Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-01-02
FOUR DIE In CRASH.
OMAHA FLYER MEETS WITH DIS.
ASTER AT MALTA, ILLS.

Tive Northwestern Trains Collide at
a Switch-Fire Follows tho Wreck.
Victims scalded by stear@Two of
the Dead From Omaha.
Chicago, Dec. 30.-Four persons
were killed and 20 injured. several !
of them possibly fatally, in collision
on the Chicago and Northwestern
railroad yesterday at Malta. Ills, SO
miles west of Chicago. The trains
in collision were '.The Omaha Flyer"
an eastbound passenger train, and an
eastbound freight train. The wreck
caught fire and two passenger coaches,
one sleeping car and eight freight
cars were burned and another sleep
ing car partly burned.
The dead: George w. Rudio, west
ern agent Kirk Soap company, resi-
dence 1877 North Thirty-second ave.
nue., Omaha; Mrs. George Rudio, Oma-
ha; D. o. Nichols; Council Bluffs, Ia;
E. B. Duncan, sleeping car porter.
The injured: Bert Carr, Willett, N.
Y; Fred Dunham, Chicago; George
w. Fox, Boulder, Colo; H. D. Gray.
Evanston, Ills; Edward Minckley,
Surprise, Neb.; Mrs. j. L. Kali, Chi
cago; Clarence Lauzerus, Chicago;
w: A. Sweeney, Larchford, Ia; Marion
Wilkes, Fremont, Neb.; Mrs. Eva Hall,
Chicago; Lincoln Taft, Chicago; Yer
onica R. Morse, Ellard, Neb.; F. Lar
rabee passenger engineer; F. P. Cor
ran, fireman; c. Aiken, yardmaster;
P. D. O'Neill, special agent Northwest
ern railroad; John w. Wilson, civil
engineer Northwestern railroad; r.
w. Davis, Pullman conductor; John
Schoentgen, Council Bluffs, face and
hands badly cut and bruised about
body; Miss Mamie Ellingwood, Oma-
ha, badly bruised; J. M. Wilson,
Boone. Ia. hands cut; L. B. Jameson
of North Platte, face cut; Mrs. L. B.
Jameson, back hurt.
With the exception of three en-
ployes Of the road, Curran Larrabee
and O'Neill, who were seriously hurt,
the injured are suffering from bruises
and cuts from falling glass or from
the scalding steam that enveloped the
| wrecked coaches after the collision.
The injured passengers were at
tended Immediately by surgeons from
Rochelle and DeKalb and later were
removed to st. Luke's hospital in Chi.
cago by special train.
Train Too Long for Siding.
The freight train had taken 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 passen
ger train from the west was not
stopped until the two locomotives
"cornered" ct the switch, the passen
ger engine being thrown into the ditch
and several coaches piling upon the
wreck. The cars caught fire from
the locomotive.
i Duncan, the sleeping car porter
was the only person killed outright
Mr.. and Mrs. Rudio and Mr.. Nichols
died from their injuries while being
brought to Chicago. At st. Luke's
hospital it is stated that while severa
of the injured are in serious con
dition, all, it is believed by the attend
ing physicians, will recover.
A statement "'-cn cit hy OF ie7
of the railr cmpaay explains ,Ba
: the switch So aaa ra af Tue sid
/ ing was opu hr0us 4ai4ts.zs1 an,
t that the n nsibiiity probably lie
, with some h neer OF the crew OF lh
1 freight train Ile statement place
:. the company S property !oss st ebou
$4,000.
Shoentgen's Story.
!. John Shoentgen of Council Bluffs
one of the injured, speaking of the al
cident, said: 81 was asleep in m
berth when the crash came and
8 moment later found myself unde
IS meath pile of wreckage on the tract
y was in my nightclothes and afte
- great difficulty found way out, an
$. crawled onto snow bank. The cs
caught fire, but l had time to cray
back to where l saw my valise lyin
snow The inhabitants of the villas
turned out at once and began the wol
> of rescue, hauling passengers Of
5 through the wreckage and fighting Il
t, fire, which spread rapidly all over IL
% . piled up tracks"
G: George w. Rudio, in the rear Pu
S, man from Omaha, with his wife, WI
fearfully burned by steam, and
spite of all medical aid, died half {
!. hour after the accident in great agop
rs Mrs. Rudio, who was brought to CT
X cago on the relief train, was SO bad
~ burned that she died few minut
%. after her arrival at St. Luke's hi
", pital.
Il; An hour before the arrival of t
~ ~ relief train, B. o. Nichols of Coun
~ Bluffs succumbed to his injuries.
VI; Nichols was coming to Chicago to
ce married on New Years day to Nj
~ Grace Stewart of Council Blui
%. Nichols telegraphed for his swe
heart to come to him, but he died
few minutes after the message b
70 been sent. Engineer Larrabee Of I
er; passenger train said last night that