ment shelter blew away between 4 a. m. and 5. a. m., landing in the street below and crashing into the automobile of Mr. Arthur Peavy, a Miami Daily News staff writer, who was on duty at the Weather Bureau Office. There was an abrupt decrease in the wind velocity between 6:10 a. m. and 6:15 a. m. when the center of the storm reached Miami. Many persons who had spent the night in downtown buildings rushed out to view the wreckage that filled the streets. I warned those in the vicinity of the Federal Building that the storm was not over and that it would be dangerous to remain in the open. The lull lasted 35 minutes, and during that time the streets became crowded with people. As a result, many lives were lost during the second phase of the storm. With the passage of the center of the storm, the wind shifted to southeast at 6.47 a. m. and immediately increased to gale force. A velocity of 50 miles was recorded at 7:55 a. m. and a velocity of 60 miles at 8:55 a. m. These recorded velocities are nearly 50 per cent less than the actual velocities. The wind shifted to southwest at 9 a. m. and continued from that direction until 6 a. m., with steadily diminishing force.
A Robertson anemometer on the roof of the Allison hospital, Miami Beach, connected with a Weather Bureau type triple register, made by Julien P. Friez & Son, recorded a velocity of 128 miles per hour at 7:30. The anemometer blew away at 8:12 a. m., at which time it was recording 120 miles per hour. The sheet containing the record will be forwarded to the Central Office.
The storm tide on the Miami side of Biscayne Bay was approximately eight feet, and reports indicate a similar tide at Miami Beach. The water front of Miami was flooded for two to three blocks back from the bay, and low parts of the city near the Miami River were also flooded. After the storm, the entire bay front section of Miami was strewn with boats ranging in size from small pleasure craft to large schooners. Some of the boats had been carried more than two blocks from the bay. Water rose in hotels and residences near the bay to a depth of three to five feet. Miami Beach was entirely inundated, and at the height of the tide, the ocean extended to Miami, three and one-half miles across Biscayne Bay. All streets near the ocean at Miami Beach were covered with sand to a depth of several feet, and in some places automobiles were entirely covered. The foundations of some buildings were washed out, allowing the buildings to collapse. The storm tide occurred with the shift of the wind to the east and southeast, following the arrival of the center of the storm. In the Miami River the tide came in the form of a bore that left a
