Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1924, May 31 - Crossing collision Rochester Street, CNR Renfrew sub., minor injuries

Ottawa Citizen  2 June 1924 TWO PERSONS IN AMAZING ESCAPES WHEN C.N.R. TRAIN  HIT MOTOR TRUCK Mr. and Mrs. T. Hill Hurled to Safety When Machine Struck by Passenger Train at Rochester Street Crossing. Driver Failed to See Oncoming Train or Hear the Warning Signals. When the motor truck in which they were driving, was demolished, when struck by a west-bound passenger train at the C.N.R. Rochester street crossing on Saturday evening. Thomas Hill. Currell avenue, Westboro. miraculously escaped with scalp wounds and his wife uninjured, though both were badly shaken up. It was estimated that the train was travelling between 15 and 20 miles an hour. Residents in the vicinity of the mishap are amazed at the escape of the two occupants of the truck. As the accident happened during the supper hour most nearby residents were inside their homes at the time when they were suddenly aroused, by the loud report of a collision. The noise of the collision was made still greater by the fact that the truck carried a 300 gallon tank for carrying oil, which was about a third full. Rushing from their homes they noticed the Canadian National Pembroke-Ottawa train being quickly brought to a stop and a man and woman walking out of cloud ol dust, wnicn surrounded the railway crossing. The man was suffering from cuts on the forehead while the woman was in an extremely nervous condition, and they were taken to a nearby residence and Dr. A. S. McElroy was called. The doctor put two stitches in Mr. Hill's forehead and examined the two for other injuries, after which they were taken to their homes in a motor car by the police from number two station. Smashed in Pieces. The truck was badly smashed and pieces of it were scattered all around the crossing, while the oil tank, which it carried, was dragged along on the fender of the locomotive a distance of about 75 yards after which it rolled down an embankment from the railway track close td the Export Lumber Company fence. A hose carried on the truck for unloading oil was taken off the fender of the locomotive when the latter had reached the trestle over Preston street. About 75 gallons of gasoline and about 60 gallons of coal oil. which was in different compartments of the tank on the truck was spilled along the railway tracks. When seen at their home last night Mr. and Mrs. Hill were stilt wondering how they came through the accident with so little injury. Mr. Hill was lying down but his wife was as usual attending to her household duties. . Both complained of being stiff and sore from the jolting they had received when thrown from the truck, while Mr. Hill's head was bandaged up. Both had visitors during the day congratulating them on their escape Didn't See Train. When asked by The Citizen man, who visited his home as to what happened Mr. Hill smilingly answered he didn't know. He said that he was driving an oil truck owned by the Capital Oil Products Company south on Rochester street at a slow rate of speed and on approaching the C.N.R. railway tracks slowed up the truck and looked up the track but could see no train, hear no whistle nor the ringing of the electric bell at the crossinp and so continued on. The next thing he and his wife remembered was when they picked themselves up out of ths dust on the road and noticed a passenger train to the west of the crossing. Both spoke highly of the attention rendered them by residents of the neighborhood and by ths officers from number two police station. Though he could not say definitely Mr. Hill thought that the train struck the rear part of his truck, throwing hia wife out the door at the side and himself out through the windshield. This is the only cause he could attribute to his head wounds. When thrown out Mr. Hill, who weighs about two hundred pounds, still gripped the steering wheel of the truck. Official Report. The train was in charge of Conductor John Marsh. 65 Aylmer avenue, and Engineer Hiram. Brown, 19 Echo Drive. These along with other members of the crew remained in Pembroke over the week-end and could not be got In touch with. However, on Saturday night a report of the occurrence was wired back to the superintendent's office here. At the CN R. office it was stated that the train which left the Union Station at 4.30 o'clock (Standard Time), struck and badly damaged a motor truck and in the collision the driver of the truck was slight ly injured while a woman who was with him escaped uninjured. It was ' stated that the engineer had sounded the whistle of the locomotive while approaching ths crossing, and the locomotive bell was also ringing as well as the electric beil at the crossing. No mention was made of the train crew seeing the truck before the accident. Residents in ths vicinity ot the mishap also told The Citizen that they had heard the bell ringing at the crossing previous to the approach of the train while some also told of hearing the engine's whistle giving two loud blasts when it was over a block away from the crossing.

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Updated 2 October 2020