BRIDGE SPAN DROPS INTO A RIVER.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 24 November 1916, Page 6

BRIDGE SPAN DROPS INTO A RIVER.

' TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE ST. LAWRENCE. TWENTY-FIVE LIVES LOST. -' REPETITION OF DISASTER NINE YEARS AGO. Twenty-five men were killed and as manymore injured in a bridge disaster at Quebec. The central span of the Quebec Bridge, the largest cantilever suspension bridge in the world, collapsed and fell into the St. Lawrence Eiver while being hoisted into its place. "• w..^ Members of the Dominion and Australian Parliaments, together with the leading engineers in bridge construction in Canada and United States, wrce present. The central span was floated from Sillery Cove , where it had been constructed on pontoons, and was hoisted into its place by chains operated • by hydraulic jacks on a floor already constructed. Parts of the span weigh 5430 toils. The structure was raing raised 150 feet amidst the whistling of hundreds of river craft gathered to see the raising of the greatest effort in bridge building in history. Everything pointed to a most successful .enterprise, when suddenly a ripping noise from one of the gordens holding the span was heard. The span dropped into the stream at one end. The remaining jacks held the mass for a few seconds, and frantic efforts were made to get a chain rope arount the beam", but with reports like shells exploding the remaining supports snapped and the span fell with a mighty splash into the river and disappeared into 200 feet of channel. The men working on the span itself were seen to jump into the river. Boats at once rushed to the spot, and several men were picked up. It was estimated that there were ninety men on the span. SHIP CHANNEL FREE. Mr McMillan, the chief engineer, was on the centre span when it collapsed. He fell into the river, but was rescued by a tug, and brought to Quebec badly injured. Mr Hazcu, Minister of Marine Avas on board a tug. His opinion is that the steel of the span buckled first, and the supports seemed to give way afterwards. < Navigation of the St Lawrence by ocean going vessels, which was tempo?- \ arily interrupted, has been resumed, i The collapse of the bridge has not | A blocked the ship channel .which there j is 200 feet deep. , Almost exactly nine years ago a terrible disaster occurred to this bridge, j which had then been three years under j construction. At that time the south- j ern extension was nearing the crown of the immense steel arch which was '. to span the river, and the massive structure, extending 800 feet from the I shore, had no supports save the piers | on shore and one pier about 150 feet | from the shore, while the outward extremity was about ISO feet above wat-.' er. On August 29, 1907, the end of the ; half-arch began to bend down, and al- j most immediately afterwards the whole ! fabric gave wayj and a section 90 feet ' long crashed into the river. There were more than a hundred workmen engaged j on this section at the time, and more ■ than sixty lost their lives. i The bridge, of which the centre span was to have a length of ISOO feet, or 90 feet more than the longest span of [ the Forth Bridge, was to have been I completed by the end of this year. j —_