Albert EWALD ~ Martin Alfred ANDERSON

EWALD, ANDERSON, GULLICKSON, LINDQUIST, WINTER, HALL, CROSS, WALLACE, VAN HORN, SCHMIDT, FITZPATRICK, MCDONALD, GILLAM, ROMEY, WEST

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/26/2011 at 01:43:17

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Thursday, April 6, 1939, p. 20 col. 1

CRASH VICTIMS' RITES ARE HELD

Many Attend Funeral Services of Ewald, Anderson, Northwood

NORTHWOOD - Zion German Lutheran church in this city was filled to capacity Tuesday afternoon when funeral rites were held for Albert Ewald, 55, who was instantly killed when his car was struck by an M. & St. L. motor train in Mason City late last Saturday afternoon. The Rev. William Tjede was in charge of the funeral rites. Burial was made in the Sunset Rest cemetery, Northwood.

A daughter, Evelyn, a step-daughter, Mrs. Lestern (sic) Gullickson, Northwood, survive. Evelyn was with her father at the time of the accident but escaped death, being at present in a Mason City hospital. Mrs. Ewald died May 13, 1924.

Also surviving are five brothers and two sisters, Herman Ewald, Northwood; Arthur and Werner Ewald, Rockford; Robert Ewald, Lyle; Otto Ewald, Walters, Minn., Mr. J. A. Lindquist, Des Moines; Mrs. M. E. Lindquist, Kensett. His parents, one brother, and one sister preceded him in death.

Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the Sorenson funeral home for Martin Alfred Anderson, 45, who was killed in the same accident. Mr. Anderson was employed by Mr. Ewald on his farm where he had worked for about five years.

Mr. Anderson was born April 20, 1894, in Minneapolis. He came to Worth county with his parents when a boy. Both parents have been dead for more than 30 years. After their death he worked for various farmers in this vicinity, being with the Charles Shutz family for about 17 years before going to the Ewald farm.

Mr. Anderson has no relatives in this country but has several cousins and other distant relatives in Norway where his mother was born.

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The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Wednesday, April 5, 1939, p. 8 col. 2

DECKER CROSSING DEATHS "ACCIDENTAL," JURY DECIDES
'TOO INVOLVED IN CONVERSATION,' WITNESS CLAIMS
Michael Winter Stood Only 30 Feet Away at Time of Crash

A coroner's jury Wednesday decided that the deaths of Albert Ewald and Martin Anderson, Northwood farmers, on the M. and St. L. Railroad crossing of Fifteenth street northeast were "accidental."

"They were too involved in conversation," testified Michael Winter, 213 Thirteenth place northeast, to see him signaling for them to stop or to see the train which was coming directly toward the car before Mr. Ewald turned it toward the west to cross the track.

SIGNAL WAS FLASHING

Mr. Winter said that he was on his way home at the time and stood about 30 feet from the spot where the train struck the car. He watched the car emerge from the driveway into the Jacob E. Decker and Sons loading yards a few feet southeast of the crossing, drive to the north side of Fifteenth street, and then proceed westward directly into the path of the oncoming train.

Both Mr. Winter and Charles Hall, special policeman for the packing company who also saw the accident, testified that the train whistle was blowing before the accident and that the bell was ringing. Mr. Hall also said that the automatic flash crossing signal was working at the time.

COULD HAVE SEEN THE TRAIN

"The driver could have seen the train if he had looked," said Mr. Hall. He also affirmed the testimony of the engineer, William A. Cross, Marshalltown, that the train was only 50 feet from the corssing.

The auto was facing north, almost directly toward him, when he first saw it, the trainman said, and the weather was clear and the vision good.

TRAIN PUSHED WRECKAGE

John E. Wallace and Charles E. Van Horn, police officers, testitfied that the train pushed the wreckage of the auto 420 feet from the crossing before it stopped and that the body of Mr. Ewald was thrown from the car under the train 175 feet from the center of the crossing.

R. Schmidt, 216 Fifteenth street northeast testified that he was in his car waiting to enter his driveway beside the railroad track when the accident happened and corroborated the previous evidence.

Mr. Ewald was driving at the time of the accident and his daughter, Evelyn, 16, was riding in the front seat with him. Mr. Anderson, their farm hand, was riding in the back seat.

DAUGHTER IS RECOVERING

Evelyn's condition was reported as "good" Wednesday. She was taken to the Park Hospital in an unconscious condition after the accident but suffered only cuts about the head and an injury to her left knee.

Dan Fitzpatrick, assistant county attorney, conducted the examination of witnesses at the inquest at the request of Coroner E. J. McDonald. The jury was composed of J. R. Gillam, Richard Romey, and M. Roy West.

Their verdict was "We the jury having heard the evidence find that the cause of death was accidental."

Submission by Kay Ehlers, July 12, 2005