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Letter from Muriel Bair Describing the 1926 Hurricane, September 17, 1926

 

Summary

Extent:
1 Folder
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Letter from Muriel Bair Describing the 1926 Hurricane (BCHA-2000.10), Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Background

Scope and content:

Photocopy of an original 12-page letter by Muriel Bair, written September 21, 1926, that details her family's experience during the 1926 Hurricane in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The letter largely describes the events of the night of Friday the 17th and the morning of Saturday the 18th, during which the hurricane struck Fort Lauderdale. Muriel, he husband Russell, and their son Lowell - who was 11 months old at the time - stayed in their house. Their house fell off the foundation, it's roof was torn off, and their son received an injury on his leg. In the end of the letter Muriel describes the community support that they received and the relief trains sent to South Florida.

[Page 1]

In corner of page: We see in a paper that Pensacola got the tail end of this storm so write real soon. Along the left side of page: Here is the collar to that pattern I gave you

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Sept 21, 1926.

Dear Folks:

You are indeed lucky to receive this letter as you will see later when I have tried to tell you all that has happened. When we got our paper Fri. afternoon we had just washed all our dishes and cooking utensils, cleaned the bedroom and just got things so we could begin to feel at home. The paper stated there would be a tornado strike Ft. L. between 6:00 P.M. and midnight. We expected some hard wind of course but never dreamed of what we got. About nine the wind began to come so we didn't go to bed tho we both pretended it was because

[Page 2] we were not sleepy. By one o'clock there was about a foot of water all around the house and it was shaking so Russell said, "Well we had just as well quit pretending and talk about what we are going to do." So we dressed and put on coats and I fed Lowell. We were in the living room about that time and the house fell over off the foundation and our big tall bookcase fell over on Lowell and me but Russell grabbed it and held it until we got out. We were not hurt except just shaken up. We got Lowell wrapped in two blankets and I had one around me and we started

[Page 3] for the garage but when we looked the garage was a pile of splinters. So Russell began piling the trunk + suitcases on the bed as the water was rushing into the house. We waited and worked in agony until 5:00 in the morning, The house began to crack and we started for the east door. (that was the direction the storm was from) Before we got there the whole top part of the house blew away with a mighty crack. We made it to the door and the wind was so strong it pinned us against the side of the door and we couldn't move for some time. Russell had Lowell in one arm and me in the

[Page 4] other. A big 2 x 4 came whirling at us and hit Lowell on the ankle and he began to scream. By Russell's being so strong we managed to slide down flat on the porch floor (that was about all we had left). Lowell cryed for a long time and there was a knot as big as a hen egg on his ankle and an open gash that was bleeding. Then we hushed crying and shut his eyes real tight. There we lay flat in about an inch of water, Lowell between us to keep him as warm as we could but we were just freezing and shaking to death. I'll never forget Lowell's pale little face and black lips as long as I live. There we lay

[Page 5] in a 150 mile wind and a cold beating rain with one blanket over the 3 of us and the mighty roar of the wind, big tall trees snaping and crashing on all sides, timbers and everything flying in the air and we could see all the houses blowing away one by one. The whole roof of a house went right over us. You can't imagine the horror of it. It seemed we had been there for years when the water was getting so high there was danger of drowning. The wind seemed to slow down so we just had to do something. Russell took Lowell to a house we could see a short way off

[Page 6] which was off the foundation but still standing and part of the roof was off. A woman and her two sons (young men) had just gotten there also Russell gave Lowell to the woman and came back for me. We waded water almost waist deep in a crushing wind, pushed our way thru floating trash, wires etc and got here finally When Lowell saw me he began to cry a little – the first since he got hurt and we discovered his hurt was just a bruise and slash wound. (It is getting along fine.)

