Bridgework in Merritton claims worker
Many of the articles in this series about the casualties among the workmen on the Welland Ship Canal have focused upon those individuals who were recent immigrants to Canada from abroad.
Thomas W. Pollard was also a “non-Canadian” who died while on the job, but he was born in 1895 in Newfoundland when it was still a British colony. By the time of his accident in 1929, it had dominion status within the British Empire, but would not enter into Canadian Confederation until 1949, thereby becoming the country’s 10th province.
Pollard was the son of Abraham and Lillian (Gillard) Pollard. Few details are known about his early life. He was married in October 1912 to Hannah Mary Adams ( born December 1892) at Botwood, in the District of Twillingate, Newfoundland.
Hannah (a.k.a. Annie or Anna) was the daughter of Adam and Matilda (Jenkins) Adams. Two children were born as a result of this union, a son, Edward, and a daughter, Matilda.
In November 1917, Pollard was certified as a fireman and was living at Reserve Mines in Cape Breton, N.S. At some point after this, the family moved to the Niagara area.
The 1921 census showed that the Pollard family lived on Burgar Street in Welland. Matilda Adams, Pollard’s mother-in-law, had remarried to Elkanah Sheppard, a carpenter who lived just one street away on Garner Avenue. Pollard was described in records at that time as being employed as a labourer. He and his family were active members in the Salvation Army, and Pollard served as a colour sergeant.
Pollard was eventually hired as an iron worker ( bridgeman) by Canadian Bridge Co. On the morning of Sept. 7, 1929, he had reported to work at Bridge No. 5 which was under construction where the old St. David’s Road (now Glendale Avenue) crosses the canal. The newspaper account of the events of that day reported that Pollard and his co-worker, Murdock McArthur, were underneath the bridge, removing scaffolding and handing the planks to the workmen above. At the same time they were responsible for maintaining at a certain height the jacks that were under the bridge.
At about 11:20 a.m., Pollard had climbed up onto a narrow lateral brace when he apparently slipped and lost his footing, and plunged headfirst 12 to 15 metres to his death. One worker reported that he saw something fly past him, and he realized immediately afterwards what had happened. Pollard “landed on his head on the hard clay” in the dry channel of the canal and died instantly.
A coroner’s jury was convened and returned a verdict of accidental death. An examination of the remains conducted by coroner Douglas V. Curry showed that Pollard had sustained a fractured skull, an extensive laceration of the brain and shock. The jury noted that Pollard had been engaged in this kind of work for several years, and was known to be a “careful workman.”
Funeral arrangements for Pollard were entrusted to Grobb Bros., undertakers on St. Paul Street in St. Catharines. The funeral was held in the home of Elkanah Sheppard, and then proceeded to the Salvation Army hall or citadel. More than 300 mourners were in attendance, including family, friends, coworkers, members of Structural Iron Workers’ Union No. 434, and members of the Welland Corps of the Salvation Army. “A great profusion of floral offerings testified
further to the esteem in which the deceased was held.” Pollard was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Welland.
Pollard’s widow and children afterwards moved into her parents’ home on Garner Avenue. Fourteen months later, on Nov. 7, 1930, tragedy struck the family again when Anna Pollard, just 36 years of age, died at Welland County General Hospital from pleurisy and myocardial failure. She was survived by her two minor children, her mother Matilda, and her stepfather Elkanah. Anna was buried beside her husband at Woodlawn Cemetery, where a large tombstone was erected over their grave.
The two orphaned children, Edward, 17, and Matilda, 13, were then separated, the son being placed in the care of a children’s aid home while the daughter was adopted. The tragic circumstances of Pollard’s widow and children underscores just how the canal fatalities always had more than just one victim.
— This article is part of a series remembering the men whose lives were lost in the construction of the Welland Ship Canal. A memorial to honour the men was unveiled in November. The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial is open to the public at Lock 3 next to the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. To learn more visit www.stcatharines. ca/canalworkersmemorial.