Peter Crerar
Encyclopedia
Peter Crerar was a Scottish-Nova Scotian civil engineer
. He designed the first railway in British North America, and the first standard gauge
railroad in North America, at Stellarton
, near Pictou, Nova Scotia.
Crerar had shown an early interest in railways as early as 3 February 1836 when he wrote a lengthy letter concerning a proposed railway between Halifax
and Windsor
. Later in 1836 the General Mining Association of London, England, owners of the Albion Mines, now Stellarton, decided to build a railway from the Albion Mines to its loading grounds on the East River. At that time there were few construction engineers in the area. Peter Crerar, a government land surveyor, was given the task. The plans were sent to the head office of the Mining Association in London, with the request that an engineer be sent out to execute them. When the plans were submitted to George Stephenson
, builder of the locomotive who had engineered the construction of the Stockton and Darlington, England’s first railroad, he reported to the Mining Association that, in his opinion, the person who prepared the drawings was capable of executing them. The railway was then built under the supervision of Peter Crerar.
Seven original maps and charts drawn by Crerar for the project between August 1837 and December 1838 were unearthed in a building being vacated by the Department of Mines in Stellarton. They are now preserved in the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
.
The building of the Albion Mines Railway began in 1836 and the road was opened for traffic in 1839. The line, 6 miles (10 km) in length, was so nearly straight that the least radius of its curves was 1” -- 300 feet (91.4 m). The estimated quantity of excavations was 400,000 cubic yards. At the water terminus there was a wharf 1500 feet (457.2 m) long by 24 feet (7 m) wide, commanding a fall of 17 feet (5 m) above high water level at the shoots. The masonry, bridges, culverts, etc., were of cut freestone, from a nearby quarry. The total cost of construction was $160,000.
While the railroad was being constructed, three locomotives were being built in England by Timothy Hackworth
. They were landed at Pictou in May 1839 and brought up the East River in lighters, towed by a Mining Company steamship. The locomotives were Samson
, Hercules, and John Buddle
. The three locomotives were accompanied by John Stubbs, Hackworth's shop foreman, who directed their assembly before returning to England. Two locomotive engineers also came with the engines, George Greathead (whose name does not appear in the Nova Scotia record) and George Davidson. Davidson served as Samson's driver throughout the engine's working life and accompanied the locomotive to railway exhibits in Chicago in 1883 and 1893.
As George Patterson reports, the ceremonial opening in 1839 was celebrated province-wide:
Herb MacDonald similarly recounts the celebrations:
The Pictou Observer [24 September 1839] reported:
Today the Albion Mines Railway is commemorated by the “Samson Trail” following the route of the old railway from the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
along the East River towards Abercrombie
. The railway's locomotive Samson
is preserved at the museum and is the oldest surviving locomotive in Canada.
, later to be Crerar’s son’s father-in-law.
Throughout his life he served as a surveyor on roads and projects in the Pictou area, including the road between Mount Thom and Pictou, the Fisher’s Grant Road, the French River, Huggins, and Sutherland Bridges, the pier at Arisaig, the Wallace Bridge, and the road from West Chester to Amherst.
In 1845 he was a member of a local committee in Pictou County formed to support the proposed Halifax and Quebec Railway project. In 1851, as part of the first phase of planning for the Nova Scotia Railway, he carried out surveys for a proposed route north from Truro to Pictou. When built, the "Pictou Branch" followed another route selected by Sandford Fleming.
Crerar served as Deputy Registrar General of Pictou County
. He was later made Commissioner for Improvements to the Pictou section of the Main Post Road of Pictou.
, Kenmore Parish, on the north shore of Loch Tay
. His family departed for Canada in July 1817, probably aboard the Brig Hope, which sailed from Greenock
to Pictou in 1817. He first gained employment as a schoolteacher.
