Results for ‘Train Wrecks’
[Waterford Star, September 23, 1915]
An accident which might have had very serious results occurred on the Michigan Central Railroad early Monday morning, just west of Welland when passenger train No. 14 ran into the rear end of a freight train. The only damage resulting was the injury to the way car of the freight train, the rear end of which was broken in considerably. The occupants, conductor Dick Hindley and two brakemen and a stock drover, were given a severe shaking up. The passengers on 14 also received a rude jar and were awakened from their slumbers. Fireman Ford received scratches on his face but engineer Levi Crutts was not touched at all.
[Waterford Star, July 30, 1896]
On Tuesday of last week a T.H.&B. engine was ditched about a mile and a half out from Welland and the engineer was killed. The engine has since then remained in the ditch until Sunday, when the M.C.R. wrecking crew with the steam derrick went down and lifted it out.
[Waterford Star, January 19, 1899]
An accident occurred on the M.C.R. at Welland Saturday morning that fortunately did not result in the loss of life. The engine of No. 15 express at 2.10 this morning, from some unknown cause jumped the tracks. The engine turned over on its side into the ditch and the engineer, Mr. T. Lawler, and the fireman, Mr. John Currie, were injured but not seriously. The train consisted of an express car, a baggage car, two coaches and two sleepers, which owing to the multiplicing of tracks at the point of the run off were turned sideways and every other direction completely blocking the traffic. The passengers, though treated to a severe shaking up, all escaped injuries, except one whose name cannot be learned. He received a cut over the eye, caused by a piece of broken glass. The auxiliary was sent down from here and the track was cleared so that traffic was resumed before noon today. Dr. Smith, the company’s surgeon, W.J. Orr, superintendent of the Railroad Hospital, and Detective Heenan went down to the scene of the wreck. The injured were brought home this afternoon.
A train of cars plunges through an open bridge into the Welland Canal.
[Waterford Star, April 28, 1876]
A terrible railway accident happened at the junction of the Canada Southern Railway and the Welland Canal, about a mile south of this town, last night about 10 o’clock.
About 10 o’clock last evening, the man in charge of the railway swing bridge, George Beams, had the bridge, which is double, open, to allow the tug Mary O’Laughlin to pass, and while it was thus open he saw a train coming from the west. The red signal light was up, and every precaution taken, but the engine gave no sign of stopping or even slacking speed. The bridge-tender waved his lamp, and did all he could to attract attention, but without avail. He, however, stuck manfully to his post, although warned by those standing on the opposite bank of the canal to leave the bridge or he would be killed. From the conductor it is learned that, just previous to the accident the fireman, H. Jones, had left the engine, going to the caboose for his lunch, his place being taken by John Vauhoughton, brakesman, aged twenty-six.At the rear of the train of 33 cars, they saw the danger, and did their best to arrest their progress, but unsuccessfully, for the engine did not lesson its speed, and they feared the driver was asleep, and saw from the light and sparks that the brakesman, Vanhoughton, was firing up.
On arriving at the pond, just before reaching the canal, the engine plunged into the water dragging after it eight of the cars loaded as they were with merchandise. Some of the cars passed over the engine, striking against the swing-bridge, pushing it almost six feet off the centre.
A wrecking car was promptly on the spot from the west, and a spare engine from Fort Erie, bringing with them W.K. Muir, General Manager; C.E. Burton, Master Mechanic and Chas. Carr, Bridge Superintendent.
John Vanhoughton was found by Conductor Ferguson on the bank a little down the track, nearly submerged in the water. He was carefully taken out, and it was found that life was not quite extinct. He died, however, shortly afterwards.
The driver it is supposed is buried in the debris of the engine. His body has not yet been recovered. His name is Aaron Cady, of Watertown, New York, but lately of Terre Haute, Ind.
It is supposed the line will not be open for traffic for about three days.
The Canada Southern have made arrangements with the Grand Trunk Company by which there will be no interruption to the through freight and passenger traffic on the former road. Their trains will take the Grand Trunk Railroad track at Canfield, to and from the East.
