President of Grand Trunk Railway. Died April 15 1912 on the Titanic.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~qcmtl-w/HaysCharlesMelville.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Melville_Hays

http://www.vancouversun.com/Railway+titan+among+Titanic+victims/6425047/story.html

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/charles-melville-hays.html

TITANIC IN DANGER

Virginian Hastens to Aid of Big  White Star Liner

COLLIDED WITH ICEBERG

While Making Her  Trip From Southampton to New York The New Marine Monster Fouls Floating Ice and Her 1,308 Passengers

Are In Danger — Virginian Can Accommodate 900 More.

Montreal April 15 – The Allan Line office here last night received a wireless message from the captain of the company’s steamship

Virginian stating that he had been in wireless communication with the White Star Liner Titanic, which had been in collision with an

iceberg and requested assistance. The Virginian’s captain reported that he was on his way to the Titanic. The Virginian sailed from

Halifax yesterday morning, and at the time the wireless message was sent, she is reckoned to have been about a beam of Cape

Race. She has 900 passengers on board, but she can accommodate 900 more of the Titanic’s passengers.

As she is not far from Halifax the remainder will not have to endure any great discomfort. The message from the Virginians captian

was sent by wireless to Cape Race, and thence by cable to Halifax, and then by wire to Montreal. The Allan line officials here expect

to hear further news at any moment. The White Star liner Titanic, the largest vessel afloat, left Southampton April 10 on her maiden

voyage for New York. She is a vessel of 46,308 tons, is 882 feet 6 inches long and displaces 66,000 tons.

the Titanic when she left Southampton had about 1300 passengers on board, of whom 350 were in the first cabin. Among these

latter are F.D. Millet, the artist and president of the Consolidated American Academy at Rome; Major Archibald Butt,,Military aide to

President Taft; CM Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway; J. Bruce Ismay, chairman and managing director of the White Star

Line; Henry B harris; the American theatrical manager; W.T. Stead; Mrs. Isador Straus; Mr. and Mrs. John Jacob Astor; Mr. and Mrs.

George D. Widener; Benjamin Grugenheim, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Widener.

July 20, 1854

It is our painful duty to record another of those dreadful accidents which, in connetion with railways, are generally so destructive to human life when they do happen. The Express Train on the Great Western Railway, on it’s westward course on

Thursday night last about 11 o’clock, when a little way on the other side of Thorold, was partly thrown off track, which resulted in the

total destruction of a second class passenger car filled with Norwegian and German emigrants seven of whom were killed, and

seven slightly injured. The cause of the accident was, that while the train was going at the usual rate of some twenty miles an hour,

slacking the speed previous to crossing the Welland canal bridge, came in contact with three horses which had been carelessly

allowed to wander on the track. The locomotive and tender, it seems passed right over the body of one of the horses, which, of

course was instantly crushed– still keeping the track– and so followed two baggage cars, but the third second class car was thrown

off and smashed which carried along with it another second class car, laying it right across the rails, but the other passenger cars

held to their position, but with dreadful velocity passed right through the prostrate second class car. The shrieks of death and the

scene of destruction which followed may be imagined, but cannot be described. The train having come to a stand, the first class

passengers having received no injury whatever, busied themselves in rendering assistance to the unfortunate emigrants and here

took place one of those heartless villanies which makes one doubt the humanity of some men. According to the statment of some

laborers who were attracted to the spot, there was one poor woman, who, standing upright, crushed all round by the ruins of the

domolished cars, was allowed to remain in this painfull position, foaming at the mouth, and could have been relieved from death, but

was not, in consequence of the stolidity and apathy of those unconcerened by-standers. Immediately medical assistance was sent

for to St. Catherines, which was promptly responded to by Dr. T. Mack and those persons injured removed to St.Catherines. There

were three women, two men and two children killed. No blame could be attached to the engineer, for it being so dark he did not

perceive the obstruction.

