The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-03-20

highways fringed with safety pla-
cards saying: Drive Slow--We Love
Our Children" Yesterday and last
night the same highways had been
dotted with cars and trucks bring
ing in cofflns and embaliners from
Dallas, Fort Worth, and Shreveport.
Funeral Parlors Rushed
All funeral parlors in the towns
in and adjoining the oil field, which
Is 80 miles long and one to Is miles
wide, operated today on the precise
schedule of a beauty shop or Of
dentists Office. Here one funeral
parlor used the American Legion
hall as an annex. The hall is used
sometimes as a skating rink. Six
small pink collins were lined UP
against one wall, beneath such signs
as Gentlemen will please skate
with their hats OFF,"
Very Few Tears
There were no tears shed today,
not even by the women whose lives
have always been O succession Of
great prosperity and abject poverty
as oil wells came in gushing or were
depleted. In their best clothing, the
men in silk shirts, they filed into the
funeral parlors, sat there solemn but
composed while q minister itltoned
1.-THE Lord Is My Shepherd" then
got into cars and followed the
hearse to the cemetery. Later they
will have snapshots Of their dead
children enlarged and tinted and
framed in gilt and cary the pictures
with them from field to field.
Bereaved Families
One family--the Williams--had
three pink collins In its living room,
each containing the body Of one Of
their three children. -Four families
purchased two cofiins each.
Even more tragic than the plight
of these parents. was the emotional
state Of the parents Of children who
beyond doubt were killed but whose
bodies cannot be identified. There
were approximately 100 Of these, and
the parents OF the missing dead
went from morgue to morgue look
ing endlessly at frightfully inangled
bodies. Some Of the mothers car
ried scraps Of the material from
which their children's clothing had
been made. hoping to identify their
dead In that way. This method was
reducing steadily the number Of
unidentified dead.
Identification Slow
The Red Cross work Of identify
ing the dead proceeded slowly. At
S a. m. all indentifiable bodies ex-
cept three haG been identified.
There are about seven bodies iinpos-
sible to identify.
This was the relief agency's only
function, since the parents Of all
the children are well paid workers,
and those who were unable to de-
fray funeral expenses Immediately
were assisted unofficially by the pro-
ducing companies who employ them.
The sub executives, the foremen of
the companies, the men who have
direct supervision over labor, were
reticent to the point Of secrecy, but
they circulated among the clannish
roustabouts with large rolls Of cur
rency which they passed out with q
free hand. Some Of the roustabouts
are highly skilled technicians and
are paid as much as $40 and SIS q
day. Common labor receives 80 cents
an hour for an eight hour day.
Though high officials Of the COM
panies had nothing to say publicly,
1t was understood that the school
would be rebuilt Immediately. Sti-
uated as 1t Is In the heart Of the
richest oil field In the world, It Is
richly supported by q tax on the
production Of all the fields wells
q tax which the companies pay
gladly. The school has seven wells
on its own campus, which Is owned
by the Humble OIL company.
First Eyewitness Story
Kilgore. Tex, March 20-tUP)-
One Of the first eyewitness &C.
counts Of the chaotic scene inside
the New London school just after
the explosion Thursday. was given
to the United Press by grey-eyed
Paula Echols. IS. q junior student.
The eirl lay On Q hospital cot.
her body mangled. describing how
everything was quiet and about 20
Of as were studying Englis.i In our
classroom when the building seemed