His wife was Anne Clarke (born circa 1791 Nessintully, Laggan
, Invernesshire - died 15 April 1865 Pictou, Nova Scotia), daughter of Ewan Clarke. Peter and Anne had eight children: John Crerar (born 18 August 1815, Cuiltrannich, Lawers, Kenmore - died 26 December 1889 Glenalmond, Pictou); May Crerar (born on a passage to North America upon the Banks of Newfoundland, 19 July 1817; died Fishers Grant, Nova Scotia, 8 June 1818); Captain Ewan Clarke Crerar (born 18 July 1819, Fisher’s Grant - drowned 19 January 1857, on wreck of the Lord Ashburton at Grand Manan Island); Capt. William Grant Crerar (born 12 August, 1821 Pictou - died 2 April 1898 Glenalmond, Pictou); Dr. James Peter Crerar (born 15 September 1823 Pictou - died 23 April 1885, Royal Military Asylum, Chelsea
, England); Capt. Daniel Crerar (born 19 January 1826 Pictou – died circa 18 January 1859 Shanghai, China); Capt. Peter Crerar (born 10 July 1828 Pictou - died 4 May 1868 Cardiff, Wales); Capt. David Stewart Crerar (born 13 August 1830 Pictou - died 2 June 1893 Pictou).
His Pictou obituary reads as follows:
Died…At Pictou, on Wednesday, 5th inst., Peter Crerar, Esq., a native of Breadalbane, Perthshire, Scotland, First Deputy Surveyor and Registrar of Deeds for the County of Pictou, aged 71. But few men have passed from our midst whose loss will be more generally or so extensively regretted. He has left a widow and seven sons to mourn their loss. His catholic spirit, his clear judgment, and his honest disposition, made him one of the most respected members of the community, as was evinced by one of the largest funeral processions ever witnessed at that place. He was connected with the Church of Scotland from his youth, and clung to her standards through all her trials and difficulties, and was Chairman of St. Andrew’s Church [Pictou] for many years previous to his death, in which capacity he made entire satisfaction. Among his last expressions were these words, “I have unwavering confidence in Christ Jesus my Saviour.”
He is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery, Pictou.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. He designed the first railway in British North America, and the first standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railroad in North America, at Stellarton
Stellarton, Nova Scotia
-External links:*...
, near Pictou, Nova Scotia.
The 1836 Albion Mines Railway
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and Windsor
Windsor, Nova Scotia
Windsor is a town located in Hants County, Mainland Nova Scotia at the junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers. It is the largest community in western Hants County with a 2001 population of 3,779 and was at one time the shire town of the county. The region encompassing present day Windsor was...
. Later in 1836 the General Mining Association of London, England, owners of the Albion Mines, now Stellarton, decided to build a railway from the Albion Mines to its loading grounds on the East River. At that time there were few construction engineers in the area. Peter Crerar, a government land surveyor, was given the task. The plans were sent to the head office of the Mining Association in London, with the request that an engineer be sent out to execute them. When the plans were submitted to George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
, builder of the locomotive who had engineered the construction of the Stockton and Darlington, England’s first railroad, he reported to the Mining Association that, in his opinion, the person who prepared the drawings was capable of executing them. The railway was then built under the supervision of Peter Crerar.
Seven original maps and charts drawn by Crerar for the project between August 1837 and December 1838 were unearthed in a building being vacated by the Department of Mines in Stellarton. They are now preserved in the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry is a provincial museum located in Stellarton, Nova Scotia dedicated to the story of Nova Scotia work and workers...
.
The building of the Albion Mines Railway began in 1836 and the road was opened for traffic in 1839. The line, 6 miles (10 km) in length, was so nearly straight that the least radius of its curves was 1” -- 300 feet (91.4 m). The estimated quantity of excavations was 400,000 cubic yards. At the water terminus there was a wharf 1500 feet (457.2 m) long by 24 feet (7 m) wide, commanding a fall of 17 feet (5 m) above high water level at the shoots. The masonry, bridges, culverts, etc., were of cut freestone, from a nearby quarry. The total cost of construction was $160,000.
