Jackhammer drowns out sound of approaching train
It might be assumed that the unmistakable sound of an approaching train could be heard over most noises. This was not the case, however, in the death of Charles Phillip on the Welland Ship Canal in 1925.
Kalman Fülöp (also known as Charles Phillip), immigrated to Canada from Hungary at age seven with his mother and younger brother. It was January 1913 and they sailed on the S.S. Vaterland. They were to reunite with Kalman’s father, János Fülöp, who had left for Canada two years previous.
Much earlier back in the old country, János Fülöp had been a gardener in service to a baron’s estate in Vas Megye county, Hungary. It was there that János met Ethel Vargyas, and the two were later wed.
In February 1911, János (a.k.a. John), 32, left Antwerp, Belgium on the ship Montreal bound for Saint John, N.B. He then made his way to Sydney, N.S. where he found employment as a coke oven labourer. Bituminous coal from the nearby coal fields would be converted into industrial coke by means of these ovens.
It is not known when János and the rest of the family settled in Welland, but it was before April 17, 1914 when their daughter Mary was born in that city. They first resided on Ontario Street, and later lived in
a couple of different houses on Alberta Street, in what was formerly Crowland Township but is now part of the city of Welland. János worked for a while on the Welland Canal construction, hauling dirt or dynamite by wagon, the first of three generations to be employed on the waterway.
Sometime during this period, Kalman Fülöp’s name was anglicized to Charles Phillip, though he was also called Coleman Philip or Phillips. While their parents always maintained the original Fülöp spelling of their surname, their sons had it legally changed to Phillips.
By the time of the 1921 census, Charles was 15 and already had a job as a clerk (this may have been for a small grocery store the family operated out of their home). The following year, he was employed in a cotton mill, and then is listed in 1924 as a machine operator, but with no further specifics.
On the morning of Friday, Sept. 18, 1925, Charles Phillip was working the Welland Ship Canal construction at Humberstone. He did not notice an approaching train, and the train engineer failed to spot him in time. This could be easily understood, for according to later stories told by his brother Joseph, Charles was operating a jackhammer along the tracks at the time of the accident.
Phillip was hit by the oncoming train. His severely injured body was taken to the Humberstone emergency hospital where he died shortly after arriving. He was only 19.
An inquest was ordered by Port Colborne coroner Dr. E.A. Mackenzie. The jury ruled the death as accidental and “recommended that lights be installed on the engine at both ends.”
Phillip’s funeral took place on Sunday, after which his remains were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Welland.
Charles left behind his grieving parents, as well as three brothers (Frank, John, Joseph) and three sisters (Mary, Ethel, Irene). Eighteen months after Charles’ death, Ethel Fülöp gave birth to another child, a baby boy, whom they also named Charles, and whom she called Kalman, in honour of their oldest child who lost his life on the Welland Canal.
This article part of a series highlighting the men whose lives were lost in the construction of the Welland Ship Canal. The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force is a volunteer group established to design, finance, and build a memorial to recognize workers who were killed during construction of the Welland Ship Canal. For more information about the Memorial or to contribute to the project, visit: www.stcatharines.ca/CanalWorkersMemorial