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A tragedy |
| Probably the greatest tragedy of the CCC occurred in Florida during the Labor Day Hurricane. This storm did immense damage to the Florida Keys, where 3 individual camps were located. While many of the boys had left the camps and returned home, mostly by rail, over 600 remained. As the winds grew a train attempted to return to the camps to rescue the boys. It was blown off the tracks. Winds, estimated as high as 150 to 200 miles an hour ripped through buildings, pulverizing the structures as well as bridges, the only means of escape. Many bodies were found without clothing or skin. The wind had picked up sand and literally sand-blasted them off. Only their shoes remained. Of an estimated 684 men in the three camps 44 bodies were found and an additional 236 men were reported as missing or unidentifiable.
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