While the railroad was being constructed, three locomotives were being built in England by Timothy Hackworth
Timothy Hackworth
Timothy Hackworth was a steam locomotive engineer who lived in Shildon, County Durham, England and was the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.- Youth and early work :...
. They were landed at Pictou in May 1839 and brought up the East River in lighters, towed by a Mining Company steamship. The locomotives were Samson
Samson (locomotive)
The Samson is an English-built railroad steam locomotive made in 1838 that ran on the Albion Mines Railway in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton, Nova Scotia and is the oldest locomotive in Canada....
, Hercules, and John Buddle
John Buddle
John Buddle was a self- made mining engineer in North East England, becoming one of the leading mining engineers of his day...
. The three locomotives were accompanied by John Stubbs, Hackworth's shop foreman, who directed their assembly before returning to England. Two locomotive engineers also came with the engines, George Greathead (whose name does not appear in the Nova Scotia record) and George Davidson. Davidson served as Samson's driver throughout the engine's working life and accompanied the locomotive to railway exhibits in Chicago in 1883 and 1893.
As George Patterson reports, the ceremonial opening in 1839 was celebrated province-wide:
Herb MacDonald similarly recounts the celebrations:
The Pictou Observer [24 September 1839] reported:
Today the Albion Mines Railway is commemorated by the “Samson Trail” following the route of the old railway from the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
Nova Scotia Museum of Industry
The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry is a provincial museum located in Stellarton, Nova Scotia dedicated to the story of Nova Scotia work and workers...
along the East River towards Abercrombie
Abercrombie, Nova Scotia
Abercrombie is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County.-References:*...
. The railway's locomotive Samson
Samson (locomotive)
The Samson is an English-built railroad steam locomotive made in 1838 that ran on the Albion Mines Railway in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton, Nova Scotia and is the oldest locomotive in Canada....
is preserved at the museum and is the oldest surviving locomotive in Canada.
Other engineering projects
Crerar’s earliest recorded work was the drawing up plans for St. James’ Anglican Church, Pictou in 1824. The main figure behind this church’s construction was Henry HattonHenry Hatton (Nova Scotia politician)
Henry Hatton was an Irish-born merchant, ship builder and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Pictou township from 1836 to 1843 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as a Conservative....
, later to be Crerar’s son’s father-in-law.
Throughout his life he served as a surveyor on roads and projects in the Pictou area, including the road between Mount Thom and Pictou, the Fisher’s Grant Road, the French River, Huggins, and Sutherland Bridges, the pier at Arisaig, the Wallace Bridge, and the road from West Chester to Amherst.
In 1845 he was a member of a local committee in Pictou County formed to support the proposed Halifax and Quebec Railway project. In 1851, as part of the first phase of planning for the Nova Scotia Railway, he carried out surveys for a proposed route north from Truro to Pictou. When built, the "Pictou Branch" followed another route selected by Sandford Fleming.
Crerar served as Deputy Registrar General of Pictou County
Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova...
. He was later made Commissioner for Improvements to the Pictou section of the Main Post Road of Pictou.
Emigration to Canada
His only known residence in Scotland was the farm of Cuiltrannich, in LawersLawers
Lawers is a village situated in rural Perthshire, Scotland. It lies on the banks of Loch Tay and at the foot of Ben Lawers. It was once part of a vibrant farming industry in the area....
, Kenmore Parish, on the north shore of Loch Tay
Loch Tay
Loch Tay is a freshwater loch in the central highlands of Scotland, in the district of Perthshire.It is a long narrow loch of around 14 miles long, and typically around 1 to 1½ miles wide, following the line of the valley from the south west to north east...
. His family departed for Canada in July 1817, probably aboard the Brig Hope, which sailed from Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
to Pictou in 1817. He first gained employment as a schoolteacher.
