In August, McLure telegraphed New York because splices between some of the lower chords in the south anchor arm were bent. Th… At least 75 of the 86 workmen on the site were carried to their deaths and property damage was later estimated at over $1.5 million. The failure of these chords was due to their defective design.” The commission attributed this to “errors of judgement” on the part of Peter L. Szlapka, the designing engineer, and Theodore Cooper, the consulting engineer. Noyan, QB House Fire, Dec 1960. Over 100,000 people gathered in Quebec City to celebrate the big day. William Treggett Jr. was involved in the construction of the center span of the bridge. In 1913, construction began, and the central span was built in Sillery Cove from May to July 1916. The anchorage arm and the north-south cantilever were built between 1913 and 1916. Hall’s traveller was located at the end of the south cantilever arm. The Quebec Bridge is a riveted steel truss structure and is 987m long, 29m wide, and 104m high. On September 11, 1916, the bridge tragically collapsed for the last time killing 13 workers and injuring more than 14 others. In February 1906, Cooper became concerned when he examined the detailed drawings of the Phoenix Bridge Company and found that the actual weight of the manufactured steel parts far exceeded the weight estimated by Szlapka prior to manufacturing. The failure of these chords was due to their defective design. What caused the Quebec Bridge collapses of 1907 and 1916? Almost 12 years to the day after the tragic collapse, the Prince of Wales opened the … The failure of these chords was due to their defective design.” Newport Point, QB Fatal House Fire, Mar 1923. Vautelet was President and Chief Engineer. The Quebec Bridge (Canada) was built in 18 years. To this day, the collapsed central span rests at the bottom of the river. No other part of the bridge was damaged. The bridge was completed in 1917 and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) officially opened it on 22 August 1919. At that point he thought he was going to die. “It is not serious. He relied on Edward Hoare, the chief engineer, and Norman McLure, the inspecting engineer for the Quebec Bridge Company, to keep him informed and to consult with him whenever a problem arose. The entire south half of the bridge, approximately 189 MN (19,000 tons) of steel, fell into the waters of the St. Lawrence within 15 seconds. On September 11, 1916, the central span built in a cove at the bottom of Mount Hermon Cemetery fell into the river as it was being hoisted. The bridge was finally completed in 1917 and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) officially opened it 22 August 1919. Later that same day, McLure met with Phoenixville Bridge Company officials in Phoenixville and after some discussion it was decided that they would reconvene the following day. The First Quebec Bridge Disaster -A Case Study. To meet the growing traffic between the shores, a third roadway was added in 1993. Over 35,000 vehicles, including 270 transit buses, and approximately 8 VIA passenger trains and 5 CN freight trains cross the Québec Bridge every day. Vautelet was President and Chief Engineer. Search for related information by keyword. As the huge center span was being lifted into place, it … In this report I will emphasize on the first collapse. The traveller was in the same place. The central span also collapsed while being put in place in 1916. Only eleven workers on the span survived. A new bridge was designed. Two months later it was opened to regular trains, vehicle and pedestrian traffic. In 1907 the incomplete structure collapsed into the river with a loss of 75 lives. Quebec Bridge Disaster -- 11 September 1916. On October 2, 1900, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, placed the cornerstone of the Québec Bridge. It was Canada’s worst bridge disaster. The Quebec Bridge (Pont de Québec in French) is a road, rail and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy (since 2002 a western suburb of Quebec City) and Lévis, Quebec, Canada. He also described how he saw his brother emerge from the wreckage, bleeding but not seriously injured. The bridge finally was completed and opened for traffic in August of 1918. The ill-starred bridge suffered a second disaster on 11 September 1916 when a new centre span being hoisted into position fell into the river, killing 13 men. He also modified specifications that would allow for higher It is the longest cantilever bridge in the world. I fell down in my box, stood up, fell down again, and I looked again. The Prince of Wales officially inaugurated the Québec Bridge on August 29, 1919. Only 16 bodies were recovered from the twisted wreckage at the bottom of the river. Fortunately no lives were lost at this time. After four successful lifts on the north end and five lifts on the south end, the workmen–about 80 in all–took a break. à The Collapse of September 11, 1916 ... Holtz, Neal. In 1949, the