[Waterford Star, January 15, 1903]
Welland Jan. 10.—A disastrous head-on collision occurred on the G.T.R. between 6 and 7 o’clock this morning a few yards south of where the track crosses the Welland River at Port Robinson, between a Wabash freight drawn by engine No. 1,845 and a Grand Trunk freight, double-header, drawn by freight engines Nos. 760 and 724, eastbound. A fireman, a young man named Robert McHarg, whose father is station agent at London, was instantly killed. He had apparently seen the danger and jumped, his body being terribly mutilated under a wrecked car. The line is double tracked north and south, there being single track for crossing Welland River. The wreck took place just at the junction of the double and single tracks on the south side of the river. The Wabash engine and the head engine of the G.T.R. went down an embankment, and were completely wrecked. The other engine was badly damaged, but remained on the track. Seven freight cars are entirely demolished, two of them buckling in the middle of the train and falling into the river.
[The Waterford Star, May 9, 1907]
Welland, May 4—Passenger traffic on the eastern section of the Michigan Central’s Canada division had to be detoured over the Wabash tracks between Buffalo and Canfield Junction, while freight traffic is stopped entirely, as the result of an accident which badly wrecked the company’s drawbridge across the Welland canal, at 3 o’clock this morning, and put that structure temporarily out of business.
A boat passing along the canal, ran into the bridge, owing, it is believed, to a misunderstanding of signals. The railway at once set a gang of men at work repairing the structure, and expect that the westbound track will be in use by tonight. It may take some days to repair the other track, which is in bad shape.
[The Waterford Star, November 9, 1905]
An accident occurred on the M.C.R. at Welland Friday night which resulted in the loss of one life.
As the last mail was approaching on the eastbound, or south track, the baggageman and clerk pulled the baggage truck into the westbound, or north track, to load the baggage onto the train.. A westbound freight came along and ran into the truck.
Simpson. The clerk, had his right foot cut off and his head badly injured, there being four scalp wounds. It was feared that his scull had been fractured. He was completely paralyzed and no hopes were entertained for his recovery.
The baggagemen, had his left leg and shoulder bruised.
Penrose Stewart, an express messenger was slightly injured.
Two Freight Trains Collide
[Waterford Star, February 7, 1879]
Welland, Feb. 2nd—This morning about 5:15 freight train No 13, C.S.R., mostly empties, bound west, was left standing an the Lyons Creek bridge about a mile and a-half east of Welland, when the engine ran to the tank near Welland station for water. While there No. 119 special, also mostly empty cars, ran into the rear of the former train, causing great destruction of property and the serious, if not fatal, injury of Geo. Tyler, brakesmen on No. 13. Eighteen cars was entirely destroyed. The locomotive of the rear train ran into the caboose of the other and both were burned so as to be entirely useless, nothing being left of the caboose except trucks. The fire occurred about the middle of the bridge, which was also considerably burned, being saved only by the exertion of farmers living in the immediate vicinity of the collision. One car of clocks was so smashed up as to be a total loss, and a car of dry goods was badly damaged. The escape of the engineer and fireman of 119 was almost miraculous, as they knew nothing of their danger until the engine was stopped, having been almost telescoped into the caboose.The usual signals were not seen. By eight o’clock a.m. Superintendent Skinner was on the ground and a telegraph office established in an invered car. Timber, rails and other material were brought, and by well directed exertions the debris was removed, the bridge repaired, and traffic resumed by five p.m. The brakesman Tyler was attended by Dr. Cook, of Welland. His leg is badley broken near the ankle, and it is feared that amputation will be necessary. About six p.m. he was removed to St. Thomas, where his leg was amputated above the ankle by Dr. McLarty.
[The Waterford Star, Oct. 31, 1907]
Welland, Oct 23—An attempt to wreck a Michigan Central train about half a mile west of Welland was made Sunday night. About 9;30 Miss Sweeney, a school teacher residing about three miles west of Welland, while walking to town discovered a large quantity of iron piled on the tracks. She quickly removed several pieces, all of them that she could lift, and hurried to the tower-house at the Michigan Central bridge which crosses the canal at that point, and told the men in charge there what she had discovered.
The fast express, No.3, was just due and the semaphore lights were thrown against the train barely in time to bring it to a stop. The men then hurried on a handcar to the place and found two rail-spreaders and a fishplate placed on the inside of the rail in a manner that would almost assuredly have thrown the express train into the deep ditch. The obstructions were removed and the express proceeded on its way.
A force of detectives has been in Welland working on the matter and Edward Palmer, an English boy, aged about 15 years was placed in the county jail last night, and will have to answer to the charge of placing the obstructions on the track. The boy has made a clean breast of his part in the affair. He says, however, he did it with no thought that any damage would result.
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