Ruddle - Daniel - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Last Friday afternoon at Terre Haute the Wabash Bridge of the Big Four went down with a freight train and several men were badly hurt, Daniel Ruddle’s injuries proving fatal soon after. An account of the accident appears in another column.

Daniel Ruddle, the unfortunate man who lost his life, was a native of Crawfordsville and worked here as a bridge carpenter on the Big Four until he was given a position as fireman and removed to Indianapolis. He was a son of Patrick Ruddle Sr., of Indiana Avenue, the old gentleman now being a flagman for the company. He was a brother of Johnny Ruddle, the ball player, and of Patsy Ruddle, who is now in Memphis, Tenn., in the employ of Henry Alfrey. Daniel was a nice boy and was married several years ago to a Miss Griswold of Clermont. His relatives and friends were much saddened to hear of his death the Terre Haute Express, in its account of the wreck, says: “Engineer Adams told the story of the wreck last night while lying in bed at the Union Hospital. He said, “When we came around the curve just before going on the bridge the fireman said to me ‘All right,’ which meant that the bridge was clear. He could not get a full view of the bridge, but did not then see anything that was not all right. We were going at about ten miles an hour when the engine went on the bridge. Just as we touched it Ruddle cried out, “My God look out!” I looked out the window and saw that the track was out of line and threw down my seat expecting to jump, but the next thing I knew I felt the cold water and found myself paddling around in the water. I got a hold on something and knew that I could keep from sinking. I heard Ruddle groaning and called to him. He said that he was fast and burning. He told me to tell his wife and children that his last thoughts were of them, and I promised that I would, but told him that there was help at hand, and that he must not lose his nerve. He became so weak that he could not keep his head out of water, and I threw him a board. He rested his head on the board, and that is all I remember. I do not know how I got out, but they tell me that I walked on the ice, and after they pulled me on the bridge that I walked to the bank. Ruddle was parboiled; I am sure, as he was jammed between the coal gate and the fire door. He could not move and the escaping steam must have burned him. He tried to jump when he called to me, and was out of his seat and just ready to go when he went down.”

Fireman Ruddle was caught in the gangway of the engine and pinned down under the wreckage. The employees of an iron mill near the scene of the wreck went to his rescue and had to cut away the wreckage from about him. He was fast against the boiler head and his entire body was scalded from the escaping steam. He was regarded as one of the best firemen on the line, and was a prominent member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen.

When Vandalia train No. 11 arrived in the Union Station last night at nine o’clock, a little woman stepped from one of the coaches and started to walk rapidly into the station building. It was Mrs. Daniel Ruddle, and she had come as fast as steam could bring her from her home in Brightwood. She had arrived too late, however, and when the news was gently broken to her that her husband had died a half hour before, the scene was very touching. Only once the woman screamed, but her sobs were broken by the low cries, “My children; my children.” Four little children, it is understood, are left to mourn the loss of their father, and the heartbroken mother can offer little solace. At first the distracted woman hysterically insisted upon going at once to the hospital, but friends prevailed upon her to go with them and she was taken to their home. The body of the dead fireman will be embalmed this morning and prepared for shipment to his old home in Brightwood.” - thanks to "S" for these

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 2 March 1900

Daniel Ruddle, who met death in the Big Four wreck at Terre Haute, was a member of the Crawfordsville lodge of the A. O. U. W. and his wife will recover $2,000 insurance from the order.  One of the men who rescued the dying Ruddle from the wreck gives the following account in the Terre Haute Tribune: “While all this was going on we were crawling along under the lumber and as soon as we reached Ruddle, he said, “God pity my wife and children. If I get out of here I will live.” He was laying partly on his back and was in the water up to his neck. He had his right arm raised up above his head when we got to him, and the steam from the fire box was still coming up around him. He was not wedged in very tight, but was laying almost on his seat in the engine, and as the space was so small and he was a large man, we had all we could do to get him out. We then had to drag him back the same way we came and by the time we got back the men had let a rope down with a litter, and others had then come down and we put him in it and drew him up. We then climbed back on the pier over the pieces of wreck which were sticking up and carried him into the water works.

When we first went down on the stuff some of the men told us not to go down for the other pier might fall and besides the stuff was swinging around with the current and we might be carried away with it. I confess it did look bad, but when that poor fellow down there was begging for someone to help him, Moore and I could not stand it.

I aint’ going to say that I was not excited or anything like that, but I was scared; the only thing we though of was getting him out. When we got on the pile of stuff below it seemed shaky and I thought two or three times that it was going to float away for the current is awful swift and the ice kept banging against it all the time. When that pier fell with those four cars, I wasn’t thinking of it at all, but when she came down, almost on us, it was enough to make any man nervous, I’ll tell you. After the pier fell and while we were crawling after the fireman, Bill Brune slid down a rope to where the brakeman was on the third pier to the east and tied it around him and he was pulled up. The men then let the rope down and Bill and he came up all right. I cut my hand pretty badly while I was crawling down over the iron brace, but did not know it until afterwards.”