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War Department Letter
By Jerry Wilkinson "WAR DEPARTMENT
"UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE
"POST OFFICE BUILDING
"JACKSONVILLE, FLA. "Refer to file no. P.E. 167.3 "March 30, 1939
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"Subject: Hurricane data, Florida Keys - September
2, 1935.
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"To: The Chief
of Engineers S. Army, Washington, D. C.
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"Copy to: The Division Engineer, South Atlantic Division, Richmond,
Va.
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"1. In compliance with instruction's
contained in Division Engineers telegram of March 23 1939, additional data
is herewith pertaining to barometer reading
barometers and estimate of accuracy of the instruments used during
the hurricane of September 2, 1935, in the Florida Keys. The locations
used are referred to mileposts on the railway which are shown on map, listed
as Inclosure 1; accompanying detail report of this office dated October
21, 1935, file: E. D. 611 (Florida) -17, upon the hurricane.
[The map not available.]
"2. The northernmost limit
of the barometer readings collected was at Carysfort Reef, which lies due
east of Milepost 412. Barometer readings at this point were:
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Wind
Barometer
Date Time
Direction Velocity
Reading
Sept. 2 2:00 p.m.
ENE 45 M.P.H.
29.90
4:00 p.m. ENE
60 "
29.76
5:15 p.m. ENE
80 "
29.68 (lowest reading)
8:00 p.m. ENE
70 "
29.70
10:00 p.m. ENE
65 "
29.80
This barometer was an aneroid [containing no liquid], reliable and
of good quality, French manufacture. Wind velocities estimated.
"3. Tavernier is located at
Milepost 431, on Plantation Key.
The barometers here were aneroid , reliable and of good quality,
of French manufacture. The low barometric reading shown on the chart was
observed by Mr. Eugene Lowe. Record reading at Tavernier is as follows:
Locality
Date Time
Barometer reading
Tavernier, Fla. Sept.
2 4:45 p.m.
29.28
6:00 p.m.
29.08
6:30 p.m.
28.98
7:30 p.m.
28.80
8:00 p.m.
28.62
8:35 p.m.
28.58 (lowest reading)
9:15 p.m.
28.74
9:50 p.m.
28.97
10:20 p.m.
29.08
Sept. 3 1:15 a.m.
29.32
This barometer was checked by the Weather Bureau September 22, 1935.
and was found to be reading .12 inch too high, which would would make the
low pressure 28.46 inches. Mr. Lowe has since been designated as observer
for the Weather Bureau in this locality. Other low readings at the locality
were: Mr. [Hugh] McKenzie, 28.68 inches; by Mr. Roger Albury, 28.70 inches.
All low reading occurred between 8:35 and 9:15 p.m.
"4. Low reading at Upper Matecumbe
Key, Milepost 442 were: By Capt. Ed Butters, 26.65 inches at 8:25 p.m.;
and by E. B. Parker, 26.55 inches at 9:30 p.m. The instruments were aneroid
barometers, dependable and of good quality, of French manufacture.
"5. Readings at Alligator Reef
Lighthouse, 4.1 miles southeast of Milepost 444 (This lighthouse is located
on the outer reef):
Date
Time Barometer
reading
Sept. 2 12 noon
29.85 inches
5:00 p.m
29.20 "
6:00 p.m
29.00 "
6:30 p.m
27.84 "
8:00 p.m
27.45 "
8:10 p.m
27.35 " (lowest)
9:00 p.m
27.50 "
10:00 p.m
28.40 "
10:30 p.m
28.80 "
11:00 p.m
29.03 "
11:40 p.m.
29.20 "
12:00 p.m
29.24 "
Sept. 3 12:30 a.m
29.30 "
1:00 a.m
29.34 "
1:30 a.m
29.38 "
2:00 a.m
29.40 "
3:00 a.m
29.46 "
4:00 a.m
29.50 "
6:00 a.m
29.55 "
9:00 a.m
29.62 "
10:00 a.m 29.64
"
11:00 a.m 29.68
"
1:00 p.m. 29.70
"
2:00 p.m 29.74
"
Beginning of the calm period occurred at 8:10 p.m. and ended at
10:15 p.m. This barometer was checked by the Weather Bureau, November 21,
1935, at Washington D. C. At the point of low reading, the barometer was
plus .05 inches too high. The correct low reading would therefore be 27.30
inches. This barometer was an aneroid, dependable and of good quality,
of French manufacture.
"6. The barometer at Lower Matecumbe
Key was of good quality, French manufacture, located at Milepost 449. The
low was 27.55 at 8:45 p.m. September 2, 1935. As the pointer was off the
scale, low reading was estimated. The observer was Mr. R. L. Bow, Engineer
of the State Road Department, and formerly one of the engineers employed
in the construction of the Florida East Coast Railway extension. Mr. Bow
had been through a number of hurricanes on the Keys. He has since died.
