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Construction began in
October 1888, but the Chignecto Ship Railway soon faced serious
financial difficulties. The 1890 collapse of Baring Brothers and
Company, the London bank backing the project, signalled the death of
Ketchum's dream. In 1892 The Canadian Parliament refused to
extend the time period for their contract with the Chignecto Marine
Transport Railway Company, thereby destroying any possibility of the
project being completed. Three-quarters of the work
was completed at that point, including the docks at Fort Lawrence and
Tidnish Bridge, 16 of the 17 miles of rail-bed, and 13 miles of
track. Soon after, on 8 September 1896, Ketchum died
unexpectedly
in Amherst, Nova Scotia. He was buried at Tidnish within view of the
ship railway terminus.
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