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110 years ago this week
July 22, 1887
Train Wreck at Myrtle Station
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The big news around Brooklin 110 years ago this week was the spectacular
train accident at Myrtle Station. Witness these comments by the
Myrtle correspondent in the July 22 Whitby Chronicle:
The collision of two freight trains on the
C. P. R. at this station cause considerable excitement and much regret
that the young man Mr. McIntosh lost his life in the smash up and many
persons from the north, south, east and west visited the wreck on
Monday and Monday evening and we presume that the collision will be
sufficiently noted in the paper as Mssrs. Henderson & Graham were both
here to see the wreck.
The main story follows:
The Myrtle Smash up.
On Monday morning last, about 3:10, just as the dim light was beginning
to steal in to the mists which clung to the sides of ridges, an east-bound
freight train stopped at the water-tank in Myrtle station to take a
supply of water. Its orders were to pass another train there. The
other train was soon heard coming thundering in from the east at full
speed. Of course the hands on the train felt secure as they no doubt
believed the train would stop at the simaphore. If so the idea was
dispelled in a few seconds, for it appeared in the dim light bearing
down upon them like a cyclone. There was nothing to be done but blow
the whistle and all jump and run for their lives, which all hands did
as far as is known or can be known in this world. The coming engine
glared at the other with its one sparkling eye and with ten thousand
times the strength and fierceness of a mad bull approaching its foe,
rushed at its mate. Once they met it only took a second. Such a
catastrophe as makes man shudder does not at all affect the great
machinery that runs the world round and round, so the light kept on
stealing slowly in from the east and opened out to the gaze of the
trainman's scene of destruction such as is seldom seen on our Canadian
roads. Like living things the locomotives had clinched each other in
their iron embraces and, pitched up against each other, seemed to
strangle with the escaping steam. When there was light enough to
enable one to see a disastrous spectacle presented itself. One
locomotive was totally wrecked, and stood up on its hind legs, as it
were against the other, great irons on each being snapped like
pipe-stems. The wonder is that neither one exploded. Behind each
engine the tinder had smashed right through the engineer's van and was
touching the boiler, and in each case the tender had telescoped its way
into the car behind it. Between the locomotives there was no space,
not even a sign of cow-catchers being visible; nor was there an
instance for many cars back from the locomotives where the coupling had
not been knocked into a cocked hat. A few cars--or at least a few rods,
for one could scarcely count the cars, there was such a jumble--east from
the water-tank, lay the dead body of James McIntosh, a brakesman. It
lay in the ditch about ten feet below the level of the track. The head
was almost entirely cut off, the left arm was broken and the face badly
cut. It was a sickening sight, but in this age when men are destroyed
by machinery to get them out of the way fast enough, it is not
considered much of a tragedy which only puts an end to one man.
Well, the wreckers came along and proceeded to cut the cars to pieces
wherever the disaster had failed. Tough looking brawny workmen pitched
into the wreck and we heard one man gaily warble "Patrick's Day"
while he was removing broken material almost from the very spot where
the dead man's blood stained the grass, and where the flies were holding
a camp-meeting. Tobacco is devoured by the cord, or ton, or however, it
is sold in large quantities. These wreckers are always working in the
tar and oil and dirt and are as black as Africans before they toil five
minutes. But each of them has a large valise inside his shirt in which
he carries a piece of tobacco varying from the size of a buggy
seat-cushion to that of a pack of shingles.
Both trains seemed to have been loaded with miscellaneous freight,
for here could be found (smashed of course) kegs of spikes, cases of
zinc, barrels of sugar, wheat, straw, the remnant of a carriage, and the
land only knows what all. From the way these articles were being looked
after one would think these wreckers were no relation to the baggage
smashers in the stations along this line. It always seems to be the
business of the station baggage smashers to to break up all they can,
while these wreckers try to save all they can. Perhaps the secret of
it is that the efforts of the station destroyers don't cost the company
anything, while the company has to pay for all that cannot be accounted
for after a wreck like this one. For this reason a constable is sent
along with each wrecking train, and this officer watches that nothing
is stolen. This constable tried in our presence to stop some girls
from eating granulated sugar, but he failed. They ate until they were
tired and cracked off their fingers in the barrel, and smiled at the
limb of the law and went away defiantly. This caused the young ladies
to be much admired by the young men who stood around.
The loss was perhaps $75,000 by the railway and $4,000 worth of
tobacco chewed by the wreckers during the time they were finishing up
the wreck.
THE INQUEST
On Wednesday an inquest was conducted by Coroner Carson and Co. Attorney
J. E. Farewell. The evidence went to show that any train moving east
has the right-of-way, or in other words, has the right to keep the main
track when crossing other trains, the trains going west being obliged in
all cases to take the switch. From this it will be seen that the train
which stood at the water-tank was all right. The train coming from the
east should have stopped at the semaphore and switched itself off to
pass the other. It had run from Manvers at the rate of ten or twelve
miles per hour and for four miles had been running a heavy down grade
with twenty-eight cars. It is obvious therefore that either the trainmen
were asleep or indifferent or else their efforts to stop a heavy train
on down grade with a wet track were futile. From the evidence it is
obvious also that the witnesses did not intend either the railway
company or any living man to be held responsible for this accident. We
shall be charitable enough to believe the witnesses, but it should be
borne in mind that men are being slaughtered every day by railway
accidents, and it is time something was done.
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