Facts citing this source
| Ref | Date | Subject | Statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885-08-03 | 1885-08-03 | Canada Atlantic Transfer | The Canada Atlantic Transfer: how the railway cars cross the St. Lawrence at Valleyfield. One of the greatest hardships the railway had to contend with was the manner in which its proposal to bridge the St. Lawrence from Coteau to Valleyfield was treated -- all sorts of objections were urged by interested parties until the Government insisted upon such measures as left no hope for building the bridge at present. The result was a splendid new ferry steamer built for the Company's service and now in full operation. She is large enough to carry a locomotive, tender and five passenger cars, is double tracked, has two engines -- one on each side -- and two distinct boilers and funnels. She is 170 feet long, forty feet beam, seventy feet over all and flat bottomed, uses four balancing rudders at each end. She is a side wheeler, with four water-tight compartments, and her wheels are twenty-eight feet in diameter, with twelve feet bucket paddles, making eighteen turns to the minute. The name of the vessel is "The Canada Atlantic Transfer," and she draws three feet of water light and four feet with ten cars on board. Her engines are 300 horse-power, built by Rees Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pa.; her boilers were built by Messrs. J. McDougall & Co. of Montreal, of steel, 22 feet 6 inches long, 5 feet diameter, fitted with 113 three-inch tubes. Her first timbers were laid in June 1884, and on January 1st steam was gotten up for the first time. She makes the round trip with her load in forty five minutes and consumes eighteen cords of wood per week. Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway Items from Area Papers – 1885', Ottawa Railway History Circle, https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Papers%20by%20Year/1885.pdf (file revised April-26-24). Original issue not seen. |
| 1885-08-22 | 1885-08-22 | Rideau River Bridge | A fearful accident occurred this afternoon, on the Canada Atlantic Railway, at the bridge over the Rideau about a mile and a quarter from the Elgin Street station. A few minutes before three o'clock the freight train, No. 6, consisting of a locomotive, twenty-one cars and a van, was coming from the east and, when on the curve, just at the bridge, discovered four children on the structure. The bridge is one which is not intended for public use and warning notices are placed at each end of it. In some way two of the children got away, but the two eldest girls, of about eleven and fourteen years of age, were caught by the train and mangled to death. They are said to be the children of a man named Hogan, who resided on Theodore street. Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway Items from Area Papers – 1885', Ottawa Railway History Circle, https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Papers%20by%20Year/1885.pdf (file revised April-26-24). Original issue not seen. |
| 1888-02-06 | 1888-02-06 | Saint Polycarpe | While the up train from Montreal, on the Canada Atlantic Railway, was passing St. Polycarpe last night, an unknown miscreant alongside the track hurled a stone, which shattered a pane of glass of the parlour car. The passengers got a bad scare. The railway authorities are investigating the matter. Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, 'Local Railway Items from Area Papers – 1888', Ottawa Railway History Circle, https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Papers%20by%20Year/1888.pdf (rev. Feb-24-24). Original issue not seen. |
| 1891-08-14 | 1891-08-12 | Rideau Canal Bridge | An engine, tender and one freight car of a Coteau-bound way train dropped into the canal through the open swing bridge near the Elgin street depot at 6:10 a.m. Fireman Page had started the engine without the engineer (Michael Gaffney, who was in the office receiving orders) after Brakeman Gordon signalled to go ahead; the tug Minnie Bell had whistled for passage, and Bridgemaster Wallace opened the draw. Page reversed the engine too late; it plunged in, followed by the tender, with the first car cut in two. Page was thrown clear and swam ashore unhurt. Engine No. 33, a recent 70-ton (later corrected to 51-ton) engine with 19x24 cylinders, worth about $10,000, was blamed entirely on Page's unauthorized starting and failure to see the open draw or hear warnings; Conductor Cote and Bridgemaster Wallace were cleared of blame, though Gaffney was suspended pending inquiry despite having had nothing to do with it. Estimated loss to the company: $1,800–$2,000, mostly the cost of raising the engine. Repeated in the Kemptville Advance of 1891-08-14, per Churcher's note. Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway History Circle, https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Papers%20by%20Year/1891.pdf (rev. Aug-08-23). Original issue not seen. |
| 1891-10-06 | 1891-10-06 | Glen Robertson | A train was thrown off the track on the Canada Atlantic near Glen Robertson this morning, and two railway navvies were very seriously injured: an engine and some freight cars with tools and navvies left Glen Robertson, and had been going only a few minutes when the train was suddenly stopped by a tree across the track. The engine did not leave the track, but the cars carrying the navvies were thrown down an embankment; Dominique Duplino and Sept Turette each had their legs broken, and one was badly injured on the head. Both were sent to Montreal, arriving on the 11.20 train at Bonaventure Station, where the General Hospital ambulance carried the sufferers to hospital; doctors amputated one of Duplino's legs. Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway Items from Area Papers – 1891', Ottawa Railway History Circle, https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Papers%20by%20Year/1891.pdf (file revised August-08-23). Original issue not seen. |