Desjardins Canal disaster


The Desjardins Canal disaster was a train accident that killed 59 people and occurred near Hamilton, Canada West, British North America. The train wreck occurred at 6:15p.m. on when a train on the Great Western Railway crashed through a bridge over the Desjardins Canal causing the train and its passengers to fall 60 feet into the ice below.

Recovery and rescue

The train had ninety passengers. Most in the last train car survived but others on the train either drowned or succumbed to injury. Locomative lamps and fires were built to illuminate the scene to aid in rescue efforts. Ropes and latters were lowered to bring the dead and wounded out of the train cars. One car, partially submerged, was accessed with axes by rescuers.