The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-24
CEILING CRASH
PERILS LIVES
AT YULE FETE
Seven Hurt, One Seriously,
in Near Tragedy at
City School.

A tangled mass Of steel and plas-
ter in the primary room Of William
Evans school No. 2, at 2700 South
Pennsylvania street, today was a
grim reminder of a Christmas fete
turned into panic Wednesday after
noon when the ceiling collapsed.
Three of eleven children in the
room were hurt and four women
were injured, one seriously, in the
accident, which nearly resulted in
a pre-holiday tragedy.
The ceiling collapsed as the chill
dren, all primary grade pupils, were
being led into the room from the
second floor auditorium, where 200
persons, mostly women and chill
dren, had assembled for the annual
Christmas program.
Ceiling Crashes Down
AS the crowd left the auditorium,
the plaster, laths and wire netting
crashed from the ceiling on to the
desks which, earlier in the day, had
been occupied by children preparing
for the Christmas entertainment.
Mrs. E. T. Talkington, So, of 1858
South Meridian street, incurred a
broken collar bone and fractures of
the right arm and Mrs. Arthur
Evans, 80, of 1882 Beech street, was
cut and bruised.
Others hurt were Mrs. Catherine
Moran, 1876 West Southern avenue,
shock and bruises; Miss Althea Sui
Ivan, %, of 2716 Madison avenue,
teacher, cuts, and Robert Vallata,
6, Of 512 East Troy avenue. minor
bruises.
Police and hospital attaches
learned the six other children in
the room we're injured slightly, two
of them suffering leg and arm cuts.
Vallata, however, was the only child
located by authorities and news
paper men.
Panic Reigns at Scene
He returned to the school after
he had been taken home by pass
erby, Dazed at first, Robert recov-
cred and played win the miniature
airplane he had carried into the ill
fated room.
He said he remembered being
Knocked down as the plaster
crashed, but said he guessed he
had only a couple of bruises"
Firemen and police cleared the
mass of debris from the desks in
the room Immediately after the
crash. Panic that reigned as
mothers and their children fought
to flee the building and persons in
the vicinity, who had heard the
crash, jammed exits, hampered
authorities in their work.
Hundreds Of pounds of debris
were removed by police and firemen,
and school authorities worked near
ly all night clearing the wreckage
from the structure.
The crash was heard for several
blocks and people came in automo-
biles and on foot, blocking traffic
near the school.
JanitOr Hats Children
George Steinecker, janitor, ran to
the entrance Of the room when he
heard the crash and held a score
of other children, led by Miss Anna
Fogarty, teacher, from entering the
room.
Investigation into the ceiling COL
lapse was started today by Center
township authorities.
indianapolis police said ceilings
of other rooms in the building are
in dangerous condition and they
will halt reopening of the school
until all rooms are repaired.
Omer Brewer, principal, said the
building only was ten years old and
he could give no explanation for
the accident.
The women were planning a New
Years pa cant when the accident
happened. The children had COM
pleted their parts in the Christmas
fete and the guests were preparing
to leave the auditorium when the
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