| From the Richmond Daily Dispatch |
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| July 25, 1864 |
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| Destruction of a railroad car by fire, with a large
amount of treasure on board |
| About half-past 12 o'clock on Saturday,
after the train on the {Richmond &} Danville
Railroad coming to this city had gotten a quarter of a mile this side
of Clover Station, distant about ninety-two miles from this place, the
local express car was discovered to be on fire. Immediately the train
was stopped, and every effort was made to extinguish the flames, but
they had gained too much headway, and in a short time the car was
destroyed. Inside were several boxes of gold, bank notes and papers,
which had been removed from the banks at Staunton for safe-keeping,
previous to the occupation of that place by Hunter's forces, besides
some bacon and two barrels of apple brandy, shipped on account of the
express company, and twenty trunks belonging to passengers on the
train. With the exception of the gold, every thing else was destroyed,
and so intense was the heat from the fire that some of the treasure
melted and ran down on the track. After the flames had subsided, two
flour barrels full of bullion and coin were gathered up and brought to
this city. |
| The origin of the fire is not definitely
known, though it is supposed to have proceeded from the sparks from
the engine falling through the cracks in
the top of the car among the bacon and dry boxes in which the gold was
packed. |
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