Cobalt special ditched.
Jumped rails near Bradford early yesterday morning.
Engineer Meeking and Fireman Garrett, both of Barrie, were seriously injured, and latter may die&mdashNo passengers were hurt.
Barrie, July 15.—The southbound Cobalt special was ditched six miles north of Bradford at 6.05 a.m. to-day. Train 46 consisted of mail, baggage, two coaches, and a Pullman; engine 1023 was completely derailed. Engineer Arthur Meeking of Barrie was severely injured about the head and Fireman [Nelson] Garrett of Barrie was badly scalded. Dominion Express Messenger Louis Marshall was somewhat seriously injured in the back, but none of the passengers were hurt. Marshall was taken to Toronto on the train that conveyed the passengers of the wrecked special there, but the other two injured men were taken to the hospital at Allandale. The railway officials assigned no reason for the accident, but it it supposed to have been caused either a spreading or a broken rail.
The train conveying the passengers of the wrecked special arrived at the Union Station yesterday shortly before 2 o'clock. Apart from a few scratches none of the passengers were injured, although all of them were more or less shaken up. Marshall, the injured express messenger, was brought down in the baggage car, and on his arrival in the city was attended by Dr. Riordan. He was afterwards taken to Grace Hospital where he is resting nicely.
Mr. A.R. Kneal of Rochester, who was returning from a visit in Cobalt, was one of the passengers on the wrecked special.
"It was quite an experience for me," he said on alighting at the station this afternoon. "The accident occurred shortly after 6 o'clock and the most of passengers were awake at the time. We were all thrown about very roughly, but apart from the fright of some of the women there was comparatively little excitement. When the passengers got out of the cars they all ran forward toward the engine. We found both the engineer and fireman badly injured, and I heard a doctor say he did not think Garrett, the fireman, would recover. The expressman was also injured slightly."
A wrecking special arrived from Allandale shortly after the accident, and a while later another came up from Toronto.
Nelson Garrett succumbed to his injuries, his death is reported in the Friday, July 17, 1908 issue of The Globe.
Ref: Newmarket Subdivision.