On August 29, 1907, the Quebec Bridge collapsed and killed 76 people. In 1916, disaster struck again when the central part fell into the water and caused 13 deaths. The structure was finally completed the following year. Author and lecturer Michel L’Hébreux narrated the story of this bridge, then considered a masterpiece of civil engineering, and the disasters that marked it.
The construction of this bridge was necessary due to the arrival of the railroad in the Quebec region. Well -known American engineer Theodore Cooper was hired on May 6, 1900 and changed the plan of the Quebec Bridge. Instead of 1600 feet of clear span, he proposed 1800. “It wouldn’t be a bad decision if he redoed his calculations,” Michel L’Hébreux said.
During construction, supervised by young site engineer Norman McLure, parts of the bridge were warping, but Theodore Cooper made sure of everything. On August 28, 1907, Norman McLure traveled to New York to discuss construction issues with Theodore Cooper; he saw the seriousness of the situation the next day and tried, without success, to contact the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, asking them not to put additional cargo on the bridge.
” At 5:37 pm on August 29, 1907, the entire structure collapsed like a house of cards. There are one hundred workers in the structure. He will have 76 dead. “
This tragedy shook the whole country and Ottawa set up a royal commission of inquiry. “The career of [Theodore] Cooper finished at the Quebec Bridge, ”Michel L’Hébreux said. The engineer died on August 24, 1919, two days before the bridge was inaugurated.
The federal government has contracted the work in St. Louis. Lawrence Bridge. Two cantilever arms were completed in 1916; only the central span is missing. On September 11, 1916, workers demolished it in front of more than 100,000 people who came to watch its installation; still at the bottom of the river to this day. “This second disaster left 13 dead and 14 injured,” Michel L’Hébreux recalled. The central span was finally installed on September 20, 1917.
In conclusion, the author and speaker explained why the authorities neglected the maintenance of the bridge and why it was not recognized for its fair value. “The Quebec Bridge is a unique bridge. It will still, in 2022, be the longest cantilever bridge in the world,” he said.
Source: Radio-Canada
