TERRIBLE DISASTER.

Lake County Press, Issue 2185, 5 September 1907, Page 5

TERRIBLE DISASTER.

Bridge Collapses Under Test, Nearly 100 Killed. The 'largest cantilever bridge in the ■world, which was being built across the St. Lawrence at Quebec collapsed. Nearly 100 persons vre re killed, chiefly American workmen. The bridge. was; » mile and a half long. A section 800 feet collapsed when traversed by a tram laden with iron, material. Details of the collapse of a span of the St. Lawrence bridge at Quebec during a test of its strengh, show that out of 92 workmen who were about to leave the bridge in the evening 61 perished. Apparently the cause of the disaster was overloading of the construction tram. The driver felt a jerk, and shut off ote iin but the engine continued its journ„ev The structure dipped at the end and then collapsed. The awful completeness of the catastrophe paralysed everybody in the vicinity. Anxious crowds heard the groans and shrieks of a number of victims, who were pinned by the wreckage near the shore throughout the night, but were unable to rescue or relieve their saflenngs until daylight. Meanwhile the rising tida drowned many.

The collapse moans a financial loss of £41)0,000, and two years’ work undone. (The length of the St. Lawrence Bridge, when finished, will he 15220 feet, and the width 80ft, there being provision for two railway tracks, two roadways, and two side walks. The chief feature is the groat central span of 1800 feet, which will he the largest yet built. There are also two appioach spans of 210 ft each, and two shore arms of 500 ft each. Good progress had been made, the approaches being finished and the work on the bridge structure commenced by the autumn of 1905, when operations had to be suspended for the winter. Operations were recommenced on April, 1900, and the erection of the main cantilever span was begun during the summer.]