Evening star., 1926-11-10


ing little children found their way
over storm-swept roads yesterday tt
Providence Hospital. They were
brought out Of the tornado-shattered
little town of La Plata, Nd, where
they had been among the 62 fright
ened children who were crushed Wher
their frail school building was ripped
to debris.
One by one and in pairs the pros
trate little forms were carried into
the waiting operating rooms Of the
hospital in a piteous stream, which
began at 4:10 o'clock in the afternoon
and lasted until $50 o'clock. AS the
escorting La Plata men who ran the
storms gantlet surrendered their
burdens to the kindly Sisters of Char
ity Of the hospital they retreated into
| little, wild-eyed groups, each to tell
those who preceded him of the har'
rowing scenes he had left behind. Dis
tracted women who had somehow
managed to restrain emotions on the
| long trip to Washington broke into
hysteria when some pain.wracked
child screamed under the surgeons
instruments.
The first victim to reach Washing
ton was Lucille Edwards, 10-year-old
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. c. o. Ed
| wards She and Is or more Of the
children who followed her reached the
hospital just as they had been picked
up from the ground, without having
| received first-aid treatment at La
| Plata. Many of these early arrivals
were almost naked. The terrific winds
| had ripped their clothes from them as
| 1t hurled them distances of 200 feet
and more from their shattered little
| schoolhouse into a bordering ravine
They were given temporary dressing
for their injuries and wheeled away
| to operating rooms to await their
| turns upon the table. The less seri
ously injured gave way to the more
previously hurt, but in mercifully
short time all were transferred, band
aged and salved, to waiting beds
where time and medical care will re.
store them to their homes.
Priest Consoles Little Ones.
While surgeons and internes labored
with nurses and the sisters for the
physical relief of the victims, Father
Charles Stouter, priest of the hos
pital, walked quietly among the little
sufferers, administering to their spir-
itual comforts. Talking in kindly
tones to each Of the little survivors
who could hear him, Father Stouter
managed to change screams to con.
tented whimperS. He anointed all
Of them and consoled them as their
tiny fingers entwined themselves in
security about his generous ones.
Tales Of horror swept through the
hospitals corridors as little groups of
parents, friends of parents and SYM
pathetic rescue workers related their
own experiences.
CO. Edwards, father of Lucille, the
first victim to reach Washington,
told Of the finding Of his child. He
was at work, he said, when he saw
the gathering clouds sweep upon the
little town of 400 souls. His first
thought was for his daughter and
her companions in the little frame
school building, and he set out in his
automobile to fetch her and the two
little boys Of his friend. Joe Gamble.
AS he was nearing the school site a
tree suddenly fell across the road,
barely missing his machine.
Forced then to continue his journey
on foot, Edwards was proceeding
down the road when he met the little
Gamble boys, Billy and Chester, with
their 13-year-old aunt, Bert Gamble.
running along and crying that the
school had blown down.
ter's head, but the other boy and
the girl had escaped unscathed, so
taking Billy, Edwards fastened on
ward to the ruins Of the school and
started searching for his daughter.
In a clump of bushes, yards from
the spot where the building had
stood, he came upon the child. semi
conscious, then, retracing his steps
with the child, Edwards obtained the
Gamble car, and with his wife and
Joe Gamble raced for Providence.
Their efforts were in vain, however,
for Lucille died during the night.
Says "SOme Was Scared"
One of the slightly injured children
was Richard Clark, 9 years old. He
received a severe laceration Of the
head, and after he had been bandaged
he was allowed to sit In the accident
ward blanketed to the chin. Richard,
or rather Dick, as he demanded
others to call him, had his own story
to tell, and he told it without nervous
ness.
II was sitting at my desk-and ]
was sure scared-you see, Mrs.
Hughes, that's my teacher, told us
to sit still, when all of a sudden some
thin busted right through the window
and hit me in the head. Then I didn't
care what the teacher said, 1 was
leaving. must a been knocked
senseless, 1 guess, cause when I
jumped out of the door and started
running to my uncle's house l put
my hand up and pulled a big piece of
rock out of my head. Just when I
stopped to do that 1 remember
a-hearin' the school fall in and the roof
sort-a bounced away"
Dicks mother, who sent him to the