Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-21
A SAD JOUNEY.
That of the Sherman Funeral
Train Westward.
Narrow Escape of the Train
Being Wrecked

BY Misplaced Switch n Few Miles West
of Pittsburg But Few stops Made
Along the Route, Although People
Gather Everywhere to Testify Their
Affection ana sorrow.
PITTsBURG, Feb. 2l.-All through
Thursday night, the solitary light in the
funeral car burned above the casket in
which lay the remains of the last Of the
great commanders of the war Of rebel
lion, All night long, a solitary watcher
in the blue and crimson Of the artillery
uniform paced up and down the narrow
passage beside the casket. Through
sleet and driving wind, the funeral train
climbed the steep mountain grades. The
track was slippery, but the train kept
steadily on at good rate of speed
At Philadelphia the presidents car
was dropped from the train to continue
its journey to Washington. After leav-
ing Philadelphia only two stops were
made during the night-at Altoona and
New Florence. Altoona was reached at
4.05 o'clock. There was stop of about
five minutes and change of engines
was made. G. w Culp, the train mas
ter of the Pittsburg division took charge
OF the train at Altoona,
Almost Wrecked.
The Sherman funeral train came very
near running into misplaced switch
Just east of Mansfield, seven miles west
of Fittsburg, The engineer discovered
the danger and stopped his train III time
to avoid an accident.
The train was in charge of Engineer
George A. Cassiday, a member of the
Union Veteran League, who served un-
der Gen. Sherman. II. X. Evans was
his fireman and r. V. Fogarty, the con-
ductor who took the train in charge.
Only one other stop was made before
morning-at New Florence, where
water was taken. There was no demon
stration there, and none marked the
passage Of the train in the early morning
except the tolling of bells in one or two
towns until Edgewood was reached,
There a stop was made at 7:27 to take
on board the three children of Thomas
w. Fitch The Edgewood Grand Army
post was drawn up along the platform.
The veterans stood in the rain with
heads uncovered until the train pulled
out of the station, At Williamsburg
there was Grand Army post on the
PLATFORM DdU UuO lldlh Htu0 HO sup
there.
At Pittsburg.
At 7:26 o'clock Il. IN. three taps on the
fire alarm bells in Pitt'burg and Allie
gheny City announced the arrival of the
Sherman funeral train within the east
ern limits of the city at Homewood sta
ton, on the Pennsylvania railroad.
Church, fire alarms and bells on public
buildings throughout both CitIo- began
a mournful tolling, which continued un-
til the Grape covered train passed beyond
the city confines on its way westward
over the Panhandle railroad,
A salute of seventeen guns was fired
at the Allegheny National arsenal, while
Battery B fired like salute from high
knoll overlooking the Union depot,
while the train was being transferred
from the Pennsylvania railroad tracks,
and inspected preparatory to the west
ern journey.
The disagreeable weather seriously
interrupted the demonstration at the
Union station us had been contem-
plated. but Notwithstanding this, sew
era1 thousand people gathered under the
platform sheds and stood witt -4lnCov-
cred heads while the train remained at
the station. All of the Grand Army of
the Republic posts in Allegheny county
were represented by small detachments
from each post, probably 500 members
of the Grand Army of the Republic and
Union Veterans League. being present,
bringing with them and placing in the
funeral car costly floral tributes of ap-
propriate and exquisite design. Sew
eral posts Sons of Veterans and five
companies Eighteenth Regiment, Ma
tional Guards of Pennsylvania, We're
also drawn up in line at the side of the
long funeral train. At $40 o'clock all
preparation for the western trip was
completed and the train pulled out Of
the station
Just previous to its departure the
children of Lieut. Thomas w, Fitch
and few intimate friends of the Sher-
man family gathered ut the door of the
funeral car and there remained sor
rowing group until the somber train
was lost to view, The train will make
very few stops west of Pittsburg.
Except in the press and officers car
and dining car the curtains on the
coaches remained tightly drawn, and no
one of the funeral party, except those
whose duties required, had made their
appearance when the train left Union
station.
At every suburban station and even
along the line crowds gathered and all
uncovered on the momentary presence
of the dead.
A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.