federal authorities decided to change the configuration of the decks by repurposing one of the rail lines for car traffic. The Royal Commission, which investigated the cause of the disaster, concluded that “the collapse of the Quebec Bridge resulted from the failure of the lower chords in the anchor arm near the main pier. “I thought, well, I am finished, but I stood there. The Quebec Bridge Company selected Theodore Cooper, a well-known American bridge designer, as the project’s consulting engineer. Contrary to popular belief the first rings were not made from iron from the collapsed bridge. On January 24, 1996, the Government of Canada designated the Québec Bridge a National Historic Site, recognizing it as the most important bridge in the history of Canadian civil engineering. So in 1908, the minister of railways and canals appointed a board of engineers that arranged for and supervised the design and erection of a new bridge. Nearly all the victims were killed by falling debris or drowned. The story of the bridge begins in 1887 when a number of entrepreneurs from Quebec City decided there was a need to increase business traffic in the area. The southwest corner of the span tore away and sagged. The rail bridge was designed to link the two shores and provide easier transit for the 11 railroad companies in particular between the railways in Québec and the United States. The project failed twice, at the cost of 88 lives, and took over 30 years to complete. The thunderous roar of the collapse was heard ten km (six miles) away in Quebec (p.80, Middleton, 2001). “Make as good work of it as you can,” came Cooper’s reply. This feature was conceived by Phelps Johnson, president and general manager of St. Lawrence Bridge Company. Bridging The St Lawrence Wonders Of World Ering. The Quebec Bridge Company then let a contract to the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pa., to build the structure. The inquiry, which concluded with a report published in 1908, also heard from the Lajeunesse brothers who were among the few who had landed near the foreshore. Legion Magazine is published by Canvet Publications Ltd. © 2020 Legion Magazine. After their meeting on the morning of the Aug. 29, 1907, Cooper telegraphed the contracting company in Phoenixville as follows: “Add no more load to the bridge till after due consideration of the facts. After a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the collapse, construction started on a second bridge. Three engineers were appointed: H. E. Vautelet, a former engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railways, Maurice FitzMaurice from Britain, who worked on the construction of the Forth Bridge , and Ralph Modjeski from Chicago. Submitted by gendisasters. A few years later, on August 29, 1907, the south section of the bridge collapsed and killed 76 workers, including 33 Mohawk workers from the Kahnawake community. Acting on Hoare’s advice, McLure went to New York City to brief Cooper first hand about the difficulties. There are three postcards, both black-and-white and color, of the Quebec Bridge. Three engineers were appointed: H. E. Vautelet, a former engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railways, Maurice FitzMaurice from Britain, who worked on the construction of the Forth Bridge, and Ralph Modjeskifrom Chicago. As the water level rose, the trapped men drowned. Three engineers were appointed: H. E. Vautelet, a former engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railways, Maurice FitzMaurice from Britain, who worked on the construction of the Forth Bridge, and Ralph … For these men and for their rescuers, the situation became more frantic as the tide came in. The collapse of the Quebec Bridge resulted from the failure of the lower chords in the anchor arm near the main pier. The rail bridge was designed to link the two shores and provide easier transit for the 11 railroad companies in particular between the railways in Québec and the United States. A large number of people witnessed the accident from shore and their reaction was one of disbelief. The span was to be lifted two feet at a time in a repeat operation until it was in place between the two arms. Today, the bridge continues to allow passengers and goods to move freely between the two shores and the rest of North America. After a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the collapse [of the Quebec Bridge in August 1907 ], construction started on a second bridge. The collapse of the first The bridge construction was restarted in 1913 and completed in August 1919. It was a slow process, but eventually the span was manoeuvred into position between the cantilever arms where huge lifting hangers, attached to the ends of the arms, raised it by hydraulic means off the scows. From an investigation by the St. Lawrence Bridge Company, the company assigned to build the bridge, the collapse was due to a material failure in one of the four bearing castings that supported the central span. In