10 February 2021 - DISASTER FOR THE QUEBEC BRIDGE

 

 
DISASTER FOR THE 
QUEBEC BRIDGE
 
G'day folks,
 
 Spanning the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City, the massive Quebec Bridge has a history of tragedy. 
 
At the time, it was the largest cantilever structure attempted. Unfortunately, the bridge which was supposed to be an engineering triumph collapsed twice, first in 1907 and then in 1916.

 The first sudden collapse happened during construction, in August 1907. In just 15 seconds, the south anchor arm, the cantilever arm, and the partially completed suspended span fell 150 feet (45 m) into the St. Lawrence River. 75 of the 86 workers on site were killed, and the remaining 11 suffered injuries.

 Despite the disaster, the Canadian government decided that the project must be completed in order to establish the rail link for the railway system. Construction began again in 1913, and by 1916, the bridge was nearly completed. On the morning of September 11, the workmen faced a difficult task in moving the span upstream, and all went well with that part of the job. However, around midday, something went terribly wrong. One corner of the span tore away and sagged. A few seconds later, the other ends pulled off their supports and the whole span came loose and disappeared into the river. Thirteen men lost their lives, and several others were injured.


Clancy's comment: Mm ... it seems to have been cursed.

I'm ...

 



 

 


 

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