Evening star., 1932-03-08
YOUTHS DESCRIBE
BLIZZARD RESCUE
Eastern High Basket Ball
Players Tell of Being Ma
rooned in Virginia.

The story of the Eastern High School
basket ball squads trek over II miles
of a blizzard blasted debris blocked
road in Shenandoah Valley was told at
a special assembly at the school today
by principals in the drama which yes
terday held school officials and parents
tense with concern.
The 10 boys, with Charles M. Guyon,
coach, and A. H. Gregory, president of
the Stanton Park Citizens Association
and a patron of Eastern High School
student affairs, had not been reported
from 10 o'clock Saturday night, when
they telegraphed Charles Hart, East
erns principal, of their intention not to
start for home from Lexington, Va
until after breakfast Sunday. No word
was received from the boys throughout
Sunday and yesterday morning because
of disrupted communication lines.
Consequently, concern was mounting
to such a point that at / o'clock yester-
day afternoon a Ludington air liner was
being warmed up to carry two Eastern
High teachers into the storm-swept
valley to search for the bus. Mean
while. however, the boys had managed
| to telegraph from Charlottesville that
! they were safe and on their way home.
Guyon Describes Trials.
|
The burden of telling the story at
| today's assembly rested chiefly on
Coach Guyon. The squad set out by
bus at 9 O'Clock Sunday morning.
Mounting winds, rain and snow, how
ever. soon made the road impossible,
and the bus stalled in Snowdrifts y
miles from Lexington. The efforts of
Lewis D. williams, colored~ driver of
the bus. to push his machine forward or
to take it back to Lexington were
futile. and after several hours OF
waiting in the blizza "a Williams finally
was able to get back 10 Lexington for
help in a small automobile, whose
driver fought through the Snow-covered
roads.
During that time the young athletes
who were without hats and overcoats-
they had left Washington last Wednes-
day in balmy Spring weather-huddled
together in the bus. Finally. Williams
was able to coax taxi driver OF Lex
ington to attempt to reach the bus.
The taxi got within a mile of the
stranded party, and Williams tramped
through the snow to get the party. A
group of the boys trudged back through
the snow to the taxi. Benjamin Zold,
a member of the team. who had been
injured in the series of five games at
Lexington. was unable to walk, and
Bernie Phillips a teammate, carried
him the mile to the taxi.
Backs Taxi for Miles.
With the first load aboard, the taxi
was unable to turn in the snow, so the
driver backed his cab almost the whole
II miles back to Lexington. The taxi
made a second trip to bring in another
IL f,,
/ forced to run in reverse to Lexington.
! Meanwhile, tie roads were becoming
worse, and the driver baked at a third
| trip.
Williams and the members Of the
/ team who had gotten back to LeXing-
! ton, however, found another driver who
| was willing to rescue the remaining
members of the party, including Coach
| Guyon and Gregory, neither of whom
was willing to leave the bus as long as
| any Of their young charges remained
in it. Finally the 10 boys and the 3
men were taken to Lexington.
Still they were unable to communi
cate 18th their worried parents at
Washington. and contented themselves
with remaining in Lexington overnight
! A train they had hoped to get as far
as Staunton failed to make its run in
the storm Sunday night. The boys
were advised. however, the train would
attempt to get through at 8:45 am.
yesterday. They were on hand early
and were aboard the train as it pulled
out.
Debris Delays Train.
The trip was extremely slow for hun
dreds of yards of telegraph poles were
down, forming an impossible blockade
for the train.
/ Trees added to the debris and it was
| O'Clock before the train reached Char
! lottesvile where the boys sent tele-
grams to Washington.
Finally the party reached Washing
ton shortly before o'clock last night
= by bus.
Williams remained in Lexington with
his bus. which still contains the uni
forms and athletic equipment owned
by the team.
The boys said the lacE of food was
the chief source of suffer ng during the
hours spent in the bus Waiting for help.
AS they appeared on the platform this
morning the players were given rous-
ing reception.