Great Northern Railway Disaster 1909
A work train carrying Japanese labourers derailed near Burnaby Lake, BC, on November 28, 1909 resulting in a devastating loss of life. The unheated boxcar, carrying 43 passengers, plunged into a ravine after the ground beneath the tracks washed away at Kilby Creek (later renamed Lost Creek). Twenty-two men were killed instantly or died shortly thereafter, and another 15 were severely injured. The heavy rainfall, which had been falling all night, hampered rescue efforts.
This booklet tells the harrowing story of a disaster that occurred during a period of significant anti-Asian sentiment in British Columbia, when discriminatory immigration laws and labour practices were common.
Despite railways being a booming industry, provincial regulations discouraged the hiring of Asian laborers. However, older companies like the Great Northern Railway quietly employed poorly-paid Asian work crews, often hiding them on quiet stretches of track. The Katsuda work gang involved in the accident had entered Canada from the United States, arranged by a Seattle-based trading company, and did not enjoy the protective gains earned by other railway activists.
The inquest following the disaster revealed that the boxcar was not designed for safety, and the engine’s headlight was not functioning properly. While railway officials claimed the culvert and fill met common standards, a former crew foreman and a local mill owner testified that the culvert was too small for the expected water flow during a storm, and its reinforcement could have restricted drainage. Despite this, the jury concluded that no blame could be attached to any person, attributing the disaster to the severe rainstorm. They recommended the future employment of a night track walker during storms. It would be over four decades before Japanese-Canadians working in British Columbia received basic workplace protections.
This booklet was written by Eric Damer to coincide with the installation of a heritage plaque in 2017 remembering the disaster. The plaque is located along the Central Valley Greenway near to where the incident occurred.