Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-04
FATAL CLASH OF LIMlTEDS
E. W. Hastings, Actor of New York,
Killed in Union Pacific Wreck.
LOS ANGELES AND OVERLAND COLLIDE
Two PaIntinI Trains Come Together
at BruIe, Neb., Rear-End and
Several Passengers Are
Injured.

Dead:
II. W. HASTINGS, actor. of New York
/ Injured
Mrs, }: ). Finch, sandusky, o.; hand cut
juIed.
Three mail clerks on No s. Naughton
! Rodiuan and Johnson; slightly injured.
! Fireman Graves on No. ), bruised.
Conductor Anderson OF No. $, hand cut
Buffet Porter Merriweather, slightly in
CHARLES Koch, cook on No. s; slightly in
Juied
4. p. Goodrich Chicago. hand cut.
| A. Il. Cook. Lewiston, Ia; slightly in
jured.
eugene o,Neil, Palo Alto. Cal; in Grand
Mrs. NJ. RI. Wilkins, Grand Island
| G' H. Worley, postal clerk.
The Overland Limited and the Los An
geles Limited, two of the most superbly
! equipped trains in the United states, came
together in a rear-end collision the
Union Pacific at Brule, Neb., Wednesday
evening about o'clock, and one man, E.
w. Hastings, an actor from New York,
was killed. and several we're injured, one
probably fatally.
The list of injured was secured by a
Pullman representative in Omaha, but he
refused to give out the list until he had
given it to the Union Pacific, and the
Union Pacific officials said they mad not
received the list at noon Thursday. One
of the injured was j. II. Worley, mail
clerk from Omaha, who was severely
bruised.
The Overland Limited. No. z, which was
ahead, had been signaled to stop at Brule
for orders. When No. 2 stopped a flagman
was sent back 200 yards to flag No. 8, the
Los Angeles Limited. Conductor Rincker
of No. could plainly see the headlight on
the engine of No. approaching and he
signaled his engineer to go ahead. No. 2
was pulling out and had gained speed of
about four miles an hour when No. s.
coming about fifteen miles an hour, struck.
Engineer Norton on No. is one of the
most experienced and has long been recog-
nlzed one of the best enginemen in the
employ Of the Union Pacific. He did not
know that No. was to stop at Brule and
could not stop his train quick enough after
seeing the fagman to prevent the collision.
/ Thirty Years in the Cab.
Mr.. Norton has driven an engine for the
Union Pacific for over thirty years, and IL
is said this is his first accident. Several Of
the cars on No. were damaged, the great
est damage being to the observation car,
I'm the smoker of which was sitting Mr..
Hastings when he was killed.
| W.. II. Thacker of Dubuque when seen
at Union station in Omaha upon the ar
rival of the train from the west, told OF
his most thrilling escape frpm death at the
hands of the big monster which came plow-
ing through the observation car in which
he was sitting.
1--WE had finished our supper in the diner
some time before and were enjoying a
smoke in the smoking department of the
observation car little thinking of the dan
ger which might befall us when the crash
cot IL ~
there, some reading and some smoking,
when a light glistened from behind and
before we knew what had happened the
engine OF the train following us was plow-
ing its way right through the car. The ac-
cident was peculiar and how 1 ever escaped
will always be a mystery When the en-
gine struck it seemed to plow right through,
prying the floor of our car down and rails
ing the roof until it had wedged itself half
way through the car"
victims Taken TO Grand Island.
The more seriously injured were taken to
Grand Island and North Platte and those
who were able to continue their journey
were permitted to do so.
II is learned that Mr.. Hastings, who was
killed in the collision, was married only
four days ago.
Among the injured was Mrs. NJ H. Will
ISins, wife OF the former foreman of the
Union Pacific shops at Grand Island Pos
tai Clerk worley was off duty and was on
his way to Grand Island for a visit when
he was injured.
]. p. Merriweather. a colored waiter on
Union Pacific dining car who was injured
in the wreck. was taken to ST. Joseph's
hospital Thursday morning. His face was
badly bruised and cut. but he escaped
without serious injury.
c. p. Rodman. S23 Pratt street, was one
of the mail clerks who was injured. He
reached Omaha Thursday afternoon and
telephoned to his hcme saying he would
be out in a little while, but failed to say
anything to the members Of his family
about his injury, so they had not heard
OF # until called by The Bee on the tele-
phone to inquire how badly Mr. Rodmau
was hurt
Hastings Among the Leaders.
| Hastings was evidently the leader OF
those running forward from the observa-
! tion car and probably was caught between
the observation car and the car in front
The cars must have pulled apart IN some
way sufficiently to catch him, for his body
was found between the two cars
Gilbert H. Worley, the mail clerk who
was the most injured OF any in the wreck
except Hastings, lives with his wife al
27l4 Decatur street Omaha. His wife 1.
visiting at Grand Island.
Euegene ONeill. a merchant OF Palo Alto
, Cal, was taken to the hospital at Grand
Island. His face and hands are badly
scalded from steam escaping from broken
t pipes. According 10 reports received al
Grand Island an attempt was made TO nag
the second train. but there was not sufi-
: clent time. OF sixteen cars in two trains
. ive survived the accident. FIVE are badly
wrecked and ther est were deraied.
Hastings Known I'm New York
NEW YORK, Jan. az. w. Hastings
the actor who was killed in the wreck OF
the Union Pacific Overland Limited was
well known IN this city.
He was returning to New York from
Portland, Ore. where lie had played FOR
some time with stock company Hasting,
was a member OF the Lambs club the
Players club and the Actors Society OF
America He was a brother OF Cllyle,
Hastings a well known New York leading
man
Pacific Telephone Merger
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