Labor Day Hurricane 1935: The Rescue Train That Came Too Late

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 hit the Florida Keys, crossing the islands between Key West and Miami. That day a train was sent down Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad to bring people out. It was washed from the tracks. Before dawn that morning, the Weather Bureau had already warned of high tides and gales on the Keys. Waiting on the islands were World War I veterans, quartered in federal relief camps. On Sunday morning, according to the government's later report, the man in charge on the Keys became alarmed and began trying to arrange an early evacuation. The report says the special train was not ordered until two on Monday afternoon. By the time it reached the Keys, the hurricane was already raging there. Within days, a report to the President called the heavy loss of life "an act of God." In September, a magazine in New York printed Ernest Hemingway's report from Key West. Its title was a question: "Who Murdered the Vets?" CHAPTERS 0:00 The train that did not arrive 0:46 A railroad into the sea 2:29 Over the sea 3:49 The camps 4:50 Caution is advised 5:50 The night on Long Key 6:48 Morning 8:49 What remained The Gilded Shore tells the stories of America's coastal places that rose and fell — with real photographs and film of their time. Subscribe for the next one. Photos: Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library (CC BY 2.0). #FloridaKeys #LaborDayHurricane #History