Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-04
An ENGINEERS CAREER
Corning Goodwin Reaches Hon
orable Pension List In
Northwestern Service
DROVE ENGINES IN THE WAR
Was Forced Into Confederate Service
Then Deserted to Union Side and OPP
Grated Engines in the Thickest of
Fiehts-Has Witnessed Whole His
tory of Railroads.
Special to Characterization.

Special to Times Republican.
Clinton, Aug. 4.-Thirty- years
ago in the month of March, Corning
L. Goodwin entered the employ OF the
Chicago Northwestern Railway COM
pany as an engineer. He has just been
notified that his name has been added
to the list of faithful employees to whom
this company has given pensions and
retired from active service.
Mr.. Goodwin, who is a resident OF
this city, has had varied and inter
esting career as a railroad man. De-
scended from long line of farmer
ancestors who, since 1910, titled the
soil and fought for their country in thu
colonial and revolutionary wars, he
followed the example Of four brothers
and left the old homestead near Lex
ington, Mass, and adopted railroading
as a life employment. This was In
1852, when he was but fifteen years OF
Fitchburg railway. at the age of sew
enteen he was firing on the Chicago 4
Alton and two years later was as
sistant yard master at the old central
depot at the foot of Lake street, Chi
cago. These yards were then used by
six different railways and problems II
transportation, terminating and
switching We're met with every day.
This experience, at the beginning OF
his railroad career, was Of .inestim-
able value in making Mr.. Goodwin
the practical railway man he has
been.
In 1858 Mr.. Goodwin was married n
Chicago and early in 1850 he resigned
his position in the yards to go firing
on the Mobile and Ohio road. running
from Jackson, Tenn, to Columbus
Junction, KY. He moved to Jackson
and in few months was given an en-
CINE on the road mentioned above, so
that the outbreak OF the civil war
found him and his intensely patriotic
wife in this hot bed Of secession. Be-
fore they realized what was transpir-
ing, communications with the north
were severed and as Mr.. Goodwin was
i
ne was unwillingly obliged to assist
In the confederate service until the
federal troops gained control OF the
country. During her compulsory res.-
dence IN Jackson. Mrs. Goodprn passed
thru many interesting and also harrass-
ing experiences, which were as dan
gerous as We're the more open hostfli-
ties her husband met.
When General Beauregard came west
after the battle OF Bull Run he planned
"a campaign into Kentucky. Mr.. Cool i
WIN took the train which carried Gen
eral Beauregard and his staff from,
Jackson to Columbus Junction and
when they met the union forces and
defeat, the same engineer hauled them
back. At the battle of Belmont the
train was in the thickest of the fight
and the enginmen laid pretty low. Back
to the south they hauled the confeder-
aSe general and his men, in and out
of the battle Of, Corinth, in and out
Of the battle Of Pittsburg landing. UP
and down the line the trains went with
supplies, soldiers and sometimes load
Of union prisoners en- route to the pri-
son pens further south. Mr.. Goodwin
kept at his work until 1868, when the
confederacy had been compelled to
ABANDON the lines and had been forced
south. Leaving the conferedate SER
vice at Meridian. Miss. Mr.. Goodwin
started on his IS mile walk back to
jackson. to his wife and infant daugh-
ter. The road and the woods were full
of cotton burners, guerillas. raiders
and scouting parties, but the engineer
lodged them all and reached his home
in safety.
General j. B. Mcpherson was now
military engineer for the federal army
and Grant was encamped at LAGRANGE.
To Them Mr. Goodwin went, told his
story and fifteen days after, was en-
gagged as an engineer over the same
road. Mcpherson and Grant constd-
cred him just the man they wanted
as he knew the road and country SO
well. The first train out of Jackson
in the federal service was hauled by
Mr.. Goodwin when he carried McPher-
son and his soldiers to the relief OF
Corinth which the rebels were trying
to retake. For many days after, Mr..
Goodwin was engaged in hauling rebel
prisoners across the line into Ken
lucky ana WdsS UIlASlHe GS'Sn SeIA AOs'N''
of supplies. Six times after he had
entered the federal services, he was
warned by negroes, of bridges burned
by conferedates to ditch the train and
at one time when he rounded curve,
he came to a halt in front or can
on planted in the middle Of the track
with a company or Forests cavalry
near. The train load Of supplies was
saved by the prompt reversal Of the
lever. Many were the times. Mr.. Good
win says, when minnie balls rained like
hail stones on his engine, but he al
ways sought a place Of safety and
opened the throttle. Mr.. Goodwin re-
turned to Chicago in 1854 and began
work on the Gelena and Chicago I'm
ion railway, which was soon after
merged into the Chicago Northwestern
and has worked for the company con-
tinuously since.
AppETlTF'S p0ORi