Sabotage at the Nipigon Bridge | TBPL Research Blog

In 1914, as WWI commenced and soldiers began deploying overseas, a major concern for the Canadian government was the safety of key infrastructure, industry, and supply lines. Spies within Canada, loyal to the enemy, could pose a threat to the Allies in their own backyard. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Bridge in Nipigon, Ontario, was the target of a German sabotage plot in March 1915, involving a gang wreaking havoc across Ontario and Michigan. Over the course of two years, residents learned how close key national interests came to being destroyed.

When two men disembarked a CPR train in Nipigon, nothing seemed unusual at first. However, suspicions arose as the men began surveying the bridge, studying its structure, and asking questions that drew attention. Nipigon police were notified, but the men had already boarded a departing train to Port Arthur. Nipigon police immediately contacted authorities in Port Arthur with the details.

Sgt. Burleigh of the local police, waiting for the train's arrival, soon located the two men. Carl Schmidt and Gustav Stevens were immediately taken into custody, suspected of being German spies. They were found with a fuse, loaded revolvers, a significant amount of U.S. currency, and a railway timetable. Their stories quickly changed under questioning, and they failed to provide satisfactory accounts of their activities. Newspapers later reported that Schmidt, under pressure, made incriminating statements, leading to charges of carrying a concealed weapon and espionage.

Both men pleaded guilty to the weapons charge and received three-month jail sentences. The espionage trial was postponed until after their sentence, after which they were sent to an internment camp in Kingston, Ontario. In July 1915, the men admitted to being part of a German loyalist outfit based in Detroit, Michigan, connected to the dynamiting of the Peabody Plant in Walkerville (which manufactured soldiers' uniforms) and an attempted bombing of Windsor’s armory. Schmidt and Stevens had been paid $200 to gather information on potential targets. Armed with information from the Walkerville and Windsor incidents, the Canadian and American governments began collaborating to apprehend the German conspirators.

Both governments soon arrested and tried the conspirators for treasonous acts against the Allies, though cooperation was sometimes challenging. Some conspirators were arrested and tried in Canada, others in the U.S. After escaping internment and fleeing to the United States, Carl Schmidt was re-arrested and sentenced there.

Without the vigilance of local citizens and police, we can only speculate on the damage that might have been inflicted. This event led Canada to initiate heightened awareness of infrastructure security during wartime.

If you would like to learn more about this incident or other Thunder Bay and District history, contact us at research@tbpl.ca.