Evening star., 1946-08-02
Crowded Bus PIunues.
Through Bridge Rail
Falling 80 0Feetto Road
Continued From First Page J


end.
The injured and those who were
only frightened screamed as the
bus went over, some shouting their
fears of the water, but Comdr.
Knoch, who was injured, said that
every one was orderly and helped
every one else get out" as the bus
sort of eased over on It's side"
H. L. Finnegan. SO, of TIT Silver
Spring avenue, Silver Spring, Md,
who was on the bridge in car.
said there was horrible screaming
as the bus landed" He said that
several people ran to the bus and
started extricating passengers from
the broken windows.
Within few minutes, a steady
stream of ambulances and fire
engines raced to the scene. Police
also were quickly on the spot.
Injured Man Aids in Rescue.
One unidentified man, holding an
injured arm. insisted on helping
police as they extricated the moro
seriously injured. At one point there
were SO many injured being taken
from the smashed bus and so few
stretchers available that one ex-
asperated police officer yelled, who
the devil has got another stretcher?"
Some women were hysterical. AS
one sat on the curb with a hand
kerchief to her bleeding eye. she
laughed wildly and made inco-
herent remarks. Another woman
with what appeared to be broken
arm expressed more concern about
being late for her job.
Wilbur o. Dodd, lS, of Arlington
clerk in the General Accounting
Office, who was in a rear seat on
the bus, said that he helped extri-
cate a naval warrant officer who de-
clared he had been blinded.
Driver Denies Responsibility.
K. C. Hickerson, special officer of
the United States Park Police de-
tailed to duty on the bridge, esti-
mated the speed of the bus as Is to
20 miles an hour when it hit the
rail. He Immediately ran down to
the parkway on seeing the bus fall.
Officer Hickerson assisted the
driver and passengers from the bus.
He quoted the driver as saying, TT
was not my fault tried to avoid
the car"
An immediate investigation Of the
accident was started by represen-
tatives OF the fire department, po-
lice department, Interstate Com
merce Commission, 1t. William j.
Liverman of the police accident
investigation unit and Charles Stof-
berg, special assistant to District
Commissioner John Russell Young.
H. H. England, general manager
OF the bus company, also partici-
pated in the preliminary probe. Mr..
England and the other officials re-
manned silent as they gazed into the
wrecked interior of the bus, which
was smeared with blood.
Bus Fully Loaded.
Mr.. England said the safety glass
and steel roof of the bus undoubt-
edly did much to prevent a very
serious death toll. He said the
seating capacity of the bus is 36.
witnesses said the bus was full and
had about is persons standing.
Lloyd Harrison, corporation coun-
sci attached to the District Public
Utilities Commission, said that al
though the scene of the crash was
within the Districts boundaries,
local safety regulations would not
apply because of the interstate
nature OF the Virginia bus traffic
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion's rules would prevail in such
circumstances, he added.
The ICC said there was no rule
governing the number Of standing
passengers allowed on interstate
buses. The only rule for ICC-con-
trolled vehicles is that standees must
not obstruct the drivers view or
interfere with his control.
Paul O. Peters, 81, of 1925 North
Four Mile road, Arlington, a pas
senger, told reporters about the
crash as he nursed back injury.
An employe in the Controller Gen.
erals Office, Mr.. Peters said the bus
was nearing Washington when it
suddenly ran out of control after
colliding with the automobile. He
said the driver swerved to avoid
hitting oncoming traffic and the bus
jumped up on the sidewalk and
through the rail.
All Passengers Piled Inside.
Mr.. Peters said that as the bus
landed on its end all the seats,
passengers and debris piled up SO
tightly that no one could move.
One man, it was learned, was
wrapped around a tubular steel
stanchion by the impact. Some of
the less seriously injured passengers
expressed wonder they were not
killed simply by the impact.
By 8 am. the Fire Department
had closed the 24-foot hole in the
bridge wall by placing a ladder
across it. However, sidewalk areas
on the bridge for over a quar-
ter mile were roped off as traffic
started to proceed slowly.
1t. Otha r. Sanders, command
ing the harbor precinct, sent two
patrol boats to the scene. He said
he and his men were at roll call
when they received a report that
the bus had fallen into the Tidal
Basin, instead Of on the roadway q
few hundred feet away.
On the way to the scene, a Casual
ty Hospital ambulance driven by