Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1883, February 6 - Collision at Kenyon Road, Canada Atlantic, 1 killed, 4 injured.

Ottawa Citizen 8 February 1883 On Tuesday night last an accident occurred on the Canada Atlantic road which seems to have arisen from the want of due attention to instructions on the part of some of the hands, and unfortunately resulted in the loss of life.  The accident occurred at Kenyon and was caused by a collision between the night mixed trains which are supposed to cross at that point.  The west bound train had arrived at the station, and after discharging its passengers, was backing to enter the siding and make way for the train bound eastward.  The latter came ahead under the control of one of the oldest and ablest engineers on the line but, owing to the dark and storm nature of the night he does not seem to have seen the other train until it was too late to avoid a collision.  The engines were not thrown off the track, but were considerably injured.  The passengers on board sustained no damage beyond considerable fright.  The fireman of the eastbound train Mr. Clarke, was unfortunately killed, and the engineer, Mr. Miles, had two of his ribs broken, besides sustaining other injuries.  Clarke, who was killed, was a young man residing with his parents at Coteau and was highly thought of by all of his friends.  Three other train hands were also injured but not seriously.  The cause of the collision, so far as can be learned, was the state of the night which prevented the engineer of the eastbound train to see what was before him. Ottawa Citizen 25 March 1939 Recalls Wreck Near Maxville in Eighties During his association with railway construction work with the old CA.R. in the eighties, Mr. H. P. Howell, veteran resident of Ottawa, figured in a bad wreck between Maxville and Alexandria. It was in the year 1882. Mr. Howell was on the rear coach of a mixed train coming from Coteau Junction to Ottawa and it was about two o'clock in the morning when this train passed Alexandria Station. About one o'clock that morning a special, carrying a considerable number of passengers, had left Ottawa bound for Montreal. In some manner directions had become mixed and instead of waiting at Maxville for the mixed train to pass, the special continued on its way. The result was that at a point half way between Maxville and Alexandria the two trains met head-on and there was a terrific smash-up. The two engines piled up, several of the cars of the mixed train were hurled into a deep ditch, many passengers were injured and fireman Clarke of the mixed train was killed. The force of the collision uncoupled the coach on which Mr. Howell was travelling and sent it flying down the tracks. It didn't stop its backward journey until it reached a point near Alexandria station Almonte Gazette 9 February 1883 FATAL COLLISION - A collision occurred on the Canada Atlantic Railway near Ottawa on Wednesday, between a freight and a passenger train, doing considerable damage. The engineer and fireman on one of the engined were killed. We have not heard the particulars.

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Updated 12 August 2022