Knowledge

Point Ellice Bridge disaster

Source 📝

31: 103:"The hour was not without its heroes who were quick to think and act, and to these heroes, women and men, the salvation of many lives from the waters is due, as well as the winning back from death of many who had to all appearances passed into the shadowland. The work of rescuers lasted through all the afternoon, and by evening the greater number of bodies had been recovered, although it is practically certain that yet others are still to be removed from the fatal waters." 116:"It was wonderful how coolly and energetically men and women worked. Class distinctions and all were forgotten. Delicate ladies whom one might expect to shrink from scenes of horror aided the work of resuscitating the unfortunate victims as one by one they were brought ashore and laid on the lawns of Capt. Grant's house. It was an awful sight as one motionless form after another was brought up on the steep back and placed upon the grass." 82:
lacking safety standards, poor bridge maintenance, and the overcrowded street car, the bridge collapsed causing the streetcar to crash into the water. The 143 occupants of the street car, as well as two other horse-led vehicles and a gentleman on a bicycle who was crossing the bridge at the same time, fell into the water.
108:
Bay street was used a primary area for recovering both the living and dead. The dead were laid out on the lawn, and the living were taken into the drawing room where Mrs. Grant had worked quickly to turn it into an infirmary. Other neighbours are recorded as having brought: "blankets, brandy and other restoratives." The
107:
Many of homeowners who owned property at Point Ellice are recorded as having seen or heard the collapse and jumped into action to aid in rescue efforts. The daughters of Mr. Justice Drake of the Tyrwhitt-Drake residence are credited with pulling seven people from the water. The Grant residence at 304
149:
contributory negligence because the bridge had not been well maintained, and because council failed to take steps to restrict the traffic on the bridge to within safe limits. The design and construction of the bridge was also found to have been poor, especially in that the specifications called for
81:
On May 26, 1896, just before 2:00 pm the Consolidated Electric Railway Company's No. 16 street car passed over the Point Ellice Bridge. It was overburdened with 143 passengers on their way to view the naval battles that were occurring in Esquimalt in celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday. Due to
148:
concluded that the tramway operator, the Consolidated Electric Railway Company, was responsible for the disaster because it allowed its streetcar to be loaded with a much greater weight of passengers than the bridge was designed to support. The city council of Victoria was found to be guilty of
125:
On the day of the collapse 47 people were recorded as having died, but as the debris of the streetcar was removed and search efforts continued the number of dead rose to 55. Men, women, and children from Port Townsend, Seattle, Tacoma, Victoria, and Vancouver were among the deceased.
137:"Yesterday the Queen’s birthday was kept, but very quietly – no regatta, no racing, no nothing – I believe…Tomorrow the 26th a day never to be forgotten, when I believed for a while that I have lost my darling child but by gods’ miracle she was spared." 85:
The register that recorded trolley fares had recorded that 98 fares had been collected, however it is believed that the conductor had not finished collecting fares when the collapse occurred.
501: 545: 141:
