Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-12-07
GREAT RAILROAD DISASTER +!
A Terrible Catastrophe!
The Most Awful on Record!
Complete List of The Sufferers !
From the jersey city rimes, Of Nov othJ

From the Jersey city Timcs Of NOV Othl
We have TO record the most extensive and fatal
casualty ever known in this country Yesterday
at an carly hour very large train left Orange, n.
d. en- route for the White House Washington ID. c.,
under the charge Of chief engineer Geo. B. McClel-
Ian 1t was expected TO make the trim through in
twelve hours. The train was very heavily ladened
with merchandise shipped by New York jew
house, August Belmont agent All the copperheads
In the country were passengers besides few inno-
cent people who had been deludod into taking nm
excursion trip by the offer Of deadhead tickets
llorutio Seymour Of New York was the conductor
assisted by Franklin Pierce, Q, l.. Vallundgham and
joel Parker, Ben Wood was appointed to hodall
the money received for fares, and wore II hat band
marked conspcuously 4-ll-4i.
For convenience and comfort the passengers were
classified in the cars the ogies under the charge Of
Robert c, Winthrop and Willard Fillmore, the
short boys under John Van Buren, and Capt Bynd-
ers, the mountobanks and MINISTRIES led by jack
Rogers and Marble, editor Of the IPorid and the
few clergymcn marshuled by the very Reys. G.
Chauncey Burr and H. D. Van Dyke, There were
several cars that intended to be attached to the
train that did not make the connGction-one from
Canada, with George N, Saunders conductor, and
roomy one from New York, filled with Gov. Soy
mours Friends where both detained by the unwar-
rantable interference Of II man named Benjamin f.
Butler who came to New York last week to "stopa
SPELL The cars were gorgeously decorated with
such elegant notices rs the following: "Butter has
rz,' "Abc Lincoln is gorilla Little Mikes the
by be jabers "Nggcrs for slaves, Irshmen for our
masters "We are coming brother jeff Let US
change our base "llcres your spanels for you
Massa Davis
They moved out of the Orange depot gaily, to the
tune of Dixie, though the engineer hesitated, when
the final moment of departure came, about stepping
on the platform, and was at last only got on board
by little eXpedient of Fernando Wood, who pulled
him into the train backwards by his coat tail En-
gineer Mcclellan was dressed in the full rig of
Major General for which his Uncle Sam paid He
was very nervous and remarked that he should pre-
fer gunboat to Il ride on such locomotive The
engine was II new one, built at Chicago last August
but on plan designed by Benedict Arnold, and
subsequently, improved by Aaron Burr and John c.
Calhoun. 1t was built to the order of JEFF Davis,
and bore the engaging name of Cessation which
was adopted MS slight change from the original
designation Secession,
1t occasioncd good deal of remark that hardly
any soldiers took passage on the train. There were
some men named Grant, Sheridan, Sherman, Hooker
and Dix around who very anonymously expressed
doubts as to the safety of the track and the ability
of the engineer and it is supposed that this prej1-
diced the "bluo coat boys. Besides this the con-
ductor of the train refused to have an American flag
on the engine, and the soldiers have a stubborn feel
ing of prejudice on that subject Notwithstanding
these slsht uraWOacNs, 'le tTah moved OH win tne
Sood wishes ana cheers oil al te reoel soldiers IN
Lee army an lhe DrliSh "Ts'ocr"ts ana the pirate
Semmes and his friends. From all that can be
learned from the incoherent talk of the few survi
Vors OF te sau e"l"'Vrophe appears IhaV thefe WI"
trouble from th' very start
me engineer ana MS nreinai IenoIeIon, quar-,
Relied al the TRIP ABOUT the method Oh urlhS up ana
the conductors ana the iare takIr were constantly
giving contradictory orders 10 Iho UraNcIieh! ana
nervous CONSERVATIVE SentIel'cn Put,cI ial'icay
at the GGl-roPe giving engineer MeOIeHuh no ehd
OF trouble just now the acclueht happened no one
can tel now DuI certain II Is thot before Tue Train
got haii way through, Ihere was shocking smash
up Inc locomotive eAPioueG' the cars were an
RltGdt TIA IN lraPAehl3, !he Track l9r9 4pA ahasuSha
doubtful if their names can ever be ascertalned-
called old Abe caused the disaster by putting rail