How the News Was Given The World
AN UNUSUAL opportunity for the exercise of courage and ability under trying conditions came to newspaper representatives upon the wings of the hurricane. The first to get a story out was Alfred P. Reck, United Press correspondent at Miami. This he managed with the assistance of the staff of the Tropical Radio station at Hialeah. In order to transmit the message it was necessary to rig up a temporary sending apparatus, because the storm had wrecked the radio plant and dismantled the towers. Communication was established with the Ward line steamer Siboney off the Florida coast, and the message was relayed to East Hampton, L. I., and then telephoned to New York. The message read as follows:
"Miami, Florida Via SS Siboney and East Hampton, L. I. N. Y., N. F. T. 18th (Saturday) , United Press, New York or Washington, D. C.—Miami in ruins after worst hurricane in history of country. Seventy-five known dead, property damage one hundred million dollars. More than two thousand injured. Help needed badly. Hurricane hit first about two o'clock Saturday from northwest (?) then changed and blew from the south until three o'clock in afternoon. Barge with thirty-five on board sunk in harbor. Huge freighter driven high and dry in Royal Palm Park. Huge twenty-story MeyerKiser bank building wrecked. Miami Tribune wrecked. City docks completely destroyed. (?) All boats in harbor sunk, including Nohab formerly owned by ex-German kaiser. Food, medical supplies and troops needed. (Signed) RECK. "
(Author's note—The interrogation points indicate inaccuracies. The wind was from the northeast. The Meyer-Kiser building is 18 stories, and the city docks were not destroyed, though warehouses on them were.)
This message was received in New York at 1:45 Sunday morning which enabled Sunday papers to carry the news. Considering everything it was a remarkably correct story. After sending his radio message the correspondent went to West Palm Beach, accompanied by four assistants, who carried axes, which they truly anticipated would be needed in cutting trees and the obstructions out of the road to permit their car to pass. They arrived at destination Sunday afternoon, and from West Palm Beach Mr. Reck telephoned a more extended account of the disaster to the Atlanta office of the United Press.