just one week, chord 9-L went out of line from three quarters of an inch to two and one quarter inches. In 1916, a redesigned 5,000-ton center span was jacked into place from barges, but as thousands of spectators watched, it too crashed into the river when a jack bearing failed. A few years later, on August 29, 1907, the south section of the bridge collapsed and killed 76 workers, including 33 Mohawk workers from the Kahnawake community. Then, on September 11 th, 1916, the time came to raise the central span that had been constructed in Sillery Cove, which was intended to join the two cantilever arms and finish the building of the bridge. When I did, I found two pieces of wood wedged in tightly at the elbow joint of both my arms. on the wiki sept. 11th page it refers to 1916 - The Quebec Bridge collapses for a second time, killing 11 men. Seventy-eight years later, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada unveiled a new plaque that commemorates this “remarkable engineering achievement,” but the wording on the plaque pays only scant attention to the workmen who died during its construction. They had pride in their work and on the day when their desire was to be achieved, fate intervened…. My partner was just about seven or eight feet from me, and I never noticed him and never saw him–never knew anything.”. During the period listed in the previous question, the bridge builders at Quebec were attempting to span what body of water? He recalled the events: “I was on top just putting a turn on the rope to send up a box of bolts when I saw something jerk the bridge. In June 1907, McLure told Cooper that errors of alignment in some of the lower chord splices on the bridge’s south anchor arm were corrected by jacking them into line. 1916: Second Quebec Bridge Collapse Engineering disaster Quebec City, Quebec Central Canada 1917–1966. The bridge, which was conceived to be one of the most advanced in the world, had already collapsed nine years earlier. “Women shrieked, men stood dumbfounded, while those directly interested in the building of the bridge could scarcely hold back the tears which welled in their eyes. Quebec, QB St. Charles Orphanage Fire Disaster, Dec 1927. This animation only illustrates the construction of the second bridge that started in 1911, 4 years after the collapse of the first bridge. Legion Magazine is published six times a year in English with a French insert. They had lived with this span. An Engineer's Aspect: The Bridge Collapse of August 29, 1907. Construction continued because it was thought that the increase in stresses would be safe. The dead included 33 Mohawk steel workers from the Caughnawaga reserve at Lachine, Que., near Montreal. Quebec Bridge has a long story behind it, a bridge that was proposed first back in 1852 but it was not complete until 1919. Dee Bridge (1847) An Engineer's Aspect: The Dee Railway Bridge Disaster of 1847. From the War of 1812 to modern armed forces missions around the world, Legion Magazine offers a blend of stories, photographs, graphics, maps and posters on Canadian military history and heritage, veterans’ issues and the Canadian Armed Forces. At last, the world’s longest cantilever bridge was completed and the first train crossed it in October. As before, the design called for a cantilever-type bridge, but it differed from the previous one with the lower chords of the cantilever arms several times stronger. ENG 3000 York University Ali Dianat, Armin Ghaemi, Amir-Hossein Khademi, Sean O'Brien, Kevin Suarez The centre span seemed to buckle in the middle and roll over, twisting the great steel girders. Eighty-six workers were present on the bridge at the time. One important innovation that added strength to the bridge was the K-truss design. But the tragedy of 1907 ranks as one of the worst losses of life in the history of our Union. The 5,100-ton span had been built and was sitting in Sillery Cove, approximately 3 1/2 miles from the bridge site. The bridge was rebuilt, and on September 11, 1916, the bridge collapsed again killing 13 men. It collapsed two times in this duration once in 1907 killing 75 workers and second time in 1916 killing 13 workers. Home » Canada Corner » O Canada » A Bridge With Two Tragedies. “A cry of anguish went up from the onlookers as the span rushed to its watery bed,” noted an article in one Toronto newspaper. The Quebec Bridge was 20 years in the making, from the found­ ing of the Quebec Bridge Company in 1887 to the bridge’s col­ lapse in 1907. A cantilever bridge was proposed as the most fea­ sible design to bridge the harsh, icy waters of the St. Lawrence River. I came to this side of the bridge and I looked, and when I saw the bridge go down in that way I was on that chord, and I thought that chord made the bridge fall.”. The bridge collapsed during construction on August 29, 1907, killing 75 workers. This led to the use of nickel alloy steel to decrease the risk of fracturing. 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