A letter to Kathleen O'Reilly from Harry Stanhope discusses how the London papers had reported of a death of an O'Reilly, though this was later retracted.
319: 560: 133:
nearly one year after the bridge disaster he remarks on how he believed that his eldest daughter Kathleen was on the bridge when it collapsed:
540: 17: 174: 170: 59: 206: 211: 555: 488: 565: 493: 435:
No Horesecars in Paradise: A History of the Street Railways and Public Utilities in Victoria, British Columbia before 1897
550: 369: 69:
The Consolidated Electric Railway Company was forced into receivership by the disaster and emerged reorganized as the
580: 570: 444: 417: 303: 245: 130: 70: 166: 340: 30: 483: 478: 468: 463: 43: 192:. He went on to a political career in England and was deputy governor of the HBC from 1858 to 1863. 460: 181: 575: 189: 93:
Seeing the streetcar plunge into the water, many bystanders leapt into action. According to the
201: 267: 406: 8: 162: 62:. 55 people were killed in the accident, making it one of the worst transit disasters in 55: 35: 473: 433: 255: 185: 440: 413: 299: 241: 145: 370:"At the Place of Death. Scenes and Incidents of the Disaster and of the Work Rescue" 63: 320:"Twenty Nine Years of Public Service: British Columbia Electric Railway Limited" 94: 51: 534: 516: 503: 150: 169:
and spans the Upper Harbour at the same location today. It marks where the
188:
in 1805 and was largely responsible for its decision to merge with the
50:
crowded with 143 holidaymakers on their way to attend celebrations of
47: 461:
Reprint of articles from the Victoria Colonist of May 27, 1896
58:(today usually referred to as the Bay Street Bridge) into the 66:. Only passengers on the left side of the streetcar escaped. 165:
connects the two halves of Bay Street between Victoria and
180:
Point Ellice, and the Point Ellice Bridge, were named for
235: 394:
Peter O'Reilly's 1897 Diary. British Columbia Archives
294:
Looker, Janet (2000). "Point Ellice Bridge Collapse".
234:
Francis (ed), Daniel (2000) . Francis, Daniel (ed.).
153:
to be used, but the ironwork was almost all welded.
432: 405: 532: 312: 282:The Story of the B. C. Electric Railway Company 34:The modern Bay Street Bridge that replaced the 546:Bridge disasters caused by maintenance error 412:(3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, 403: 233: 404:Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), 207:List of disasters in Canada by death toll 29: 284:, North Vancouver, Whitecap Books, 1986 212:Bay Street (Victoria, British Columbia) 14: 533: 430: 293: 229: 227: 156: 129:According to a diary entry written by 99:on May 27, the day after the collapse: 561:History of Victoria, British Columbia 494:Coroner's Jury Findings June 13, 1896 397: 541:Bridge disasters caused by collision 489:Coroner's Jury Hearings May 31, 1896 364: 362: 240:. Harbour Publishing. p. 562. 224: 24: 76: 25: 592: 454: 359: 88: 71:British Columbia Electric Railway 237:Encyclopedia of British Columbia 484:Victoria Colonist May 30, 1896 479:Victoria Colonist May 29, 1896 474:Victoria Colonist May 28, 1896 469:Victoria Colonist May 27, 1896 464:Victoria Colonist May 26, 1896 388: 333: 287: 274: 13: 1: 556:Disasters in British Columbia 217: 408:British Columbia Place Names 298:. Lynx Images. p. 241. 120: 54:'s birthday crashed through 38:, Victoria, British Columbia 27:1896 tram accident in Canada 18:Point Ellice Bridge Disaster 7: 566:Transport disasters in 1896 431:Parker, Douglas V. (1981). 