The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-08-30
Great Structure Below Que
bee Crumbles Suddenlyand
Without Warning Into the
St Laurence River.
FEW WORKMEN
ESCAPE DEATH
Men In Grip OF Twisted Iron
and Steel As they Go Down
-.0fficers Of Construction
viii Be investigated.

Quebec, Aug. 30.--The officers Of the
Phoenix Building company Of Phoenix
vile, Pa, which was erecting the canti-
Lever bridge that collapsed last night,
with sub-bosses and gang Of chiefs,
have been summoned to appear at a
criminal investigation that win surely
begin as result OF the accident, that
at latest reports cost "a lives. Several
officers Of this company were killed in
tie disaster, including B. A. Vansel, gen
eral foreman, chief engineer Burke and
foreman John Wooley and James Idaho.
AT daybreak. half dozen government
tugs and several hundred men were out
hunting for victims. It win be several
days before any progress is made toward
clearing the river Of the great mass Of
steel wreckage, and many Of the bodies
will not be recovered until then. Divers
have been sent to explore the river bot
tom, and this morning six huge floating
derricks arrived to begin work on lift
ing such of the wreckage as can be
losened So far "a is now known, only
ten Of the worl1men, all Americans, who
were on the bridge escaped, and Of these
anly four can recover. Thus far only
20 bodies have been recovered. Engi-
neer Jess, who went down with his con
struction train and was picked up 800
feet down the river said that the steel
work overhanging the river was the
first to give any sign of weakness. lie
shut of steam but his engine continued
Cd move toward the middle Of the bridge
ard fell with it. II is now learned
that not as many of the skilled mechan-
les brought here BY the Phoenix Bridge
company met death as were at first
believed Most Of The labor was fur.
nished by French Canadians and 40 In
1ians from Caughawaga. A majority
Of the male inhabitants Of the towns of
st. Romuald and New Liverpool were
wiped ont by the disaster In some eases
as many as five men in one family were
lost There is some doubt whether the
bridge viii ever be finished, as nearly
half of the sl0000,00O appropriated has
been expended already, and most Of that
lost.
Story Of the Accident.
The great Quebec bridge collapsed late
Yesterday afternoon and now the vast
mass Of steel work lies tangled wreck
across the st. Lawrence channel. A
careful estimate places the loss of life
at 81 The bridge fell at exactly %
minutes to six last evening Just as
many Of the workment were preparing
to leave The accident was so terrible
IN its effectiveness in wiping out the
lives Of the men employed that very
little is known as to the cause of the
disaster.
The bridge was about mile and a
hall 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 section Of
TIE structure and the whistle had lust
hleNn at $3.50 for the men to quit work
fof the day when there came a grinding
sound from the bridge at midstreani.
The men turned to see what had nap
pened and an instant later the cry went
sip ethe bridge is falling"
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
uirders and cables booming like n crash
ef artillery Terror lent heetness 10
ihe feet Of the frightened worlkmen al
lhey sped shoreward but only a few of
fbem reached safety before the last
niece OF ironwork on the south shore
xas dragged into the water.
Near the shore the wreckage Of the
brblpe did not 60 below the surface IF
4he water and eight workmen who re.
nained above water were rescued and
taken 10 the hospital at LAWS.
The steamer Glenmont had inst
cleared the bridge when the first ACE.
tion fell The water thrown up by the
debris came clar over the bridge Of the
steamer. The captain at once lowered
boats. The small boats Piled backward
ana forward over the sunken wreckape
Tor half an hour but there was no sign
81 life. The twisted iron and steel
helf its victims IN terrible death grin
"A few floating tinbers and the broken
strands Of The bridge toward the north
shofe were the only signs that anything
unusual had happened There was not
a ripple on the smooth surface Of tn,
ST. Lawrence as II swept along toward
the gulf.
AH The men drowned were enpIoye,
Df tbe Ploenieyille Bridge company ans
H differentiation Of Quebec ana Montreal
The Quebec Bridge.
The Quebec bridge was begun about
scyen years ego and It was 70 be I'm
khei II 1900. Subsidies had beer
rsnted by tie federal and provincial
governments and the city Of Qucbe