Bobsled rescue cont.

Bobsled Rescue from Atwood School

This little docudrama was set in the small town of Atwood, Indiana at the time of the big snow of 1927-8.

Early on most of the schools in the county (Kosciusko) were small with names like Frog Palace, Lick Skillet and Bloody Corner. Atwood school was fairly new and larger. The first graduating Atwood Hi class was the class of 1912 the same year that Washington I. Anglin, aka Daddy Wash, started driving the school bus. These conveyances were called hacks at that time. The driver who was usually a farmer bought the flat bed truck that a bus body structure was mounted on at the beginning of the school year. This body was removed at the end of

the school year so that the farmer could use the truck for farm work.

The morning of the big snow showed no signs of a huge blizzard. The radio did not have elaborate weather predicting capabilities and the anouncer most likely said “it looks like snow” at the end of the news.

Up early, Daddy Wash and the older boys got the horses ready to pull the school hack through the few inches of snow about 5 miles to Atwood. Most of the kids in the early stages of the pick up came streaming out of his own house because they were his kids.

From middle down to first and second grade, there were five boys. I can imagine their mother’s relief when the rig pulled out of the farm drive on to the road. I hope she had a cup of tea.

When they approached the school there was a little horizontal snow, but nothing unusual for that time of the year.

As the day progressed the wind picked up and the snow went from inches to feet. By mid afternoon everyone knew they would have a lot of trouble getting home and people who had lived through this kind of weather before declared that it would take several days to dig out of what was coming. The kids who did not live in town would have to stay with families close by. I suppose they used sleds to pull the little kids over the snow through the blizzard.

The Anglin boys were taken to the only restaurant in town. It was run by Harold and Ethel Grossman. Five boys- plenty of food. It makes sense. The Grossmans must have lived over the store or had lots of emergency blankets and cots for just such a problem.

Every one had to stay put as the storm took several days to subside. Finally, Daddy Wash was able to hook the horses to the big bobsled filled with hay or straw. The youngest boy, my uncle Jack, said he remembered being put down into the hay to keep them warm on the way home. He had been feeling a little feverish for a day or so and right before they left for home Mrs. Grossman discovered that he had Chicken Pox.