195: 10: 597: 551:Bridge disasters in Canada 517:48.4342556°N 123.3780944°W 341:"VICTORIA MOURNS HER DEAD" 44:Victoria, British Columbia 376:. May 27, 1896. p. 8 347:. May 27, 1896. p. 1 581:1896 disasters in Canada 571:1896 in British Columbia 522:48.4342556; -123.3780944 439:. Railfare Enterprises. 202:List of tram accidents 139: 118: 105: 39: 135: 114: 101: 33: 144:On June 12, 1896, a 42:On May 26, 1896, in 513: /  163:Point Ellice Bridge 157:Point Ellice Bridge 73:on April 15, 1897. 56:Point Ellice Bridge 36:Point Ellice Bridge 374:The Daily Colonist 345:The Daily Colonist 322:. 1925. p. 11 266:has generic name ( 40: 16:(Redirected from 588: 528: 527: 525: 524: 523: 518: 514: 511: 510: 509: 506: 450: 438: 423: 422: 411: 401: 395: 392: 386: 385: 383: 381: 366: 357: 356: 354: 352: 337: 331: 330: 328: 327: 316: 310: 309: 291: 285: 278: 272: 271: 265: 261: 259: 251: 231: 64:British Columbia 21: 596: 595: 591: 590: 589: 587: 586: 585: 531: 530: 521: 519: 515: 512: 507: 504: 502: 500: 499: 457: 447: 427: 426: 420: 402: 398: 393: 389: 379: 377: 368: 367: 360: 350: 348: 339: 338: 334: 325: 323: 318: 317: 313: 306: 296:Disaster Canada 292: 288: 279: 275: 263: 262: 253: 252: 248: 232: 225: 220: 198: 184:who joined the 159: 123: 91: 79: 77:Bridge collapse 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 594: 584: 583: 578: 576:Tram accidents 573: 568: 563: 558: 553: 548: 543: 508:123°22′41.14″W 497: 496: 491: 486: 481: 476: 471: 466: 456: 455:External links 453: 452: 451: 445: 425: 424: 418: 396: 387: 358: 332: 311: 304: 286: 273: 246: 222: 221: 219: 216: 215: 214: 209: 204: 197: 194: 158: 155: 146:coroner's jury 131:Peter O'Reilly 122: 119: 110:Daily Colonist 96:Daily Colonist 90: 89:Rescue efforts 87: 78: 75: 52:Queen Victoria 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 593: 582: 579: 577: 574: 572: 569: 567: 564: 562: 559: 557: 554: 552: 549: 547: 544: 542: 539: 538: 536: 529: 526: 495: 492: 490: 487: 485: 482: 480: 477: 475: 472: 470: 467: 465: 462: 459: 458: 448: 446:0-920620-29-9 442: 437: 436: 429: 428: 421: 419:0-7748-0636-2 415: 410: 409: 400: 391: 375: 371: 365: 363: 346: 342: 336: 321: 315: 307: 305:1-894073-13-4 301: 297: 290: 283: 280:Henry Ewert, 277: 269: 257: 249: 247:1-55017-200-X 243: 239: 238: 230: 228: 223: 213: 210: 208: 205: 203: 200: 199: 193: 191: 187: 183: 182:Edward Ellice 178: 176: 175:Selkirk Water 173:ends and the 172: 171:Upper Harbour 168: 167:Victoria West 164: 154: 152: 151:weldless iron 147: 142: 138: 134: 132: 127: 117: 113: 111: 104: 100: 98: 97: 86: 83: 74: 72: 67: 65: 61: 60:Upper Harbour 57: 53: 49: 45: 37: 32: 19: 505:48°26′3.32″N 498: 434: 407: 399: 390: 380:September 4, 378:. Retrieved 373: 351:September 4, 349:. Retrieved 344: 335: 324:. Retrieved 314: 295: 289: 281: 276: 236: 179: 160: 143: 140: 136: 128: 124: 115: 109: 106: 102: 95: 92: 84: 80: 68: 41: 520: / 264:|last= 535:Categories 326:2010-01-30 218:References 256:cite book 121:Aftermath 112:remarked: 48:streetcar 196:See also 177:begins. 443:  416:  302:  244:  441:ISBN 414:ISBN 382:2022 353:2022 300:ISBN 268:help 242:ISBN 161:The 46:, a 190:HBC 186:NWC 537:: 372:. 361:^ 343:. 260:: 258:}} 254:{{ 226:^ 449:. 384:. 355:. 329:. 308:. 270:) 250:. 20:)

Index

Point Ellice Bridge Disaster

Point Ellice Bridge
Victoria, British Columbia
streetcar
Queen Victoria
Point Ellice Bridge
Upper Harbour
British Columbia
British Columbia Electric Railway
Daily Colonist
Peter O'Reilly
coroner's jury
weldless iron
Point Ellice Bridge
Victoria West
Upper Harbour
Selkirk Water
Edward Ellice
NWC
HBC
List of tram accidents
List of disasters in Canada by death toll
Bay Street (Victoria, British Columbia)


Encyclopedia of British Columbia
ISBN
1-55017-200-X
cite book

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.