Details of Railway Incidents in the Ottawa Area

1891, September - Canadian Pacific makes a high speed run from Yokohama to New York

Ottawa Citizen 2 September 1891 YOKOHAMA TO NEW YORK by Telegraph to THE CITIZEN. Montreal, 1st. - the Canadian Pacific Railway fast mail train, which left Vancouver on Saturday last at 1 p.m. on the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway steamer Empress of Japan with the China and Japan mails, reached Brockville at 9. 3 this evening, having made the run in 76 hours, allowing for 3 hours lost by changes in time. A special left Morristown over the New York Central at 9.45 p.m. which will probably reach New York at 4.30 on Wednesday morning, making the time from Vancouver to New York about 83 hours and from Yokohama to New York in a trifle less than 13 days. If the mails catch the Inman line steamship City of New York, which sails at 5 a.m., they should reach London Wednesday September 9th, making the time from Yokohama to London via the Canadian Pacific Railway and New York in just 21 days. The special train on the Canadian Pacific was delayed about 3 hours by hot boxes, otherwise the connection with the city of New York would have been made with ease, as it may be missed by an hour. In that event the mails will go by the Hamburg - American steamship Columbia, sailing at 6 a.m..Thursday Almonte Gazette 4 September 1891 A WONDERFUL RECORD Across the Continent in 84 Hours - the C. P. R. Breaks the World's Railway Record - A Race Against Time - Through Almonte Like a Flash. Probably the fastest train that ever passed through Almonte was that which flew through our town on Tuesday evening last, shortly after eight o'clock. It started from Vancouver, B.C. immediately upon the arrival of one of the C.P.R. steamers from Chinese and Japan ports, having on board for the first time the mails and a couple of passengers destined for England and the continent. It was bound for New York, and was being rushed through in order to make connection with one of the Atlantic greyhounds for Europe. The steamer left Yokohama at 8:45 a.m. August 19th, and arrived off Victoria, B.C. August 29th, making the run in 9 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes - the fastest time ever made between the two countries. The C.P.R. train left Vancouver at 4:08 a.m. on Saturday, and made the fastest time yet reached in crossing the continent. Winnipeg was reached on Monday at 8:40 a.m. The run from Banff to Winnipeg, a distance of 920 miles, was made in 23 hours, including stops, making an average of 40 miles an hour. At times a rate of 70 miles an hour was attained, and 50 and 60 miles an hour was quite frequent. Equally fast running was made on this end of the line, as the following will show: Port Arthur to Brockville, 892 miles, in 22½ hours; Chalk River to Almonte 94 miles in 1 hour 52 minutes; Almonte to Brockville, 53 miles, in 59 minutes. Engineer Connell was at the throttle of engine No. 271 as she ran over this division; Conductor Vanalstine was in charge, and Mr. H.B. Spencer was on board from Port Arthur, where a third coach was attached. The train was hurriedly ferried across at Brockville. In the journey across the continent the train made the run between Vancouver and Brockville, a distance of 2802 miles, and 77 hours, and the New York Central ran from Morristown to New York in 7 hours, making the total time from Vancouver to New York, a distance of 3,162 miles, 84 hours. This speed for such a distance has not before been made on any railway. For the shorter distance between Utica and Albany, the 95 miles were made in 90 minutes. The journey from Yokohama to New York not only beats the record of travel between these two points, but surpasses any known record in the world. The train arrived at Grand Central station, New York, at 4:43 o'clock. The "City of New York"  was due to sail at 5 o'clock. The question was, "Could the mails be transferred from the Grand Central Station in 17 minutes?" the Canadian Pacific people had seen the Inman people and arranged for holding back the vessel a few minutes. Quick as lightning Assistant Superintendent Bradley, who had gone down on the special train, had the twelve foreign mail bags dumped into a truck, and jumping in, had the driver whip the horses into breakneck speed through New York's streets. The horses were equal to the emergency, and shortly after five o'clock the dock was reached and the ship set sail at 5:10 a.m. The trial was a grand success. If the vessel makes the voyage in her usual time Liverpool will be reached on September 7th, Landing the "Empress of Japan's" mails 20 days from Yokohama. The mails will arrive in London Wednesday, September 9th, and will have completed the distance between Yokohama and London in 21 days. Twenty-four days is the best time that has hitherto been made by the C.P.R. As a result of this record-smashing event it is expected that a bridge across the St. Lawrence will be built at Brockville, and a large amount of trade will be secured to Canada that has hitherto gone through other channels. In any case it is a grand advertisement for our Dominion. Ottawa Citizen 10 September 1891 The mail which left Yokohama by the "Empress of Japan," at 8:00 a.m. on 19th August, was distributed in London by the first delivery yesterday morning, just twenty-one days from the time they were put on board. This one unprecedented feet will do more to make the business community of Great Britain understand the importance of the Canadian Pacific Railway than a dozen agents could ever accomplish. The C.P.R.'s Mail Record London, 9th. - Londoners this morning have an unusual theme for conversation. It is the wonderful Canadian Pacific mail record, and everyone is talking about this great event. The City of New York, with the mails from the far east on board, arrived at Queenstown yesterday and this morning the mails were delivered at the London post-office, thus completing the journey between Yokohama and London in under 21 days. This record beats all previous efforts, and leaves the post-office guide badly in the lurch. That official time-table gives the China and Japan mails thirty-one days, via Vancouver, and forty-three days via the Suez Canal. The fact that the C.P.R. have done the distance in less than half the time required for the Suez Canal, is much commented on, and it is needless to say that comparison is calculated to raise the Canadian route very much in favor among business men, not to speak of the post-office and military authorities. It is probable that the next step will be to dispatch a fast mail from England to the east, for the purpose of seeing if the record will hold good in both ways. Commenting on the quick transit of the mails, the TIMES this morning says that this record is pregnant with untold issues for the future of the Empire. At the same time the paper points out that Canada must not rest until the service from one end of the route to the other is completely under British control. In Canadian circles it is hoped this wonderful record will revive interest in the Canadian Atlantic mail project which seems at the present time to be in a languishing state.

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Updated 15 April 2023