The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-09-05
DROWNED BY SCORES
NEW BRIDGE OVER ST. LAW.
RENEE NEAR QUEBEC FALLS.
VICTIMS MAY NUMBER 90
Half of Structure colIapses, Carrying
Workmen Under the Water
Where the Wreckage
Holds Them.

Quebec, Que.-A section of the new
bridge across the st. Lawrence river,
five miles below this city, collapsed
late Thursday, carrying scores of
bridge workers and mechanics into
the water. 1t is estimated that the
loss of life is at least 60 and may ex-
ceed that number by 20.
The bridge was about a mile and a
half in length and half of it, from the
south shore to midstream, crumpled
up and dropped into the water.
Ninety men were at work on this sec
ton of the structure and the whistle
had just blown at $3.50 for the men
to quit work for the day when there
came a grinding sound from the bridge
midstream. The men turned to see
what had happened and an instant
later the cry went up "the bridge is
falling"
Few Have Time to Escape.
The men made a rush shoreward,
but the distance was too great for
them to escape. The fallen section of
the bridge dragged others after it, the
swapping girders and cables booming
like crash of artillery. Terror lent
f1eetness to the feet of the frightened
workmen as they sped shoreward, but
only few of them reached safety be-
fore the last piece of iron work on
the south shore was dragged into the
river.
Near the shore the wreckage of the
bridge did not go below the surface
of the water and eight workmen who
remaiSed above water were rescued
and taken to the hospital at Lewis.
Held Down by the Wreckage.
The steamer Glenmont had just
cleared the bridge when the first Sec
tion fell. The water thrown up by the
debris came clear over the bridge of
the steamer. The captain at once
lowered boats. The small boats piled
backward and forward over the sunk
en- wreckage for half an hourl but
there was no sign of life. The twisted
iron and steel had its victims in a ter
rible death grip.
All the men drowned were en-
ployes of the Phoenixville Bridge COM
pany, and subcontractors of Quebec
and Montreal.
Mourning in the Villages.
There is scarcely a family in the
villages of st. Romuald and New Liv-
erpool which has not been bereaved, |
while in some cases five and six men |
of single family have been killed. |
From almost every house is heard the |
sound of lamentations of women.
The disaster caused much excite
ment here and is regarded as a ma
tional calamity.
Nothing is known of the cause of
the disaster. There was nothing of an |
untoward nature reported that could |
give the slightest indication during the |
past few days that the huge structure |
was in dangerous condition 1t was
built on such immense lines that it did
not seem possible it could break down.
Was to Be Wonderful Bridge.
The bridge was remarkable in that
1t was to be the longest single span
cantilever bridge in the world, the |
length of the span in the center being
1900 feet, or 200 feet longer than that
of the Firth bridge, at present the
worlds longest single bridge span.
The bridge was begun about seven
years ago and it was to be. finished in
1909. Subsidies had been granted by
the federal and provincial govern
ments and the city of Quebec, and the
estimated cost of the work was $1O,-
100000.
The Phoenix Bridge company,
of Pennsylvania, had the contract for
the construction of the bridge, and
was working from both sides of the
river.