The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-31
QUEBEC BRIDGE VICTIMS, "a
ONLY EIGHT BADLY BRUISED
MEN SIRVIvE COLLAPSE.
5sO Feet Of steel tiirders snapped On
suddenly From tansdisn End aud Fell
Into the ~. Lawrence No sstnance 10
Esrape cause ~ Disaster q Mystery.


QUEBEC, Aug. 30. All hut eight OF the
niney-two bridge builders who were work
ing on the cantilever bridge under ron
struction over The 81. Lawrence River,
nine miles above Quebec. which collapsed
laet night. are believed TO he dead. OF
his number presumably thirty We're
Indians. twenty-five skilled American me
chanios and the rest French Canadians.
b. A. ianseli. gen erai foreman: John
Morley. chief engineer. and james Idaho.
all Of Pennsylvania, were among those
whose bodies were recovered his MORN
ing.
Half Of the immense structure. which
was TO have been the longest of it's kind
in the world, is nov buried in the st. Law
renee River. The work OF recovering
bodies is very slow, although divers are at
work and are constantly finding bodies
pinned under The debris. The Dominion
and Quebec Governments have sent tugs
to the scene.
Probably the most miraculous escape
from death was that of an engineer who
was running a locomotive and train Of cars
on the bridge when il cola psed. The cars
all carried heavy cranes. There was a
load Of steel on the bridge also.
The engineer said he felt the structure sag
He reversed the throttle on his locomotive,
but the bridge continued 10 sway. as il about
to fan The next instant the era sh came.
The engineer went down with the train.
lost consciousness and knew nothing further
until he was found and revived on shore.
He believes he must have been washed
ashore, but how he escaped drowning he is
unable 10 tell.
Only the most mea gre details as to tho
identity OF the dead have been obtained
some OF them. however. are known 10
have been residents OF Pennsylvania, ss
the contract FOR the bridge was le, to the
Phoenix Bridge Company OF Phpnixvilie.
Pa, and il was known that many Of the
workmen had come from that State. One
of the bodies recovered is that OF MIR. Burke.
resident engineer Of the work for the con-
ira ctors.
A partial list OF the dead includes. be-
ides Burke, Carl Swanson Of Philadelphia.
Fast and Meredith. who are supposed To
have come from Ohio. and the following
residents in the vicinity Of the bridge:
Victor Hardy. Michael Hardy. James
Hard y. Cslixte Hardy, Joseph Boucher. two
brothers named Wilson. two named Haze
man. Henry French, two brothers named
Proulx and four men named Biron. BiDet.
Beaudry and Norton.
The exact cause of the disaster has not
been determined. While there was a wind
OF twenty-eight niles an hour blowing.
II is not believed this could have been re-
sponsible for the collapse Of the struc-
ture. which had already withstood con-
siderably more pressure.
In one rp4DRCf hOWay0T the ImmQnQa
bridge was an experiment. IL was the
longest cantilever in the world, having an
unsupported sran OF 800 feet. There was
still 100 feet to be added to the side Of the
main span that collapsed, and the whole
Of the $50 feet outside of the pier was
overhanging the river without any other
support than the cables overhead.
This o~verhanging mass OF metal had
been regarded as one OF the engineering
feats ~ the time. During the summer
many American engineers visited Quebec
TO inspect the new bridge, the total cost OF
which was to have been $40 ,000, 900.
The bridge was to have been the con-
Meeting link between the eastern and western
branches OF the new transcontinental rail-
way now in course Of construction by the
Canadian Government.
Ninety men were working on the structure
last evening when IL collapsed. The disaster
oame just before the men we're 10
quit work for the day. There was no pre-
IlOultlOns NuN OtlukC Hlupiy SWd1cI anu
with a great resounding crash that could
be heard for miles around shot out from
the direction OF the shore into the middle
of the st. Lawrence.
There was the widest kind OF a scene
among the workmen when the bridge
started to fall. Some OF them tried to run,
but the collapse was so sudden and COM
plete that not one escaped going down into
the river.
One Of the most remarkable esca pes
G-.. Hath $40 Nh.N - Tk~SA- C---1I
Of Fredericton. who clutched tightly
10 a piece OF iron and went down with
il. The portion Of the bridge that he
was working on being very heavy shot
down into the water like a meteor. so that
he struck the water without being injured.
He came to the surface and being an ex-
pert swimmer was able to float ashore.
II foor OF the bridge was only fifty
feet above the water, and Sewell says that
although the fall only occupied n few sec
says he felt that each second would he his
last.
Among the others who were sa wed are
Charles Davis. an Englishman. whose
back is broker and who may die; n labofer
who has a broken leg, and four others
named Roberge, Cadoiet. Hazelman and
Johnson John Haley OF New York is
also among the survivors
II is understood here that the loss en-
tailed by the collapse OF the bridge will
Ihn upon the fnfulA bTluke company,
which undertook to complete the contract
and deliver the structure in perfect condi-
ton to the railroad.
The divers who have undertaken the work
OF recovering the bodies say hat many OF
the dead appear to have been completely
crushed between the heavy steel pieces Of
the bridge. IL may be that several OF them
will never he recovered.
II was said that a number OF Canadian
Indians were among the workmen drowned.
Several of these we're pulled out of the
river still alive. but their injuries we're 40
great that they died q few minutes after
ward.
OTTAWA. Aug. 3O.-M. J. Burler, Deputy
Minister of Railways and Canals. left this
afternoon for Quebec and will be Joined
az Montreal by &. Holgate, whom the Do
minion Government has appointed TO in
vestiRate the bridge disaster.
MIR. =. VI Parent. chairman of the Ma
tional Transoontinental Railway and presi.
dent Of the bridge company. is of opinion
that the Phoenix Bridge Company il re-
sponsible and possibly had been rushing
matters too fast. He estimates the loss
at from a million to a million and a half.
exclusive Of claims for damages.
G.. Scf:riever. consulting engineer TO the
Government. will also accompany Mr..