The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-11-25
Great Railroad Disaster.


ington, ID. c., under the charge of chic
engineer George B. Mcclellan. 1t wa.
expected TO make the trip through ii
twelve hours. The train was very heasil,
laden with merchandise shipped by New
York Jew house. August Belmont agent
All the oopperheads in the country were
passengers, besides few innocent people
who had been deluied into taking an ex-
curslon trip by the offer of dead-head tick
els. Horatio Seymour of New York was
the conductor assisted hy Franklin Pierce.
C. L. Nallandigham and Joel Parker.
Ben Wood was appointed to hold all the
money received for fares and wore a hat
band marked eonspicuouSly i-ll-ii. For
convenience and comfort the passengers
Were classified in the cars; the fogie> un-
der the charge of Robert c. Winthrop
and Millard Fillmore; the short bows m:
der John Van Buren, and Captain Ryn-
ders, the mountebanks and minStrels led
10y Jack Rodgers and Marble. editor of
the World, and the clergymen marShaled
by the Very ReverendS e. Chameey Burr
and H. J. Van DYKE. There were sever
al cars that were intended TO he attached
10 the train that did not make the connec-
tion-one from Canada, with George y.
Sanders conductor. and roomv one from
New York. filled with Governor Sevmour's
% friends" were both detained by the un-
warrantable interference of a man named
Benjamin Z. Butler, who came to New
York last week TO ''stop spell" The
ears Were gorgeously decorated with such
elegant mottoes As the following -. But
ter has riz,' Abe Lincoln Is gorilla
'Little Mikes the by be .iaber,.' :. Nig-
gers for slaves, Irishmen for our maSters,''
We are coming brother JEFF, Lei Us
change our base" Here's our spaniels
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 expe-
dient of Fernando Wood. who pulled him
into the train backwards by his coat tail
Engineer Mcclellan was dressed in the
full rig of a Major General. for which his
Uncle Sam paid, He was very nervous.
and remarked that he should prefer gun
boat 10 a ride on such locomotive. This
engine was a new one built at Chicago
last August. but on plan designed 10y
Benedict Arnold. and subsequently i'm
proved bv Aaron Burr and John {. Cal
houn. Ii WAS built 70 the order of JEFF.
Davis and bore the engaging name OF
Cessation which was adopted rs a
slight change from the original desi ignation
" Secession" 1t occaSioned a good deal
of remark that hardly any soldiers took
passage on the train. There were some
men named Grant Sherman, Hooker and
Dix around who very ungenerously ex-
pressed doubts as 10 the safety of the
track and the ability of the engineer. and
it is supposed this preiudiced the blue
coat" boys. Besides this. the conductor
of the train refused 10 have an American
flag on the engine, and the soldiers have
a stubborn feeling of prejudice on that
subject Notwithstanding these slight
drawbacks, the train moved off with The
good wishes and cheers of all the rebel
soldiers in Lees army. all the British aris-
toerltS, the pirate SemmeS and his friends,
From all that can be learned from the
ineoherent talk of the few survivors of the
sad catastrophe, il appears that there was
trouble from the very start The engin-
eer and his fireman Pendleton quarreled
all the trip, about the method of firing
up. and the conductor and fare taker were
constantly giving contradictory orders to
the brakemen, and nervous conservative
old gentlemen pulled frantic=illy al the
bell rope, giving engineer Mcclellan NO
end of trouble Just how the accident
happened no one can tell NOW, but certain
If Is that before the train got half WAY
through. there was shocking smash up
The locomotive exploded, the cars were
piled up in fragments, the track torn up
and such a multitude of passengers fatally
injured that II is doubtful ii their names
can ever be ascertained- Some assert
that an old Illinois joker, familiarly called
Old Abe. caused the disaster by putting 4
rail on the track Others, thai the fireman
Pendleton LEI too much wafer out nf Tho
peace tank upon the fire in McClellan's
boiler; Others, that Nallandigham ran
the train off the track by dropping an
20. \. X" stick of timber under the
wheels; still Others. that the engin,.'r Ns.aS
frightened by suddenly discovering "a
Niger in his wood pile" on the tender
ana overturned the locomotive 10y attempt
ing to change his base" too suddenly
Whatever the cause, there Is no doubt of
the complete wreck of the whole train
and the sad fate of the excurSioniSts.-
There are but slight fragments of the
more distinguished persons that are reoogT-
nizable- Ben. Wood Is mis>ing a!toEeth-
er. except his 4-ll-ii hadge- Feruin /"
was recognized by copy of the statute
of Limitations in his trousers pocket Ho-
ratio Seymour and VallaniiSllam Were
| found locked in each other arms and
crushed under the weig ght "i certain ;, dry
goods boxes" that contained bogus sol
diers votes: Governor Parker was hally
bruised and lo-t hi- eyeSlght so that he
..eouldn't see IL any more; Penileton
WAS nitrhed hesdlong into a nasty ditch
6TL.J with secession mud. which choked
him and a. for the engineer. he was blown
20 much higher than Gilderoy's kite and
was 10 minutely pulverized that there l. no