[Page 7] Russell looked at his watch and it was about 20 min. till 11 Sat. morning. We had been out in that storm almost 5 hours. The water was 6 or 8 in. deep in the house and I sat with my feet up in a chair and Lowell in my lap. The storm raged all day. About 4 o'clock Russell ventured out and God was good enough to let him find one of Lowell's bottles and his milk. So Lowell had something to eat. About dark the water began to raise so Russell went to investigate a house he saw standing over a block away. It was

[Page 8] a right new house and two story so he carried me all the way to the house and went back and got Lowell. About 30 of us slept on the floors that night. The next day we were fishing around in the water in the wreck that had once been our home to see what we could fish out and the Scotts came over and said they had found a place for us all to stay, [Claude's?] and Mary's house was a low stucko so was only damaged some and they are not here so we have all been staying in their house. I had two dresses and a night gown which I used for underwear so Dr. Robinson's wife gave me a suit of under wear , a slip + 3 house dresses so I am all O.K. and we have found several of Lowell's + Russell's clothes and I have been washing them out. We have been able to get enough to eat and relief trains are coming in every day so I guess we are all fine. We don't know what to do yet but Russell's job is here. As soon as they can clear a place at the school house school will begin and then we will have money enough.

[Page 9] So you see we have things yet to be thankful for. All we prayed for was that our lives would be spared and God heard and answered our prayers and has blessed us besides. No one who has never had the experience can half imagine the long hours of harrow + agony we have been thru. Lowell's ankle is doing fine but he is some upset in stomach + bowels which is caused from not having his proper feed. All Russell + I had Sat. was two dishes of oatmeal and two cups of coffee but since then we have had plenty such as it is. We feel that God along has been with us and saved us thru the storm and that he will not forsake us now. It seems a miracle that in my condition I stood it

[Page 10] so well and am feeling reasonably well. I surely have a strong constitution. Russell is alright except his feet and legs are scratched and cut up pretty bad and being in that filthy water so long they are kind of poisoned but we have a bottle of iodine so I don't believe they will give serious trouble. Neither of us have a hat to our name so we are a little sunburned but we will get over that alright.

Now I believe I have told you all the main points and kept nothing

[Page 11] from you so don't worry. The whole town is certainly a pitiful, desolate looking place but we are under martial law and they are clearing streets etc. as quickly as possible.

Everybody they see on the street that can't tell their business there, they are drafted into work. No one is allowed out after night after 10:30 without a permit or they are arrested immediately I imagine we will be able to fish out several of our things and be able to use them but of course our loss is awful to us and our house is just a hopeless wreck.

[Page 12] Russell has the car out and got it so it will run but not very good and it is sure a pitiful looking sight but we are thankful to have it anyway. I don't know Willie's + Violet's addresses so you can send this on to them when you have read it so they will know we are alright. Several people were killed and lots + lots injured but there are so many tales I don't think anyone knows for sure how many. We will write more when we can. We are awfully busy now trying to do something with nothing.

Worlds of love from us all Muriel, Russell + Lowell

Biographical / historical:

Muriel Funk Bair (1895-1989) was born in Otwell, Indiana, later moving to Cottage Hill, Florida and then in 1924 to Fort Lauderdale. Muriel met World War I veteran and Ohio native Russell O. Bair (1897-1973) in Cottage Hill in 1923, and married him in Fort Lauderdale on 20 December 1924.

Muriel was an elementary school teacher in Davie, Florida. Russell was the first school truant officer in Broward County. He began teaching in Broward in 1924 at Central High School and retired from the Broward school system 37 years later as head of the school district's textbook department. In 1974 the Broward County School Board named Sunrise's Bair Middle School in Russell Bair's honor. Muriel was an active member of the First Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale until she moved to Atlanta in 1982.

Russell and Muriel had two children, Lowell Bair (October 12, 1925-2016) and Twyla Bair Drace (December 14 1926-May 31, 1991).

Acquisition information:
Christine Lee donated the materials to the Broward County Historical Commission in on March 24, 2000 (Accession BCHA-2000.10).
Processing information:

This collection received container level processing by Erin Purdy in May 2025. The collection received additional processing by Erin Purdy in July 2026. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Hurricanes

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Letter from Muriel Bair Describing the 1926 Hurricane (BCHA-2000.10), Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.

Location of this collection:
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale
FL
33301
USA