William Zwilling(1853-1913)&Lavina(Letson)Zwilling(1856-1913

ZWILLING, LETSON, BISHOP, DOBYNS, HARSH, LOCKRIDGE, WALDRON, BALLIET, MILLER, KEITHLEY

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:11

From Nevada Representative August 29, 1913 (front page)

THE ZWILLINGS ARE KILLED

HIT IN THEIR AUTOMOBILE BY NO. 13

Accident at Vine Street Crossing Thursday Evening

Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Zwilling of this city were killed about 6:45 Thursday evening as the result of being struck in their automobile by the Hawkeye Express, No. 13, at the Vine street crossing of the Northwestern. With Mr. Zwilling death was almost or quite instantaneous, there being but the brief and most doubtful suggestions of live after the first people reached to aide. Mrs. Zwilling was worse mangled than he but she did not die so immediately. On the contrary she revived sufficiently to ---- what happened and manifested comprehension when told that they had been hit by a train. Her revival, however, did not last long and she sank rapidly under the effects of terrible injuries. She was put aboard the train, and taken to the Northwestern depot, thence she was carried to her home. She died there shortly after ------ o'clock having survived her husband for a little more than an hour.

The more important circumstances of the accident were these: A long train of empty freight cars, ---nd west had been compelled to sidetrack, here to let the west bound trains go by. But the train was too long for the passing track, which extends east from the yards on the south side of the train tracks, and so it was backed over the cross-over tack between the main tracks just west of the depot the effect being to use the ---t-bound track as a side-track for west-bound train. The train was backed east until the engine was just clear of the Vine street cross --- that being the most easterly --- the crossings in town and the --- of the train extended about -00 feet further to the eastward. The freight train in this situation became a screen hiding effectively more than half a mile an in-coming train from the east from any visible view for one approaching the crossing from the north. The conditions being established, Mr. and Mrs. Zwilling, who were out for an evening drive in their automobile, came down the street from the north and crossed the track in front of the freight engine just at the instant when the engine of the express was sweeping upon the crossing. Plainly it was impossible for Mr. Zwilling to see the express and equally impossible for the engineer of the express to see the automobile, until the very instant when the engine and the automobile came together upon the crossing. Mr. Zwilling was the most cautious automobile driver in town and rarely was seen driving the machine faster than about ----een mile an hour, and the express was not running so fast ------ that it was stopped in little more than its length. If there had been any chance for either, Mr. Z or the express engineer in ------ anything after the danger of a collision became apparent to him, there is no reason to doubt that the accident would have been thwarted, ,but the position of the freight train was such that neither of them had any chance and hence the result.

The automobile was wrecked all ----- junk. The condition of its frame indicated that one bumper of ----- engine struck the automobile about the front end of the motor and that the other bumper struck about the seat. The rear end apparently projected to the north, and the whole wreck was thrown to the north side of the track. Mr. Zwilling was thrown clear and fell across the rails of the other track. Mrs. Zwilling had one leg run over and was rolled along with the back of the automobile. Such evidences would indicate that she should have been killed first; but before noted, she was not. She was so hidden in the wreckage that at first comers did not see her, and it was only after he had been turned over and recognized that they looked about for her and found her. He was silent, but she was groaning. Physicians were summoned instantly but there was nothing to do for him and very little for her.

The provision made by the railroad company for the public safety at this crossing is an electric bell, which is supposed to be ringing when a train is approaching and nonetheless was ringing at the time of the accident. We know that it rang persistently half an hour later when the freight train was pulling out. But in the moments before the accident the presence of the freight train was enough to account in the layman's mind for the ringing. Also the train was headed west and plainly there was no train approaching from the west. We have since learned that the bell is so adjusted that it ring for a train east of it on the west-bound track and for a train west of it on the east-bound track, and that it would not ring for a train east of it on the east-bound track. So it one were a railroad man and knew all about it, and if he noted that train headed west was standing on the east-bound track and that there was no train coming from the west, then he knew from the ringing of the bell that there was a train approaching on the hidden west-bound track. This was the warning that Mr. Zwilling had as he drove his car upon the crossing. It presumes for its correct interpretation under the conditions established at the time in question an understanding of railroad signals that we did not have until we investigated the matter, that we believe is not generally possessed and that it is altogether probable Mr. Zwilling did not have. The mistake he made was natural and one that should be expected of the public at any time.

