Daily Republican

On Sunday morning about 1:30 o'clock, as the regular freight train bound from Philadelphia to Baltimore came near Bellevue station, about four miles from this city, it ran into a drove of cows on the track before they could be scared off or the engine reversed. The engine, No. 18, John Ruff engineer, was ditched, being thrown down an embankment about four feet high, the front of the engine plunging into an opposite bank, a distance of four or five feet.

Four freight cars were thrown across the track and on their sides. Five of the cows were killed outright and another so badly injured that it had to be killed. A wrecking train was sent out immediately with a large force of workmen, and it was not until 6 o'clock yesterday morning that the tracks were sufficiently cleared to permit the passage of trains which had collected on both tracks. No less than a dozen trains were delayed by the accident—three passenger trains north and four south. Five freight trains were delayed. A special train from Washington, bearing the Washington Light Infantry to New York, escaped the wreck by about ten minutes, and an Atlantic City excursion from Baltimore that should have reached its destination by 8:30 in the morning did not get there until noon.

Fortunately no person was killed or badly injured by the accident, as the trainmen jumped from the train when the accident was inevitable.

The drove of cattle consisted of 26 cows and steers, 24 of them belonging to Isaac S. Elliott, and 2 to George Talley. The cattle killed all belonged to Mr. Elliott. They had been pasturing in the marsh adjoining the river, but breaking out strayed upon the railroad track.