The funeral of Mr. Charles W. Adams, who died in Miami Wednesday of injuries receive in the tropical hurricane that devastated southern Florida a week ago last Saturday, was conducted from the Presbyterian church in Rowland Sunday at 3:30 p.m., and interment was made in the Rowland Cemetery beneath a towering mound of floral offerings. The service was conducted by Rev. J.M. Lemmon of Conway, S.C., a personal friend of the deceased, assisted by Rev. L. A. McLaluren, pastor of the church.
Pallbearers were: active—J. W. Holliday Jr. and Edwin Burroughs of Conway, J. E. McCallum, J.C. Ward, F. N. McKellar and V. McA. Bond of Rowland; honorary—John Coble and Donald Drake McNeill of Lumberton, John H. Coble, Dan and Charles McIntyre and Dan Stweart of Laurinburg, all the honorary pallbearers being first cousins of the deceased.
Among the large crowd present at the funeral were many from Lumberton, Laurinburg, Red Springs, Florence, S.C., Conway, S.C., and other places.
Present for the funeral also were Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Mawhinney of Pittsburg, Pa., and Mr. Donald Mawhinney of Cincinnati, O., parents and brother of Mrs. Adams.
Deceased is survived by his widow and two small girls, one 2 ½ years old, the other an infant only 3 days old at the time of the storm; his father, Mr. S. L. Adams of Rowland; three sisters—Mrs. McKay Martin, Misses Virginia Maie and Annie Drake Adams all of Rowland; and three brothers—Mr. W. C. Adams of Columbia, S.C., Messrs. F. LeVerne and S. L. Adams Jr. of Rowland.
The body reached Rowland at 9 o’clock Saturday night accompanied by Mr. W. C. Adams. Deceased was 27 years old, a native of Rowland, and had been living in Miami 5 years.
Scalped and Skull Fractured
Mr. Adams died at 5:55 Wednesday morning in the Jackson Memorial hospital in Miami, having regained consciousness after his injuries the Saturday before only long enough to inquire after his wife and babies, and give their names and address and the name and address of his father. A piece of timber struck him above the eyes and peeled his scalp back to the top of his head, his skull was fractured in three places, and he had a broken leg and hip.
Daughter Lost Two Days
Mr. Adams’ 2 1/2-year-old daughter was in his arms when the fury of the storm carried the house away. She was found floating in three feet of water, 30 minutes after her father had been found, by people other than those who found him, and she was not found by friends of the family until Monday. She had been passed from house to house on account of the scarcity of food for children, and was supposed to be one of the many children both of whose parents had perished in the storm.
House Entirely Demolished
The house in which Mr. Adams and his family lived withstood the first storm, but the windows had been broken and he had wrapped Mrs. Adams and their 3-days-old baby in blankets to protect them from the rain. About 10 a.m. Saturday, September 18, during the second and more terrible storm, the house was lifted from its foundations, carried half a block and completely demolished, part of it being carried half a block further. Mrs. Adams and the baby were left in the portion of the house that had been carried half a block. She was found unconscious two hours later, entirely covered by debris which was disposed in such a way as to shelter her and the baby from the wind. Mrs. Adams and the older child suffered only minor injuries and the baby escaped without a scratch. They are now in the Victoria hospital in Miami and a telegram received at Rowland late yesterday afternoon advised that they are doing nicely.
Mr. Adams was found four hours after the house was destroyed and the older daughter half an hour later, and her mother knew nothing about her whereabouts or whether she had survived until the Monday following, when someone chanced to recognize her and notified Dr. R. E. Smith in whose drug store Mr. Adams worked and who had been searching for her night and day without rest.
Mr. W. C. Adams of Columbia, having learned that his brother was among the injured, but without particulars, left Columbia Tuesday evening and arrived at Miami Wednesday evening at 8. By 12 that night he had learned of his brother’s death and had located the other members of the family, having been given every possible assistance by Mr. M. R. Mobley, a real estate operator of Miami, with whom he became acquainted on the train.
Mr. D. P. McKinnon, formerly of Rowland and Lumberton, son and brother of Mrs. Graham McKinnon, and Miss Allie Bird McKinnon, who now live in Lumberton, began searching for Mr. Adams’ family as soon as the storm subsided, and rendered Mrs. Adams and children every assistance in his power. Mr. McKinnon holds a responsible position with a development company in Florida.
One woman was killed in the house occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Adams, and another woman suffered a broken leg. Nothing but the concrete pillars of the house were left on its original location. When it was carried half a block by the wind, the house was crushed and the top taken off. Mr. Adams was found among the timbers that were blown a block away from the foundations. Mrs. Adams, the baby and older girl had a miraculous escape. Having escaped the fury of the wind, they were in danger when found of falling off the timbers upon which they rested and being drowned, the water being about 3 feet deep.
Mr. Charlie Adams was a young man of attractive personality. His tragic and untimely death is mourned by a wide circle of friends. He was a nephew of Mrs. John S. McNeill of Lumberton and also was related to Mr. W. C. Adams of Lumberton.
Editor’s Note: The second, more destructive storm was actually a continuation of the hurricane after the 40-minute eye of the storm passed over the city. The back eyewall was stronger and more destructive, especially since the buildings had already been weakened and damaged by the first part of the storm. This was a Category 4 hurricane with estimated gusts of 140 to 150 miles per hour with a storm surge of 11- to 15-feet at coconut Grove and Biscayne Bay. If you are interested in reading more about the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, the National Weather Service has a memorial web page with information and photos at: www.weather.gov/mfl/miami_hurricane.
From the front page of the Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Sept. 27, 1926
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