St-Hilaire train disaster
The St-Hilaire train disaster happened on June 29, 1864 in the town of Otterburn Park, near Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec at approximately 01:20 am EST.[1] It happened after the crew of a train ignored a stop signal and ended up calling through an open bridge.
| St-Hilaire train disaster | |
|---|---|
 Aftermath of the disaster | |
| Details | |
| Time | 1:20 am |
| Location | Otterburn Park, near Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec |
| Country | Province of Canada |
| Rail line | Grand Trunk Railway |
| Type of incident | Swing bridge open |
| Cause | Ignored stop signal |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 99 |
| Injuries | 100 |
In the disaster, 99 people were believed to be dead and 100 were injured.[2] The St-Hilaire train disaster remains to this day, the deadliest rail disaster in Canadian history.[3]
During an investigation into the incident, engineer William Burnie and conductor Thomas Finn had both ignored a stop signal and proceeded to cross the bridge anyways. This was against the safety laws in the country. The train would call through the open bridge and sink 10 feet into the river below. Burnie escaped while 99 other, along with Finn, died.[4]
On July 16, 1864, Burnie was convicted of negligence and a jury sentenced him to 10 years in prison.[1] Full responsibility would be placed on Grand Trunk Railway by a grand jury on October 5, 1864. They said that Grand Trunk Railway was negligent and mainly responsible for the disaster. The company would only be given a reprimand as punishment.[1]
St-Hilaire Train Disaster Media
Contemporary drawing of the recovery effort, published in The Illustrated London News.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "From the archives: A tale of two train wrecks; One engineer was hailed a hero, another was jailed". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Grand Trunk Railway of Canada". Historica Canada. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ↑ "From 99 dead when train plunged through swing bridge to Lac-Mégantic: Canada's most deadly rail accidents". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Fearful Railroad Accident" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2024.