Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-30
EIGHTY NORkN[N
fall 70 DEATH.
Collapse of Immense Cantilever
Bridge Over st. Lawrence
River Has Appalling Results
ONLY EIGHT OF FORCE ESCAPE
Bodies Of Many Victims Crushed in
Friehtful Manner--only Twenty So
Far Recovered From River-Many
Were Americans Employed by Penn.
sylvania Company.


Quebec, Aug 30.-Seventy- five ana
perhaps eighty deaths are the result oi
the collapse of the cantilever bridge
spanning the st. Lawrence river, yes
terday. Less than twenty bodies nave
been recovered. Many OF the vlctilns
were crushed in q frightful manner
and II il feared a number VIII never
be found.
"A great many of the dead are Ameri-
osrs brought by the Phoenix Bridge
\ Company from Phoenixville. Pa, wnlch
had the contract for the iron work On
the structure Boats this morning DIS
covered two bodies under the water N
the wreck but it is impossible to reach
them until the tide goes out The au-
thorities are making an investigation
to fix the responsibility.
The number of victims as stated al
4 the office Of the Phoenix Bridge com
pany todayis as follows: The eighteen
Canadians, twenty-eight Indians anu
seventeen Americans, but the onlciais
would not venture to give out any
names at present They also state
that Ave Canadians, four Indians ana
three Americans were injured.
Quebec, Que, Aug. 30.-One-half OF
the enormous cantileyer $lo,ooo'ooU
bridge being constructed across the
ST Lawrence. six miles from quebec,
4 rrumnled up and crashed $50 feet into
the river last evening, carrying to their
death eighty workmen, majority OF
]; whom were skilled American mechan-
ics.
OF ninety men, who were known to
have been on the section of the bridge
which collapsed, only eight escaped
unhurt.
The bridge, which was nearing COM
pletion. was to have been the great
est cantilever bridge in the world The
cause of the collapse, which practlc-
ally split the bridge in two, leaving
one-half tangled mass OF steel In the
st. Lawrence, is not known.
Ninety men were at work on that
half of the bridge extended from the
south shore to midstream3 The quit
ting whistle at $3.50 had just bloYn,
and the men were preparing to leave
their work
Suddenly a grinding. crunching
sound from midstream startled the
men. An instant later those farthest
out screamed "The bridge is falling"
Some Of the men made frantic rush
shoreword, but the distance was too
great for them to escape, The fallen
section Of the bridge dragged others
with It, the swapping girders and ca
bles booming like the crashing of ar
tillery. Terror lent speed to. the ter
srified mechanics who had been working
nearest the shore.
Eiuht Win Race With Death.
with the bridge crumpling up be-
hind them they ran desperately to
seach the shore.
None Of the men reached the shore. |
but eight who went down with the sec
ton nearest the land were rescued.
This part of the bridge was the only
section OF all that fell that did not>van-
ish in the water.
The steamer Glenmont had Just
cleared the bridge when the first sec
tion fell The waves thrown up by the
debris drove clear over the bridge Of
I the steamer. The captain at once low I
cred boats. The small boats piled |
backward and forward over the sunk |
en- wreckage for half an hour, but i;
there was no sign Of life.
The twisted iron and steel had It's
victims in a terrible death grip A I
rev floating timbers and the broken /!
strands Of the bridge toward the north |
shore were the only signs that any |
thing unusual had happened.
Ten minutes after the crash there |
was not a ripple on the smooth sur
face OF the ST. Lawrence as it swept |
along toward the gulf.
Only few of the dead were resi-
dents OF Quebec. They were employed
by the contracting firms which are
building the structure and most of
them lived in the United States, many /
OF them In Pennsylvania. |
Relief Expeditions Sent Out.
The contractors offices on each side |!
OF the st. Lawrence at the point where !
the bridge fell were the first to send
the news Of the disaster to Quebec.
There are no hospitals in the immedi-
ate vicinity of Lewis, and few physi- |
clans could be obtained.
Relief expeditions We're fitted out at
once and sent across the river at this
point by the electric cars and on up the
other side of the ST. Lawrence by |
teams. The Quebec hospitals We're all |
called upon to send all the physicians !
they could spare.
The bridge was being built by the |
Quebec Bridge company. a local con- |
Germ, 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 canulever
bridge was designed to be one Of the
most gigantic structures of its kind ev-
er erected. a twentieth century marvel
OF bridge building. 1t was intended to
be both a railroad and highway bridge,
with accommodation between the two
a1uases for two steam railways. two