1886 - Near Fatality on the Hamilton and Dundas Railway

 

        The Hamilton and Dundas Railway track ran from downtown Hamilton to downtown Dundas in 1886. It ran down the middle of city, or town, streets except in the undeveloped areas between the two communities.

Coming into the city from the west, past Ainslie’s Woods, a small steam engine, popularly known as The Dummy, usually pulled two passenger cars along Concession street (now Aberdeen avenue.) At the corner of Queen street south, the track curved to the north before turning right onto Herkimer street.

On May 14, 1886, the train was proceeding normally when the following incident, as reported in the following day’s Spectator, occurred:

 “A little girl toddled out on the Hamilton and Dundas street railway track near the corner of Queen and Concession streets yesterday, and played there by herself. Nobody saw her, or, if anybody did, they did not think of the danger.

“The Hamilton and Dundas train came sweeping around the corner. The engineer saw the danger, but the distance was too short for the train to be stopped in time to save the child.

“But fortunately, there was on the engine a young man with a cool head and a brave heart. His name was Daniel Branigan. He took in the situation at a glance, and without a moment’s pause, he rushed to the front of the cab, leaped out on the track, clutched the child and jumped aside just in time to save himself.

“The engine, in passing, just grazed him. If the train had not been goiung at a slackened speed at the time, Branigan’s deed could not have been successfully accomplished; but the deed was a heroic one.”¹

¹ “A Heroic Deed.”

Hamilton Spectator.   May 15, 1886.