The personal blame for the accident we think belongs to the engineer of the freight. The use of the east-bound main track as a siding for the west-bound freight was in accordance with an occasional practice and with the apparent necessities of the particular case; but such use was nevertheless unusual and something with which the public are not generally familiar, and report to such use called for special precautions. Normal precautions were exercised. On the contrary, though he knew that the express for which he had sidetracked was due and that he was with his train -----ing it from the view of observers north of the track this engine stopped his train as soon as his engineer had cleared the crossing and without clearing east of the crossing a space such as would permit one coming down from the north to get even a momentary glimpse of the approaching express then, although he had stopped close enough to the crossing so that he could have given a warning from his cab, he permitted his attention to be diverted at the critical moment, when he must have known that the express was coming in, and so allowed the Zwillings to run into the trap that he had set. Some suggestion has been made that the head brakeman of the freight might have had or have taken some responsibility for the safety of the crossing; but he was out west of the depot, in accordance with the strict regulations putting out signals against the possible approach of a train from the west on the tack which his train was obstructing. He was out of the case with respect to the accident, and properly so. A group of Northwestern officials are here this morning investigating the accident, and the railroad view of the matter will doubtless be presented later.

Mr. and Mrs. Zwilling were people who spent life very comfortably. They had between them a fortune that is supposed to be up towards a hundred thousand dollars and their income was ample for their desires. At home they lived quietly; but they greatly enjoyed taking long trips. At different times they had toured southern Europe, been on the Norwegian coast to North Cape, experienced the delights of Hawaii and of Cuba and seen a lot of other pleasant places which the most of people never hope to see at all. Their last and longest trip was taken during the past year and was around the world. They sailed on this trip from New York last fall and they returned by way of San Francisco last June. They had run such chances as travelers have to run in all parts of the civilized world and finally were killed while taking the fresh air within half a mile of their own home. Mr. Zwilling and his brother George came to Nevada from State Center and were in the dry goods business here thirty years ago, but George died and W. P. after a time retired, and since then he has mostly looked after his own and his wife's affairs and enjoyed the honors of banking connections being in late years, the vice-president of the First National. Mrs. Zwilling was Lovie Letson, who had grown up here from a child. She married first George Zwilling and some years after his early death she married W. P. By her first husband she had a son Dan, who was very promising boy and graduated here from the high school but died when about half through the State University. Through her first husband and her son she had she had inherited one share of the estate of the senior Zwilling, who was a wealthy German at State Center and W. P. had inherited another share of the same estate. Both shares had doubtless been much increased with time and his prudent investment. It is understood to have been fully arranged between them that the survivor of them should inherit the other's fortune and unless there are about the matter other conditions not yet known it appears from the circumstances of the accident that his share of their joint fortune became vested in her following his death and is therefore by way now of passing along with her own share to her heirs.

Mr. and Mrs. Zwilling were held very high in the estimation of the community and their tragic death is a very great shock to everyone. She would have been 58 years of age on January 18 next and he was almost six months the elder. She was utterly broken up after the death of her son and for some years after life appeared to have little in it for her but in time her buoyant nature reasserted itself and Mr. Zwilling and herself were in a situation to view the years ahead of them with the pleasing anticipation. He was a man who lined up always in the right side of questions, although he was utterly lacking in any political aspirations, and their joint attitude toward the world was entire independence and their influence wholly good. Their funeral will be conducted from their fine and commodious residence Sunday afternoon at two-thirty.

Mr. Zwilling's nearest relatives are his brother Dan of Osten, near Chicago, Ill., and sisters, Mrs. E. M. Bishop and Mrs. Alexander Dobyns of State Center and Mrs. Julia A. Harsh, the eldest of the family, of Ashley, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop and daughter arrived this morning Mr. Dobyns is expected and Mrs. Harsh is probably not strong enough to come. Mr. Dan Zwilling has not yet been heard from. Mrs. Zwilling's nearest relatives are her sister, Mrs. Lydia Lockridge and Mrs Dilla Waldron of this city, Mrs. Helen Balliet of Des Moines, and Mrs. Rachel Miller of Cedar Rapids, with their respective families, and the family of her late brother, Warren Letson. Mrs. Miller with her son and daughter-in-law are already here as are Mrs. Balliet and her son-in-law, Fred Keithley. Mrs. Letson is expected this evening from Minneapolis. Other relatives on both sides will doubtless be reported later.

SUBMITTER'S NOTE: The left side of the first part of his article is cut off and difficult to discern.