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Reminiscences of Colonel Edward Mallandaine, June 29 1940. 'Driving of the Last Spike'Read by Jules Thomas.
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Edward Mallandaine describes the photographs taken to commemorate the historic driving of the Last Spike."Before doing so three photographs were taken by a little humpbacked photographer named Ross, of Ross, Best & Co., Winnipeg: one when Sir Donald had the hammer over his shoulder, preparatory to striking; one with the hammer over his head, and one with the hammer on the nail head. Then he quickly and in a most workmanlike manner, drove the spike home. Everybody cheered; the locomotives whistled and shrieked; several short speeces were made; hands were shaken, and Major Rogers, the discoverer of the pass named after him, became so gleeful that he up-ended a huge tie and tried to mark the spot by the side of the track by sticking it in the ground...
"As soon as the ceremony was over the last spike was extracted and hammered to bits, and the last piece of rail that was cut off was chipped, and the last tie was splintered and everyone who wanted it secured a memento of this memorable occasion."
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