Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-09-05
GIANT BRIDGE FALLS
ST. LAWRENCE RIVER ENGULFS
ElGHTY=FOUR WORKERS.
American Mechanics Hurled to
Death by Collapse of Record
Breaking Span Near Quebec-Only
Eight Men Escape with Lives

| - SCNINOh VI lLft LEV pT1pge across
the St Lawrence River, FIVE miles be-
low Quebec, collapsed late Thursday,
carrying scores OF bridge workers and
| mechanics TO death in the water. OF
the ninety-two men at work ON the
structure only eight are known to have
escaped.
The bridge WIS about mile and a
half in length, and half OF it, from
the south shore TO midstream, crumpled
up and dropped into the water. The
whistle had just blown at 80 for the
men TO quit work for the day, when
there came a grinding sound from mid
| stream. The men turned to see what
had happened, and an instant later the
cry went up: THE bridge is fallingi"
Workers Flee In Vain.
The men made rush shorevard, but
The distance was too great for them to
escape. The fallen section OF the bridge
dragged others after 1t, the Swapping
| Orders and cables booming like artil-
lery. Terror lent fleetness to the feet
shoreward, but only a few of them
reached safety before the last piece of
| iron work ON the south shore was
| dragged into the river.
Near the shore the wreckaee of the
bridge did not go below the surface of
| the water, and eight workmen who re-
manned above water were rescued and
taken to the hospital at Lewis
The steamer Glenmont had rust
cleared the bridge when the first sec
ton fell. The water thrown up by the
debris came clear over the bridge Of
| the steamer. The captain at epce low
cred boats. The small boats piled back
ward and forward over the sunken
wreckage for half an hour, but there
was no sign of life. The twisted iron
and steel had its victims in a death
| grip. A few floating timbers and the
| broken strands of the bridge toward
| the north shore We're the only signs
| that anything unusual had happened.
Sixteen Bodies Are Found.
All the men drowned were employees
of the Phoenix Bridge Company of
| Pennsylvania, and subcontractors of
Quebec and Montreal. At 10 O'Clock
at night sixteen bodies had been picked
up. OF the eight men in the Lewis hos
! pital two We're not expected to live
through the night,
The southern extension of the
b,.i1 x1-hia
| nearing the zenith of the immense steel
arch which was to span the river. For
| 500 feet from the shore the massive
steel structure reared an arch with no
supports save the piers from the shore
| and one pier in the river about 100
feet from the shore, while the outward
extremity was IS feet above the water.
The end of the half arch bent down
trifie and a moment later the whole
enormous fabric began to give way,
slowly at first, then with a terrific
crash which was plainly heard in Que
bee and which shook the whole coun-
tryside so that the residents rushed out
of their houses, thinking that an earth
quake had occurred.
Wounded Pinned In Debris.
The horror of the situation is in
creased by the fact that there were
number of wounded men pinned In the
wreckage near the shore. Their groans
and shrieks for a time could be plainly
heard by the crowds gathered at the
waters edge, but nothing could be done
to rescue them or relieve their suffer
ings-
There is scarcely a family in the
village of ST. Romuald and New Liver
pool, which has not been bereaved,
while in some cases five and six men
of a single family have been killed.
The bridge was remarkable in that
it was to have been the longest single
span cantilever bridge in the world,
the length of the span in the center be-
ing 1900 feet, or 200 feet longer than
that of the Firth bridge at Edinburgh,
at present the worlds longest single
bridge span.
Built at Great COST.
The contract was let for the erection
of the stone work to M. ?. Davis &
Co, and for the iron work to the
Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville-
Work was begun in 1900. The original
estimate of the cost was in the neigh
borhood of $5,5OO.0OO but this was
found to be too small. The company
finding itself in difficulties and the gov
eminent needing the bridge for the Ma
tional Transcontinental Railway, an
agreement was reached by which the
government agreed to guaratee the
bonds of the company up to 100000
Under this agreement construction has
been proceeding. When completed the
bridge was to have accommodation for
double track railway, two lines of
electric tramways and two poadways
for foot and vehicle traffic.
There has been no bridge across the
St Lawrence below Montreal At
Quebec traffic was ferried across the
river. This expense being beld respon-
sible for the failu-e of Quebec to grow,
a number of citizens secured a char
ter from the Dominion government to
bridge the St Lawrence. A subsidy Of
100000 was secured from the domin-
ion and another S35O,00O from the gov
eminent of the Province of Quebec,
while the CITY of Quebec gave a grant
of 10000. The promoters put up
S6jO,OOO.
To Felerate the Employers.
Delegates from various employers a.