Alpin Dewar

Dates: b. 1882 d. 9 July 1909

Cemetery Location: Block F, Row 9, Plot 26

Profile:

On 9 July 1909, Canadian Pacific Railway engineer Alpin Dewar and his fireman J. Beattie were killed when their train left the tracks near Griffith Siding, east of Rogers Pass. The engine and several cars rolled down an embankment, striking a telegraph pole and throwing Alpin from the train. Nine other crewmembers on board escaped serious injury.

It was thought that the track may have expanded in the heat causing the derailment, but the Coroner’s inquest was inconclusive. The jury found no evidence to indicate the train was travelling at excessive speed or out of control. They also found that:

“the train was equipped with a sufficient crew, the said crew were giving proper attention to their duties, and safety appliances were in good working order.”

Alpin had been a long-term resident of Revelstoke and left behind his wife Annie and child. He was only 27 years old at the time of the accident, and J. Beattie, just 25.

Six weeks later, Annie’s brother Stewart McGuire drowned in Loon Lake, near Phoenix, B.C. According to his obituary, Stewart was a well-liked Revelstoke resident who worked at Bews Drug and Stationery Store.