September 2, 1935: The Labor Day Hurricane

September 2, 1935: The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 hits the Florida Keys. It remains the most intense Atlantic hurricane in American history. Its winds reached as high as 185 miles per hour, making it the 1st measured hurricane that achieved Category 5 status, at least 158 miles per hour.

The town of Islamorada, which occupied 5 islands in the Keys, was totally flattened, and had to be rebuilt. The Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway was seriously damaged. The storm also damaged work camps for the construction workers extending the Overseas Highway to Key West, killing many of them.

Further damage was done on mainland Florida, Georgia, and both South and North Carolina before the storm drifted off to sea. A total of 423 deaths was attributed to the storm.

Hurricanes didn't start to be identified with girls' names until 1953, and with boys' names until 1979. The Labor Day Hurricane was the 3rd of the Atlantic hurricane season, so its name would have started with a C.

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September 2, 1935, being Labor Day, was a Monday. Being a holiday, baseball teams tended to stage doubleheaders, including these games:

* A doubleheader was split at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox won the opener, 9-8. Jack Wilson won it with a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Washington Senators won the nightcap, 3-2. Red Kress singled home the winning run in the top of the 13th inning. So anyone who showed up paid for 9 innings, expected to get 18 innings, and got 24 innings.

* A doubleheader was split at League Park in Cleveland. The St. Louis Browns won the 1st game, 4-1. The Cleveland Indians won the 2nd game, 7-2.

* The Detroit Tigers swept a doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox at Navin Field (later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium), 6-1 and 5-0. In the 1st game, pitcher Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe not only went the distance for the win, but hit a home run. In the 2nd game, "submarine" pitcher Eldon Auker pitched a 7-hit shutout. Hank Greenberg went 0-for-6 on the day, but did draw 2 walks in the 2nd game.

* A doubleheader was split at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Chicago Cubs won the 1st game, 3-1. The Cincinnati Reds won the 2nd game, 4-2.

* The St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader from the Pittsburgh Pirates at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The 1st game went 16 innings before James "Ripper" Collins singled home Joe Medwick off Waite Hoyt. The Cards were leading the 2nd game 4-1 after 5 innings, when the game was called due to darkness. The home fans couldn't complain too much, as they still got 21 innings for the price of 9.

* The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Athletics were rained out at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The game was never made up.

* The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies were rained out of their holiday doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, likely from the northern edge of the hurricane. Both games were made up on a common off day, September 24. The Giants won both games, 6-0 and 7-6. Al Smith allowed 9 hits in the 1st game, but kept the shutout. Harry "the Horse" Danning won the 2nd game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th. Over the 2 games, Mel Ott went 2-for-8 with a walk, a home run and 2 RBIs. 

* The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves were supposed to play a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, but that, too, was rained out. These games were also made up on September 24. And, as with the Giants, the New York City-based team swept, with a walkoff in the finale. The Dodgers won the 1st game, 5-3 in the usual 9 innings. They won the 2nd game, 6-5, when Nick Tremark singled home Vince Sherlock on the bottom of the 11th.