Family
His wife was Anne Clarke (born circa 1791 Nessintully, Laggan
Laggan, Badenoch
Laggan is a village in Badenoch, in the Highland region of Scotland. It is beside the River Spey, about 10 km west of Newtonmore. The A86 road passes through the village and crosses the river on a nearby bridge...
, Invernesshire - died 15 April 1865 Pictou, Nova Scotia), daughter of Ewan Clarke. Peter and Anne had eight children: John Crerar (born 18 August 1815, Cuiltrannich, Lawers, Kenmore - died 26 December 1889 Glenalmond, Pictou); May Crerar (born on a passage to North America upon the Banks of Newfoundland, 19 July 1817; died Fishers Grant, Nova Scotia, 8 June 1818); Captain Ewan Clarke Crerar (born 18 July 1819, Fisher’s Grant - drowned 19 January 1857, on wreck of the Lord Ashburton at Grand Manan Island); Capt. William Grant Crerar (born 12 August, 1821 Pictou - died 2 April 1898 Glenalmond, Pictou); Dr. James Peter Crerar (born 15 September 1823 Pictou - died 23 April 1885, Royal Military Asylum, Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, England); Capt. Daniel Crerar (born 19 January 1826 Pictou – died circa 18 January 1859 Shanghai, China); Capt. Peter Crerar (born 10 July 1828 Pictou - died 4 May 1868 Cardiff, Wales); Capt. David Stewart Crerar (born 13 August 1830 Pictou - died 2 June 1893 Pictou).
Death
His Pictou obituary reads as follows:
Died…At Pictou, on Wednesday, 5th inst., Peter Crerar, Esq., a native of Breadalbane, Perthshire, Scotland, First Deputy Surveyor and Registrar of Deeds for the County of Pictou, aged 71. But few men have passed from our midst whose loss will be more generally or so extensively regretted. He has left a widow and seven sons to mourn their loss. His catholic spirit, his clear judgment, and his honest disposition, made him one of the most respected members of the community, as was evinced by one of the largest funeral processions ever witnessed at that place. He was connected with the Church of Scotland from his youth, and clung to her standards through all her trials and difficulties, and was Chairman of St. Andrew’s Church [Pictou] for many years previous to his death, in which capacity he made entire satisfaction. Among his last expressions were these words, “I have unwavering confidence in Christ Jesus my Saviour.”
He is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery, Pictou.
Sources
- The Novascotian, 1 June 1836
- The Pictou Observer, 24 September 1839
- Journal and Proceedings of the House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, 20 February 1846, p. 448
- Presbyterian Witness, 22 Nov. 1856, 187
- Eastern Chronicle, 13 Nov. 1856, p. 3
- Perth Courier, 22 January 1857, p. 2, col.5
- George Patterson, A History of the County of Pictou, Nova Scotia (Dawson Brothers: Montreal, 1877)
- C.W. Lunn, Macleans’s, October 1936; quoted in George MacLaren, The Pictou Book, 1st ed., (New Glasgow, N.S. : Hector, 1954), pp. 245-47
- Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, vol.34, 1963
- Edwin T. Bliss, Albion Mines, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Historical Society, Vol.#39 (1977)
- St. James' Centennial Committee, A Lion in Thistle : A History of St. James' Anglican Church, Pictou, Nova Scotia (Pictou, 1979)
- S.E. Woods, Cinders & Saltwater (Nimbus, Halifax, 1992)
- D.A. Crerar, The Crerar Compendium (Vancouver, 2nd ed., 1996)
- Herb MacDonald, "The Albion Mines Railway of 1839-40," in Andy Guy and Jim Rees (eds), "Early Railways," (The Newcomen Society, London, 2001), pp. 266-77
- Herb MacDonald, "Peter Crerar," in M. Chrimes at al (eds),"Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers, vol 2, 1830-1890," (Thomas Telford, London, 2008), pp. 207-08