The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-30
SMASH AT A SWITCH.
CRASH OF A FLYER AND
FREIGHT TRAIN
OVER TWO SCORE ARE INJURED
The Engines Came Together at "a
Switch at Malta, ILL.,, and Cars
Took Fire From Wrecked
Locomotives.

CHICAGO, Dec. 29-Four persons were
killed and eighteen injured, several of
them possibly fatally, in a collision on
the Chicago & Northwestern railroad
todai at Malta Ill, sixty miles west of
Chicago.
The trains in collision were 1.-The Oma-
ha Flyer" an, eastbound passenger
train and an eastbound freight
train. The wreck caught fire and two
passenger coaches, one sleeper and eigh.
freight cars were burned. and another
sleeping car was partly burned. The
dead:
GEORGE w. RUDIo Western agent
of the Kirk Soap company; residence, 1877
North Thirty-second avenue. Omaha.
MRS. GEORGE w. RUDIO. Omaha.
d. o. NICHOLS. Council Bluffs, Iowa
e. B. DUNCAN, sleeping car porter.
Chicago.
The injured are: John Schoentgren.
~ cut and bruised about body; H. L, Mil
Ter, brakeman, ankle fractured and body
bruised; L. B. jameson and wife. Platte.
Neb.: C. F. Fifer. Racine. Wis, face and
body badly cut by falling glass; Miss
Mamie Ellingwood, Omaha. body bruised;
A. E. Jewell, Buffalo, N Y, hands and
face badly lacerated by falling glass: j..
| w Woodruff, Chicago, internal injuries;
burned; ]. NJ. Wilson, Boone, Iowa, hands
cut; DR.. J. w. Anderson, Cripple Creek.
Col. burned; w. F. Risley. Chicago;
Bert Carr Willett. N Y. badly cut and
w. Fox. Boulder, Col; II. D. Gray, Evan
ston, Ill; Edward Hinckley. Surprise,
Neb.; Mrs. ]. L. Kali, Chicago; Clarence
Lauszerus, Chicago; w. A.: Sweeney,
mont. Neb. Mrs. Eva Hall, Chicago;
Lincoln Taft Chicago; Veronica Rohr-
moser. Willard Men f.. I.a~ra h-'7 ,5'ra
senger engineer. leg fractured; F. p Cor
ran, fireman; c. w. Aiken, yardmaster;
P. D. O'Neil, special agent. North West
ern railroad; John w. Wilson. civil en-
gineer, North-W Western railroad; w. r.
Dawes, Pullman conductor.
Injured passengers were attended imme.
diately by surgeons from Rochelle and De
Kalb, and later were removed to st.
Luke's hospital in Chicago by special
train.
Died in Agony.
George w. Rudio, in the rear Pullman
from Omaha. with his wife, was fearful
~ burned by steam, and in spite of all
medical aid died half an hour after the
accident in great agony. Mrs. Rudio,
who was brought to Chicago on the re-
lief train, was so badly burned that. she
died a few minutes after her arrival at
ST. Luke's hospital.
An hour before the arrival of the re-
lief train B. o. Nichols, of Council Bluffs
Iowa, succumbed to his injuries. Mr.
Nichols was coming to Chicago to be
married on New Years day to Miss
Grace Stewart. of Council Bluffs. Mich
OILS telegraphed for his sweetheart to
come to him. but he died a few minutes
after the message had been sent.
Explaining How 1t Happened.
The freight train had taken a siding
at Malta, but the train was longer than
the siding and the freight locomotive
protruded upon the main track beyond
the side track The incoming train from
the west was not stopped until the two
locomotives "eornered'' at the switch,
the passenger engine being thrown into
the ditch and several coaches piling upon
the wreck. The cars caught fire from
the locomotive.
Engineer Larrabee, of the passenger
train. said tonight that he found it I'M
possible to check his train until it was
too late. He stuck to his engine, al
though he could have jumped before the
collision occurred.
A statement given out by officials of
the railroad company explains that the
switch at the east end of the siding
WAS Opcil lHIOuSI dllU lidt Tic
responsibility probably lies with some
member of the crew of the freight tram.
The statement places the companys
property loss at about $4,000.
Rudio stood High at Home
OMAHA, Neb, Dec. 2s-George Rudio.
| who was today killed in the wreck on
| the. NORTHWESTERN at Malta H., has
| been the Nebraska representative and
| general agent Of J. S. Kirk & Co. for
| fifteen years His daughter, who re-
| manned in iths city, received notice of
| the death of her father and mother early
| in the afternoon and left tonight for
| Chicago. Mr.. Rudio was one of the best
| known commercial men of the city. He
| was born in Buffalo. n. Y, wise he
| has two brothers living, and third
resides In Council Bluffs. He was
Knight Templar and Mason of high de-
| gree.
| INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Dec 29-Ben o.
| Nichols. of Council Bluffs Iowa. who was
killed in the wreck, was manager of the
| Council Bluffs Electric Light plant, and
was the son of Edwin Nichols, member
| of the commission firm of A. Barber &
| Co., at the Union Stockyards He was
| engaged to be married to Miss Eliza
beth Stuart, of Council Bluffs. Iowa. The
body will be brought here for burial.
! CHICAGO, Dec. s9-Duncan, the sleep
ing car porter, was the only person kill
| Mrs. Nichols died from their injuries
while being brought to Chicago At st.
Illke's hospital it is asserted, that while
several of the injured are in serious
! condition, all, it is believed by the at
| tending physicians, will recover.
Neapolitans Thrown Into Jail.
NAPLES, Dec. 2s.-The arrival here of
the socialist member of the chamber OF