tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post6928952557163236503..comments2023-05-27T11:20:41.479-04:00Comments on Disasterous History: Rockville, Md Train Bus crash April 11th, 1935Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18414805025967672048noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-53510326948443959752020-10-24T14:53:44.561-04:002020-10-24T14:53:44.561-04:00My cousin was Jane Staley. I’m very sorry for your...My cousin was Jane Staley. I’m very sorry for your family’s loss and for the other families that lost a loved one in this tragedy. My grandmothers both grew up in Williamsport and have fond memories of all of the children that were on the bus that night. I simply cannot fathom the anguish that ripped through Williamsport that night. What a tremendous loss the town suffered, but yet they overcame it and came out stronger. That’s why I love the town and reside there myself. 14 students gave their lives that night, but it wasn’t done in vain. Who knows how many lives they’ve saved by giving the ultimate sacrifice for changes to be made? They are all simply heroes. Angel42773https://www.blogger.com/profile/00445877744508667394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-23472395715054941982019-12-30T15:21:53.694-05:002019-12-30T15:21:53.694-05:00Thanks for the kind words! I always try to make my...Thanks for the kind words! I always try to make my posts readable and informative.<br /><br />It's quite possible that Percy Line was still driving a school bus in the early 1960s...I believe he was in his early thirties when the accident occurred, meaning he would have been in his early sixties or possibly even late fifties in the early 1960s. SO, sure, it could have very well been Percy Line driving one of the buses.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18414805025967672048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-75859085014185885342019-12-28T08:31:47.929-05:002019-12-28T08:31:47.929-05:00I went to Paramount Elementary School near Hagerst...I went to Paramount Elementary School near Hagerstown in the early 1960's. It was a four classroom school served by two school buses. I thought Percy Line drove one of the buses. Is that possible?<br /><br />I appreciate your writings about this tragedy. Well done.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06224400822701884685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-1078435591368532892018-11-20T11:19:23.202-05:002018-11-20T11:19:23.202-05:00I'm not sure, to be honest, but I somehow doub...I'm not sure, to be honest, but I somehow doubt it...all of the kids on the bus were 15-17 years old, meaning they'd be in their very, very late 90s to 100 years old.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18414805025967672048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-74095739198007906202018-11-17T04:29:33.956-05:002018-11-17T04:29:33.956-05:00Are any survivors of the crash still alive - eight...Are any survivors of the crash still alive - eighty years later?celerityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18417482584930203615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-40548557847012354772017-01-15T09:24:10.006-05:002017-01-15T09:24:10.006-05:00Thank you very much! I try to make my posts reada...Thank you very much! I try to make my posts readable as well as informative...thankfully I had a good bit of research material available to me on the Rockville bus crash.<br /><br />I got the fact that Stevens was coming towards the bus from the I.C.C. report...but by the same token those reports are written by bureaucrats who are interpreting what they were told, then transcribed by someone else, so it's quite possible that he was passing rather than meeting the bus...I think I remember Louise Funk as being quoted as saying the oncoming headlights didn't blind her, though. I've still got the PDF of the ICC report, I'm going to have to go back and reread it...It's not at all beyond the realm of possibility that I'm the one who did the misinterpreting here..<br /><br />The points that you bring out about Percy Line are all good ones, and the possibility that he had a nip or two with a late dinner never even occurred to me, to be honest...but it's more then possible, and would explain a lot about why he didn't realize he was approaching a crossing. <br /><br />I noticed that all of the drivers in the earlier bus/train crashes were considered to be good drivers. (It wasn't until the more recent accidents that drivers who were intentionally trying to beat a train or intentionally violating the law began showing up.). The perfect example of 'No matter how good you are, it only takes one screw-up to make a tragedy'.<br />Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18414805025967672048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6487399564596460661.post-34482721616526238412017-01-12T22:44:58.876-05:002017-01-12T22:44:58.876-05:00First of all, excellent story and pictures.
"...First of all, excellent story and pictures.<br /><br />"Steven's car was still peppy and agile for it's day, so its acceleration was more than enough to get him across the tracks with room to spare. The bus was maybe 175 feet away when he saw it coming towards him..."<br /><br />I don't have a source now (it was not "The Rockville Tragedy"), but I recall reading somewhere that Stevens was going in the same direction as the bus (not towards it) and passed it before reaching the intersection. The bus followed Stevens through the intersection, according to what I read.<br /><br />As you said, Perry Line had already had a long day before the field trip. However, as long as he wasn't doing this on a regular basis, he should have been able to handle it. According to what I read, Perry Line had a good driving record over 10 years when the owner of the bus recommended him for the job. It was found out after the hearing, however, that he had had an accident or two shortly before the tragedy. <br /><br />I also read that Perry Line went and had dinner while the students were at the exhibits. Did he have a nip with his dinner? Prohibition ended about 15 months before the tragedy. Was Perry Line one of those who 'made up for lost time'? If he didn't even know he was approaching an RR crossing, you have to wonder.David Wootenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04933469927034872389noreply@blogger.com