Evening star., 1926-11-11

casing, an automobile became a twist
ed mass of steel and iron, corn in the
fields was stripped bare to the kernels
by the force Of the wind.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Padgett, how,
ever, escaped injuries through some
inexplicable prank Of fate. Closer
toward the school was the home of
Edward Della, farmer. The same
flattening force razed his house to the
ground.
The tornado then had swept on to
the schOolhouse knoll. A red oak tree.
hard and wiry, was twisted around as
though 1t were a wet match and de-
nuded of it's golden Autumn leaves.
A locust tree, hardy and old, was up.
rooted and flung against the side of
the school.
Reaches SchoOlhOuse.
The school, 1t seems. caved in di.
agonally from its southwest corner.
The timbers were blown apart
Boards we're wrenched from beams
with the nails showing, The tragedy
at the school is too well known by
now for further detailed description.
Just beyond the school, somewhat
to the northeast, and down the slope
OF the knoll, grow dwarf pine trees.
Against some of these, hundreds OF
feet from the school site, pupils had
been hurled. These pine trees some
day would probably have been cut
for Christmas trees for some Yuletide
festivity. That thought forced itself
home when spectators viewed these
little trees yesterday For on them,
dangling like tinsol at Christmas time,
were ShredS OF paper and the long
thin slips of spelling sheets on which
the small hands Of La Plata school
pupils had just recently placed the
results of a home study of nights be.
fore. There was something eerie
about those trees, covered with those
shreds of paper. at the scene yester
day.
Spectators came In automobiles
and afoot they fiocked to the Padgett
house and to the schoolhouse, to pry
about the debris. They were silent
mostly. Sometimes they talked, but
few talked aloud.
TOmbStOneS Broken.
The swath of the tornado could
clearly be traced northeastWardly, ir
a snaky line, from the schoolhouse
knoll. 1t passed through graveyard
where in the far distance could be
seen broken tombstones. In some
places 1t appeared as though a furrow
had been drawn through the soil. IN
others it seems as though a grading
machine had been at work on a half.
acre patch.
Later Yesterday came the verified
reports from Cedarville, where Mrs
Pearl Grimes and three children We're
rescued from the burning wreckage OF
their home by Owen Grimes, father
and husband, employed as a brake
man on the Popes Greek Branch OF
the Pennsylvania Railroad. With the
assistance of Clarence Tucker and
Alfred Jenifer, colored tank tender
he extricated his wife and children
finding them painfully, but not critt
cally injured.
Mrs. Grimes hips were crushed
The children had suffered lesser in.
juries.
The tornado played strange prank
In Cedarville. 1t demolished the shop
OF W. W. Grimes, brother of Owen
who is the village blacksmith. 1t un
rooted the home of Norval Richards
and moved his barn away from the
horse II had sheltered. leaving the
animal exposed to the torrential down
pour following in the wake of the
wind. 1t picked up r. F. Ward, clerk
at Willett's store, when he attempted
to close the door of the store. and
hurled him across the street. not in.
juring him, but despoiline him of
his trousers. It turned the barn Of
Mrs. MIME Wallace on It's side and
destroyed $1,000 worth of drying to.
bacco. Outhouses We're crumbled up
like paper.
While La Plata was organizing for
relief work. William a. Penn. the
towns undertaken, went to Washing
ten and returned last night after hav-
ing ordered sufficient caskets to care
properly for the victims OF the
tornado.