The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-08
TRAIN WRECKS
SCHOOL BUS.
five KILLED
e Children Injured; Six
May Die; Trapped
in Car.
BOY, 8, TRAGEDY HERO
Lad With Fractured Ankle
StaggerS Ten Blocks to
Call for Aid.
BIZ United Press

BIZ United Press
MERGED, Cal, May Out OF
q school bus tragedy that claimed
the lives Of five children today
emerged an 3-year-old boy hero,
who staggered ten blocks with a
fractured ankle so he could notify
his teachers that the motor stage
carrying his chums had been hit by
a train.
The boy, Leland Belame, was one
OF forty-four school children on the
bus when a Santa Fe freight train
ran into it at the c. street crossing,
killing five and causing serious in
jury to twenty-three others, six of
whom were near death today.
Screams Drowned in Crash
"The screams Of the children
we're drowned by the awful crash
of the engine striking the bus" said
NJ. E. Wickland, whose automobile
was Just behind the stage. Some
of the children were scattered along
the tracks, while others were
trapped inside. 1t was horrible"
E. B. Meyers, who was back Of
the Wickland machine, said he saw
a girl break a window Of the bus
and leap out, only to be crushed I'M
der the wheels of the locomotive.
andre Albiano, 8, one of the stu
dents who escaped with slight in
juries, described his experiences. He
was sitting next to Kregger. the
driver.
HE drove right up on the
tracks" andre said. Then all of
a sudden he slammed on the brakes
just as we got in front of the en-
CINE. 1t came so quickly I don't
know what happened next. found
myself lying on the ground with
the other children all around me-"
Although seriously hurt, the Be-
lame boy staggered away from the
scene, hobbled back ten blocks to
the school, and notified the teach
ers, who sent him to a hospital,
then fastened to join doctors and
nurses in caring for the other in
jured.
Crushed in Bus
Some of the children, all between
6 and 10 years old, were crushed
inside the bus. Others were thrown
under the trucks Of the locomotive.
Others fell beside the tracks. Only
nineteen escaped with minor in
juries.
The children killed were Roy and
Dolores Epson, 8-year-old twins of
Mr.. and Mrs. Randolph Epson; Jean
Abr, 10, daughter Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Daniel Abr; Robert Fuller, 10, son
of Mr.. and Mrs. Francis Fuller, and
Marshall Purtle.
Among those not expected to live
was j. B. Kregger, SO, driver of the
bus. He was conscious for few
minutes after the crash. His only
words were, Il did not see the
train"
Mother Sees Crash
All the children lived in the Bear
Greek agricultural section, north of
MERGED. They were homeward bound
4lOAll SNAlQOl 4AlAl4 quay dAbCA AlOOA4
when the crash occurred.
The freight train had slowed
down for the crossing, Engineer
George Parks and Conductor j. A.
Holmes said. They also claimed
that the whistle was blown, but that
the bus ran on to the tracks so
quickly they could not stop.
Mrs. E. f. Durand was in an au-
tomobile trying to catch up with
the bus to take her son home. She
witnessed the crash and tainted
The son was not seriously hurt.
John Robinson Jr. approaching
from the other side, knew his
daughter was in the bus. He
searched frantically through the
.wreckage, found the girl, and took
her to the hospital.