Dundurn B in Hamilton, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Desjardins Canal Disaster

Photographed By Tim Boyd, July 17, 2023

1. Desjardins Canal Disaster Marker

Inscription.
In Thursday, March 12, 1857, at 5:40 p.m., a tragic railroad disaster occurred at the Desjardins Canal. A Great Western Railway train, traveling southbound from Toronto, was due into Hamilton at 6:15 p.m. The train, traveling at a moderate speed, was heading towards a swing bridge. As the train reached the bridge, a broken axle caused it to derail. The weight of the cars crashed through the wooden trestle, plunging sixty feet (twenty metres) into the frozen canal below. Ninety passengers were aboard that day. Fifty-nine were killed. For many years after, this accident ranked as the worst in Canadian railway history.

Erected by City of Hamilton.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is March 12, 1857.

Location. 43° 16.767′ N, 79° 53.438′ W. Marker is in Hamilton, Ontario. It is in Dundurn B. Marker can be reached from York Boulevard. The marker is on the Waterfront Trail, approx. a 1km walk from the Princess Point Parking lot off of Longwood Road North. It is also at the bottom of the trail access stairs from the Thomas B. McQueston High Level Bridge on York Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hamilton ON L8R 2J4, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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walking distance of this marker. The Boathouse Community (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Treaty Council at Burlington Heights/ Conseil du Traité a Burlington Heights (approx. half a kilometer away); "The Burlington Races" 1813 (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); March to Stoney Creek (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); The Cultural History Of Carroll's Bay (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Burlington Heights 1813 - 1814 (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); First Line of Defense (approx. 0.9 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hamilton.

Also see . . . Hamilton Public Library - Desjardins Canal Disaster. The following article appeared in the April 4, 1857 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper<blockquote>The moment the train reached the bridge the immense weight crushed through the timbers, and the whole structure gave way, and, with one frightful crash, the engine, tender, baggage car and two first-class passenger cars broke through the severed frame-work, and leaped headlong into the yawning abyss below. (Submitted on July 19, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Photographed By Tim Boyd, July 17, 2023

2. Desjardins Canal Disaster Marker

The Desjardins Canal rail bridge, 2023 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tim Boyd, July 17, 2023

3. The Desjardins Canal rail bridge, 2023

1857

4. Contemporary Sketch of Desjardins Canal Disaster, March 12, 1857

Source: National Archives of Canada

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 19, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.