The Corners inquest was held yesterday upon the bodies of the deceased, before Dr. Raymond, and after examining the Lutheran

Ministerwho accompanied the party, the engine driver, fireman of the train, and other persons, the jury returned a verdict that the

disaster was caused by a horse accidentally straying on the track, exonerating the company from blame, adding a hope that the

fencing would be speedily completed through-out the entire line. — Banner

http://www.palmerstonrailwaymuseum.com/

June 15, 1854

Ten thousand emigrants arrived at Quebec in one week! The fact almost startles us, until we have gleaned the additional intelligence, that large numbers of them are bound to the Western States of the neighbouring Union; and that the German and other immigrants who seek a home among their country men in the West, pay at once a tribute to our honesty as a people, and a tribute to our steamboats and railways, in seeking their way through Canada, as a means of avoiding the land-sharks of enlightened country men around us. We shall have our emigration too – unquestionably so.

June 8, 1854

Northern, Great Western And Grand

Trunk Railroads
Rumor has for some time past been particularly busy with the

railroads. The old dame – it is to be feared she is fast becoming a

bold dame – has several times put a stop to nearly all the railroads

from Sarnia to Trois Pistoles. She has effected innumerable

amalgamations, erected gigantic monoplies, and done the most frightful

things imaginable. But in sober truth, the amalgamation projects have

not exactly ended in rumor. We were amused the other day to see a

formal proposalput to a public meeting at London. C.W., for an

amalmagation between the Great Western and the Grand Trunk Railroad

Companies.Any one who could bring himself to believe that this

proposal was made under any sufficienr authority, must have looked

upon the project as fully ripe; as all agreed upon, arranged and

settled between the two Companies,who had come to ask the sanction of

the town of London as Great Western stockholders. We understand,

however, that the proposal submitted to that meeting seems to have had

a shrewd suspision of this; for it adjourned without taking any

action. The rumors of stoppages on the Grand Trunk; of the abandonment

of this and that section of the road are merely revivals of an old and

almost forgotten romance. Indeen these rumors take a milder form than

they were several months ago, when it was stated by certain journals

with great positiveness that one-half of the line was to be abandoned.

This was declared a settled fact. Since then rumor has abandoned the

wholesale principle of dealing with the Grand Trunk and essayed to

kill it bit by bit. The surprising part of the affair is that none of

the directors either here or in England know anything about these

abandonment resolves. The knowledge of this business seems to be

exclusively confined to a certain class of Canadian journalists, from

whom the palm of prolific invention cannot be withheld. The

Corporation of Toronto however is inclined to be credulous on the

subject. It accepts as gospel truth the gossip of Dame Rumor about the

abandonment by the Grand Trunk Company of this and that section of

their line. Nay, it talks about proceedings in Chancery to compel the

performance of a work, which no sensible man ever looked upon as in

the remotest degree likely to be abandoned. It fights in the shadow

and asks the world to admire it’s valor! It is known to our readers

that a proposal for an amalgamation between the Grand Trunk and Great

Western Railroad Companies was made some months ago. We have reason to

believe that the negotiations have been barren of results; and it may

now be regarded as certain the amalgmation will n ot take place. This

result was probably un-looked for by most of those who were cognizant

of the existance of the negotiation. We do not pretend to be familiar

with the causes that led to the rejection of the proposal; but there

are some obvious difficulties in the way of such an arrangement which

must strike everybody. The line of the Northern Railroad by no means

takes the direction best calculated to secure the largest amount of

frieght. It scarcely touches upon the great northwest country which is

capable of increasing the annual productions of the country to an

extent that few have any adequate idea of. The Northern Railroad will

now be required to go alone; and if it can do so successfully non will

rejoice more sincerely than we. In any event, we do not apprehend any

possible danger to the public interests from the fact of the

government guarantee having been extended to this line. The prospects

of the line will soon become a patent fact; and in any case the lein

held by the government on the road is ample security for it’s

investment. But what revenue the road will yield is a question to be

determined only by actual experience after the work has been completed

and in operation a sufficient length of time to show the amount of

business it will attract. – Leader.