane University Press of Florida 2009 978-0-8130331-0-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=_xYoAQAAIAAJ Scott Phil Hemingway's Hurricane McGraw Hill Professional Publishing 2006 978-0-0714791-0-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=-96fIQAACAAJ Government publications United States. Congress. House. Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation. Florida Hurricane Disaster: Hearings Before the Committee On World War Veterans' Legislation, House of Representatives, Seventy-fourth Congress, Second Session, On H.R. 9486, a Bill for the Relief of Widows, Children And Dependent Parents of World War Veterans Who Died As the Result of the Florida Hurricane At Windley Island And Matecumbe Keys September 2, 1935 ... Washington DC: U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1936. Full text viewability at HathiTrust Digital Library United States. Department of Agriculture. Miscellaneous Publication No. 197: The Hurricane by Ivan R. Tannehill, Principal Meteorologist, Weather Bureau. Washington DC: U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1939. Ebook available at Google Books Dissertations Seiler Christine Kay 2003 The Veteran Killer: the Florida Emergency Relief Administration and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 Ph.D. Florida State University 79137317 External links Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory Excerpts from the Labor Day 1935 Hurricane Monthly Weather Review Article Images of historic Florida Hurricanes (State Archives of Florida) Keys Historeum, Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys Florida Keys Memorial Florida Hurricane History FERA Overall Hurricane Damage Report 1935 Census of Civilian Victims/survivors of 1935 Hurricane 1935 Newspaper reportshttps://web.archive.org/web/20100823035028/http://www3.gendisasters.com/florida/6382/southern-fl-quotlabor-day-hurricanequot-sep-1935 August 23, 2010 Horrific Florida Keys Hurricane, Labor Day 1935 Biot Report #631: July 05, 2009 Labour Day Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes L (1935) L (1935) L (1935) Labor Day hurricane, 1935 Labor Day hurricane, 1935 L (1935) Labor Day hurricane Category:August 1935 in the United States Category:September 1935 in the United States