The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-12-22

. 'P'S 'Ao" octOfo. @ifff0 - sfa'ft Thb
> -ilfd lpoddFrom the Jersey City.Timesl b,4s,
treat Railroad Disaster.
f We have to record the most extensive an
/ fatal casualty ever known in this country
, Yesterday morning. at an early hour, a YER
large traiti left Orange N. j., enroute for tb
, White House, Washington. D. g., under III
charge OF chiefehgineer Gaorge B. Mcclellan
4 was expected to make the trip through II
Twelve hours. The brain was very heavil,
laden with merchandise shipped by New
York Jew House, August Belmont agent ,n e.
All the Copperheads in the country were re
passengers. besides few innocent pe,p,e
who had been deluded into tax ing an cxcur.
sion trip by the offer Of deadhead tickets
Horatio Seymour, Of New York, was the con. con.
ductor. assisted by Franklin Pierce, C. L.
Vallandigham and Joel Parker. Ben Wood
was appointed to hold all the money reeeiv !,
ed for fares, and wore hatbar1d marked
conspicuously 41l44.N ' Peg 4ts'i
For convenience and comfort the passen,
gers were classified in the car, the fop;es
under the charge of Robert Q. Winthrop and
M NlaEd alld Ell@NEs nh ihs albert Eas'
few cclergymen marshaied by the very Revs.
g. Chauncey Burr and II. ]. Van DYKE
There was several cars that were intended to
be attached to the train that did not make
the connection-one from Canada, with
George N. SAUNDERS conductor, and a roomy
one from New York, fiIled with Governor
Sc, mour's friends" were both detained by
the unwarrantabie interference of man
named Beniamin F: Bntler, who came to
New York last week to 'stop a spell" The
cars were georgous!y decorated with such et
egant notices rs the following: SHUTTER mas
riz.." sssAbe Linoclneis gor'lla,"f Little
Mixes the by BE jabers," ''Niggers for
slaves, Irishmen for men for our masters, !,
.Wes are coming brother jeff, "Let us
change our base" sHere's your spaniels fo'
Ifyou Massa Davis" ls.a1 u z .t}seer' -
j They moved outofthe Orange depot gai-
Nv to the tune of Dixie, though the enginee'
+ hesi,ated when the final moment of depart
} ure came, about stepping on the pletform
and was at last only gct on board 10y a It'll
expedient of Fernando Wood, who pulle'
him into the train backwards by his Goa
tall Engineer Mcclellan was dressed in tn
full rig OF. a Major General, fo- which hi
Uncle Sam paid. He was very nervous, ar
rem qrked that he should prefer q ginboat
t a ride on suchea locomotive The engin
was a new one, built at Chicago last Aagus
3 but On plan designed by Bcnddiet Arnold
0 subsequently improved by Aaron Burr ant
Q John Calhoun g II was built to the order I
: jeff Davis, and bore the engaging name
: "Cessation," which was adopted by d isligi
l- change from the original designation Of rs
lcession.'wi ;iTNs sge< 81 .t,st sli go baaifo
,r II occasioned good deal of remark tn
,r har,lIy any soldiers took passage on 4
. train. There were some men named Grar
% fSheridan, Sherman, Hooker and Dix aroun
Is Iwho very ungenerously expressed doubts
to to the safety Of the track and the ability
the engineer, and Il is supposed this pref
n diced the ssblue coat" boys. Besides Il
at |the conductor Of the train;refused TO have
,e American flag on the engine, and the $
in diers have stubborn feeling of prejudice
a. that subject Notwithstanding these siie
; atdrawbacks the train moved oil. with !
D good wishes and cheers Of all the rebel :
of diers in Lees army, all the British Aris
= fccrnats, and the pirate Semmes and his frien
of From All that car, be learned from the in
nus iherent talk OF the few survivors Of the |
err catastrophe It ,pears that there. was tro'
all lie from the very start. ! -.
his The engineer and his fireman, Pendlet'
ng | quarreled, all the trip, about the method
Inc firing up, and the conductors and the IA
ted taker we're Constantly giving contradict'
ent orders to the brakemen, and nervous 9
the servative old gentlemen pulled frantically
the the bellrope, giving engineer Mcclellan
him end Of trouble. just how tho accident b
his pened no one can tell now, but certain Il
de. that before the train got half way throu
Ira. there was shocking smash up. The
est, comotive exploded, the cars were all p
as. ap In fragments, the track torn UP.
belt such q multitude Of passengers fatally
With iured that II is doubtful il their names
,ow! fever be ascertained. Some assert tia
re. old frinais joker, familiarly called Old
0 Of caused the disaster by putting rail Of
una. track; others that the fireman Pendleto
70 lltE ~ y .~--ts :. - a-9t ~ S4iS4i 4