"7. Low barometer reading at
Craig, Milepost 451, the storm center as it passed over the keys, September
2, 1935, 8:20 to 9:25 p.m., 26.40 inches: Observers, Capt. Ivar Olsen,
R. W. Craig and R. C. Jackson. This barometer was located by employees
of this office and Capt. Olsen, the owner, agreed to turn it over to us
for calibration. It was turned over to the Miami Weather Bureau for test
readings. The Miami Weather Bureau corrected the reading to 26.38 inches,
then sent it to the Weather Bureau at Washington, for further test. The
Weather Bureau at Washington found the corrected reading to be 26.35 inches.
As these men were exposed and in the open, no recording were made of readings,
but the low point reached by the barometer pointer was marked on the barometer
case.
"8. Readings were made
by Mr. J. E. Duane, at Long Key, Milepost 457. Mr. Duane was caretaker
of the Long Key Fishing Camp, owned by the Florida East Coast Hotel Company
[a division of the Florida East Coast Railway Company]. He left the
keys shortly after the hurricane and efforts to locate him since that time
have not been successful. Reading supplied by Mr. Woodward, F. E. R. A.
Engineer, from Mr. Duane's record:
Wind
"Date Time
Direction Force Barometer
Reading
Sept. 2 2:00 p.m.
NNE 6
28.90 inches
3:00 p.m. NNE
8
28.52 "
4:00 p.m. N
9
28.42 "
5:00 p.m. N
12
28.22 "
6:00 p.m. N
12+
28.04 "
6:45 p.m. NW
12+
27.90 "
7:00 p.m. NW
12+
27.78 "
8:00 p.m. NW
12+
27.50 "
9:00 p.m. NW
12+
27.29 "
9:20 p.m. NW Beginning of lull
27.22 "
10:10 p.m. lull
lull
27.02 "
(High water came over from ocean side)
10:15 p.m. SSW
6 to 8 27.00 "
(End of lull; beginning of blow from southwest)
10:20 p.m. SW
12+
26.98 "
Wind estimated above 175 miles per hour. After observation at 10:20
p.m.; buildings were destroyed and barometer lost. Force of wind given
in Beaufort scale. [Force 6 = 22 - 27 m.p.h in knots; Force
8 = 34 - 40 m.p.h in knots; Force 9 = 41 - 47 m.p.h in knots; Force
12 = 64+ m.p.h in knots] The instrument used by Mr. Duane was an aneroid
barometer and of good quality.
" 9. From this point, Milepost
457, to Milepost 471, the southerly and westerly limit of storm damage,
the area is very sparsely settled and no barometer readings were obtained
except at Sombrero Key Lighthouse, which was south of Milepost 475, outside
the destructive limits of the storm. The readings at Sombrero Key Lighthouse:
Wind
Date Time
Direction Velocity Barometer Reading
Sept. 2 2:00 p.m.
NNE 25 M.P.H. 29.75 inches
4:00 p.m. N
35 "
29.64 "
6:00 p.m. N
55 "
29.53 "
8:00 p.m. NNW 70 "
29.28 "
10:30 p.m. W 100 "
28.80 " (lowest)
11:30 p.m. WNW 95 "
28.88 "
12:30 p.m. WNW 90 "
29.04 "
This barometer, like the others at the lighthouses, was an aneroid,
reliable and of good quality, of French manufacture.
"10. All barometer readings
from the lighthouses were furnished by Mr. W. W. Demaritt, Superintendent,
Seventh Lighthouse District, who states that these barometers were calibrated
shortly before occurrence of this storm. Readings are dependable.
"11. The estimated highest
velocity of the wind in the vicinity of the center of the storm, as given
by Mr. Bow, was 175- to 200 miles per hour. Estimate of the same velocity
was made by Capt. Ivar Olsen and R. W. Craig. The same estimate, 175- to
200 miles per hour, was made by Mr. J. E. Duane, at Long Key.
"12. It may be said, in general,
of these observers, that they are men who follow the sea, are familiar
with the barometer, how to read it and apply the readings in following
the course of a storm. Most of the instruments used on the keys were brought
from ship chandlery dealers who dealt in instruments of French manufacture.
Until comparatively recent years, barometers of American manufacture, of
equal quality, were sold at a very much higher price and were not on sale
at ship chandlery stores in the southeastern part of Florida. Most of these
men were not interested in keeping a written record of the storm, but merely
in following it to its lowest point for their own determination as to the
time when the worst of the storm has passed their vicinity. In the case
of this particular storm, there were comparatively few of the survivors
who saved the barometers in the destruction of their homes.
"13. In the area between Tavernier,
and including Upper Matecumbe Key, about 25 clocks were picked up after
the hurricane. All of these clocks had stopped between 8:25 and 8:35 o'clock,
indicating that they were submerged by water within that interval of time.
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