The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-02

neer nad appLe0 the DraKeS ever before the crash, the caboose of the 82 car freight had reached the crossing before it stopped. The bus caught squarely across the cow catcher, had been dragged along scattering children's bodies and parts of their bodies, school books, sand wiches, apples, and their toys along the right-of-way.
 Preliminary investigation of au- thorities indicated that no human element entered into the cause of the tragedy. The bus driver ,Farrold Silcox, was dead and could not. tell his story, but his surviving passen- gers said he had stopped at the crossing as is required by state law tried to look up and down the right of-way through the Swirling snow. then continued on.
 Train Behind Time
 Everyone in the section is familiar with train schedules, particularly bus and automobile drivers, and, prob ably, he had felt that there was no chance of a train passing then, be- cause the fast freight of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad had been due to pass two hours before. It had been delayed by the blizzard and was running fast to make up its schedule.
 Still Blowing Whistle
 Engineer E. L. Rehmer said he still was pulling the whistle cord when Fireman Alfred Elton shouted this command to him. He had to drop the cord to obey.
 "The next thing I know part of the bus was in front of the engine" ," he said. "Elton yelled as soon as he saw we were going to hit the bus which had stopped, then started again. We did everything we could to prevent it, but after it was over, there wasn't much any of us could do."
 The S9 boys and girls in the bus were between 12 and IS years of age. The bus driver had picked them up at their homes scattered over the rural school district and was taking them to the Jordan High school at Midavale, IS miles south of here.
 Story of Escaped Girl
 Marjorie Groves, one of the chil- dren, told this story:
 "The bus stopped as usual and then started up again. Two of the kids were shouting, we were sky larking and having a good time. Then suddenly somebody yelled, 'train.' There was a blur in front of the window. I guess it was the train. There was a terrific crash and don't remember anything else until was lying in the snow beside the tracks. Another girl helped me into the caboose of the train. Then they brought us to the hospital"
 Three hundred yards away stood June Wynn. l6, waiting for the bus.
 T was standing in front of my house." she said. 'It was about g o o'clock (8:56 a. m.) and wondered why the bus was late. It was snow ing, so figured it might have got stuck.
 Then I saw the bus coming on the other side of the tracks. The freight train was quite 8 distance away. The bus stopped a short dis tance from the crossing. Suddenly it started again as the train came nearer.
 Didn't Hear Whistle
 T thought sure the driver intended just to come closer to the tracks and then stop again. But he didn't. The train whistle must have sounded, but didn't hear 1t.
 T heard 6 crash and covered my eyes. When I looked again, the engine was right across the road from me with part of the bus still in front of 1t.
 1T called my father Civilian J. Wynn) and he ran through the snow to the tracks where the train had stopped. Trainmen told us to hurry back home and call doctors and ambulances. We did.
 q knew most of the kids on the bus. Gee, it was awful"
 FrightfuI Says Transient
 David Witter, of Denver, . tram sient riding the freight, thought 1t .shad plowed into a herd of cattle. 2
 '1t was frightful," he said. T saw q girl that had been spilled from