Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-30
span OF GREAT BRIDGE
FALLS and 80 WORKMEN
ARE CARRIED To DEATH
Huge CantiIever Structure Being Erected Across
the St. Lawrence River at Quebec ColIapses
Just as Evening Whistle Blows.


rescued men now in the Lewis hos
pital, two are not expected to. live
throughout the day.
Built by Quebec Concern.
The bridge was being built by the.
Quebec Bridge company, local con,
cern and its construction was started
three years ago. The steel work
which was the feature of the bridge.
was being done by the Phoenix Bridge
company of Phoenixville, Pa.
The st. Lawrence river cantilever
bridge was designed to be one of the
most gigantic structures of its kind
ever erected. twentieth century
marvel of bridge building. 1t was liz
tended to be both a railroad and high
way bridge, with accommodation be-
tween the two trusses for two steari
railways, two electric car lines, and
two driveways for vehicles, whlle out.
side the trusses provisions were made
for two sidewalks hanging over the
st. Lawrence.
In design and construction the
bridge offered an engineering prob
lem of the greatest magnitude fraugkt
with immense difficulties
Length 5000 Feet
The design of the bridge called for
a total length from center to cente"
of anchorage piers of nearly 5000
feet, comprising two 500 feet anchor
spans extending from the anchor piers
to the main piers of the towers. tvs.
500 feet cantilever arms reaching ont
over the river and carrying between
a central suspended span measuring
go feet.
The enormous span is the striking
feature of the design. 1t is longer
than any simple pin connected truss
span ever erected. The cantilev W
span arms and the central span to,
gether form a channel 80 feet longer
| than the bridge across the River Forth
at Edinburgh. Scotland, hithefto-xIa.a
longest cantilever bridge i'll existence.
The total dead weight of the struc-
ture is estimated at 10000 tons. ana
one of the difficult problems confront
| ing its designers was to keep the
weight and size of the enormous in
dividual members down to a point a,
which they could be transported from
the shops of the Phoenix Bridge com
pany at Philadelphia to the site of the
big bridge.
In many cases the members are sc
large that they tested the limit 81
capacity of the huge machines ,:
which they were made.
Bridge Discussed for 80 Years.
The construction of bridge across
the st. Lawrence at or near Quebe,
has been the subject of several prI
jects during the last half century. n,
definite plan was arrived at, howeve-
until 1897, when company was finat
ly formed and a site chosen, about 81
miles west of the city. The grea
width of the St Lawrence opposite
Quebec and unfavorable submarine
conditions at that point necessitate
the choice of site so far from tn,
city
The topography of the river banl;
at the selected site were PRACTICAL
favorable to bridge, which had t
be at least $50 feet above high tide
II The Importance of the bridge lie
: in the fact that between its mout
= and Montreal, $50 miles above Gu,
; bee, the ST. Lawrence river is III
I spanned. At present all traffic acroS
the river below Montreal is done b
ferries in summer and roads acros
the ice in winter.