The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-09-04
A GREAT BRIDGE DISASTER,
BRIDGE NEAR QUEBEC COIJ,p.
SED WITH FATAL RESIITs

scores OF workmcn Prccipitatcd Into
st. Lawrence River-Nlore Than
Eighty Dead.
Quepec, Aug. 29.-The great One
Dec bridge collapsed late this after.
noon and now the vast mass of stool,
WORK lies a tangled wreck across the
st. Lawrence channel. A careful es-
innate Of the loss Of life is S4 Tho
bridge fell at exactly 23 minutes to 6
'hls evening, just as many Of the
"orkmen were preparing to leave.
Ihe accident was so terrible in its ef-
fectiveness in wiping out the lives of
the men employed that very little is
known as to the cause Of the disaster
Queoec' Aug. ga section of the
new bridge across the st. Lawrence
river, five miles below this CITY. col
lapsed late today, carrying scores Of
bridge workmen and machinists into
the water. 1t is estimated that the
loss of life is more than GO and may
exceed that number by 90.
The bridge was about a miIa and
half in length and half Of it. from
the south shore to midstream. crum-
pied up and dropped into the water.
Ninety men were at work on this
section Of the structure and the
whistle had just blown at $50 for the
men to quit work for the day when
there came grinding sound from the
bridge midstream. The men turned
TO see what had happened and an in
stant later the Cry went up, The
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 girders
and cables swapping like a crash of
artillery.
Terror lent fleetness to the feet of
the frightened workmen as they sned
shoreward. but only 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 wreckage of the
bridge did not go below, the surface
Of the water and eight wOrkmen who
- f1,n
cued and taken to the hospital at
Lewis.
The steamer Glennmont had lust
cleared the bridge when the first
section fell. The water thrown I'D
by the debris went clear over the
bridge of the steamer. The captain
at once lowered boats The small
boats piled backward and forward
over the sunken wreckage for half
an hour, but there was no sign Of life
The twisted iron and steel had it's VIC
Tins in terrible death grip. A few
floating timbers and the broken
strands Of the bridge toward the north
shore were the only signs that any,
thing unusual had happened. There
was not ripple on the smooth sur
face Of the st. Lawrence as it swept
along toward the gulf. All the men
drowned were employees Of the Phoe-
nixville Bridge company and subcon-
tractors Of Quebec and Montreal.
At 10 o'clock tonight 16 bodies had
been picked up and Of the eight men
in the hospital two are not expected
to live throughout the night.
The Quebec bridge was begun
about seven years ago and it was to
be finished in 1909. Subsidies had
been granted by the federal and pro-
vincial governments and the city of
Quebec. and the estimated cost of the
work was s1O,OOO.OOO.
The Phoenixville Bridge company
OF Pennsylvania had the contract for
the construction Of the bridge and
were working from both sides Of the
river.
The horror Of the situation is in
creased by the fact that there are a
number Of wounded men pinned in
the wreckage near the shore. Their
groans and shrieks can be plainly
heard by the crowds who have gath
cred at the waters edge. but nothing
so far can be done to relieve their
sufferings. There are no searchlights
available and by the feeble light of
lanterns it is impossible to locate
OF hn