On May 26, 1896 a streetcar crowded with 143 crashed through the Point Ellice Bridge into the Gorge waterway. Fifty-five men, women and children perished in this terrible accident, making this one of the worst accidents in Canadian transit history.
Grade 8 student Lily Wray (Central Middle School) stopped by the Royal BC Museum to tell Curious guest editor Ben Fast about the disaster, her school project, and her own family’s connection to the Point Ellice Bridge Disaster.
The music heard in this episode is licensed under the Creative Commons License by Bensound: bensound.com
Central Middle School student Lily Wray holds two artifacts from her great-great-grandfather’s career with the BC Electric Railway Company.
The transit badge used by Lily Wray’s great-great-grandfather during his time as a driver with the BC Electric Railway Company.The pocket watch used by Lily Wray’s great-great-grandfather during his time as a driver with the BC Electric Railway Company. The watch was later used by Lily’s grandfather, who also worked for the BC Electric Railway Company, in the 1950s, and who visited the museum with Lily for the recording. The watch continues to keep perfect time.
