Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-11-10
STORM CLAIMS
z OTHERS, 70
MORE INJURED

lIIUtlL vUUllLU
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10
(AP)-The death total from
the storm which yesterday
swept the little town of In
Plata, Md, was increased
to Is early today with the
deaths in Washington hos
pitals Of two Of the injured.
La PLATA, Nd, Nov. 8
(AP)-A twisting wind
struck suddenly out Of q
sultry sky today and shat
tered a school house here
in which about so children
were s tn dyin G. Nine
perished in the ruins, and
two others died while. being
rushed to Washington for
treatment. At least 20
more were injured, some
critically, and a negro man
and woman were killed in
their dwelling, one Of three
caught in the narrow mile
long path of the storm.
Nine of the torn little bodies lay
tonight in the towns undertaking es-
tablishment or at their. homes, while
two were still in the Washington hos
pitfalls, which were reached too late.
La Plata, which has population Of
only 500, was dazed by the disaster.
At o'clock only a little rain was fall
ing and everything was calm. Two
minutes later the wind, driving tor
rent of rain before it, descended upon
the village. DIR. G. d. Heath, Maryland
health department official, whose of
school saw it twisted into mass of
splinters, and closed his eyes to shut
out the horror.
A moment later, John NJ. Burr, H.
pupil rushed sobbing with
terror and pain with his injuries to
to the home, nearby, of the Rev. w. S.
Episcopal rector. Please tell
everybody" he cried, the whole school
house has blown away"
The whole town soon was rushing up
the little knoll on which the school
house stood. Injured children lay in
the twisted wreckage, which was
strewn over wide circle.
Other children We're running about
dazed and crying for help. Some had
been carried by the wind several hun
dred feet; others had fled, stumbling
and weeping
Although several houses had been
smashed in the storms path, its great
est force seemed to center in the one
small spot on which stood the little
school house. The wind and rain came
out of the southwest and up the Po-
tomac river, which flows not far away.
Cutting northwesterly path, it missed
the greater part of the town.
Mrs. Helen Hughes principal of the
school, who taught the older children,
escaped death only by one of the mir
acles common to storms. Buried under
a pile of wreckage, she was protected
by a twisted mass of framework and
received only minor hurts. 1t seemed
impossible to those who viewed the
ruins of the structure that anyone
shoes, books, clothing and bodies were
tossed about in mad confusion.
In one or two cases the wind tore
the clothing from children, tangled it
in their desks and hruled them several
hundred feet away.
Miss Ethel Graves, one of the two
teachers of the school, called the chill Il,
dren about her when the first inkling
of the storm was given. As they gath
cred the building began to move, and
then the framework was sheared from
the foundation as if cut by scythe.
The larger part of the building was
about so feet away. Every
living thing within it's walls went with
the wind.
Within ten minutes after the storm
calls for aid had been sent to Indian
Head and Dahlgren Md, and Wash
ington.
Medical aid was dispatched at once.
The physicians and nurses first on the
scene found only a measure of order
restored, but most of the severely in
jured had already been started to
Washington, and for others, the towns
two hotels and newspaper office served
as hospitals.
TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
ASHINGTON Nov q mn Ntor,.