Freeman Station Signal Mast Dedication

Freeman Station Signal Mast Dedication. Saturday, May 4, 2019. , On Tuesday March 1st 1898, a 4-coach Toronto-bound passenger express train departed Hamilton Stuart Street Station. At Burlington Junction, a 24-car coal train was parked on the siding, north of the double-tracked main line, waiting for the express to pass. About fifteen minutes later, the express train's whistle announced it was close by. All seemed as it should be, except that one switch, leading to the siding, had been left open, and no warning given. Instead of jumping to safety, the express train engineer slammed his engine into reverse and applied the brakes. The passenger train crashed into the rear of the freight train with such force that the locomotive was badly damaged, and the steam pipes burst, showering the engineer Thomas Hutchinson, and his fireman James Clark, with scalding superheated steam. Both men were rushed to hospital in Hamilton, where, despite the valiant effort of several doctors, both died within 48 hours. An inquest determined that the rear brakeman of the freight train was responsible. It was stated that, had the engineer and fireman not stayed in the cab slowing the engine, rather than jumping to safety, many passengers would have been killed. Following two solemn standing-room-only funerals, Hutchinson and Clark were laid to rest at the Hamilton Cemetery on York Street. This Signal Mast is dedicated to their memory and to recognize that they gave their lives to save the passengers.