Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

Ottawa Citizen 19 October 1915

Wreck Due to Cow on Track
Pontiac train on C. P. R. Line derailed but no one seriously injured.
A wreck which fortunately was unattended with loss of life or even serious injury to the passengers or train crew, occurred on the C. P. R. yesterday morning at 9. 15 when the Pontiac train, due in Ottawa at 9. 40, was partially derailed at a point near the Connaught Park race track. The accident was caused through the locomotive, which was in charge of engineer Joseph Murphy, hitting a cow which had wandered onto the track.
Engineer Murphy saw the animal when his train was about 100 yards away, and at once shut off steam and appled to the emergency brakes. The engine, however, carried along by its own momentum, hit the animal and leaving the rails, toppled over on its side into the ditch, carrying with it the baggage and mail cars, which remained up right, but plowed into the embankment.
When the engineer and his fireman, R. Griffith, felt the impact of the collision they at once jumped and managed to get clear of the locomotive before it toppled over. The two were slightly scalded by escaping steam, and also sustained some bad bruises, but the injuries are not of a serious nature, and they were able to board a Hull electric car and come on into Ottawa unaided.
The train was in charge of conductor N. Fullerton and had a fairly large number of passengers who beyond a fright and shaking up escaped without injury, as the three passenger coaches remained on the track.
Word of the accident was sent to the to the Hull electric car barns ar Deschenes and the company sent down two cars, in which the passengers from the wrecked train were taken on to Ottawa.
The C. P. R. officials in Ottawa telegraphed to Smith's Falls for a steam crane to place the locomotive back on the track, and traffic will not be delayed more than a few hours.
This is the second occasion upon which engineer Murphy, who resides in Rochesterville, has been in a wreck. He was the engineer on the Pontiac train which was wrecked three years ago, while backing into Ottawa, when five people killed and a number injured.