Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-16
pes Mosnes, sept. 1.-the most in

Des MONIES, sept. l6s-Ihe most IN
~teresting information carried over the
wires as news the past week was not
events in the war zon nor a fresh
story from political headquarters
where trading In offices Is the game,
but the story OF the Quebec bridge dis
aster. 1t was at once spectacular and
tragic.
Suppose this bridge was being
erected in the business district Of Des
Moines. 1t is a cantilever bridge, with
Just two piers, and these piers go up
into the air over 400 feet. One pier
would be located, say. on the block
east Of Kirkwood, where Billy Moore's
old opera house stands; and the other
would have to be up beyond Ninth at
the Hubbell block, II the proportions
were to be maintained. But the APP
%proaches would be still farther apart
one about where the Wallace Farmer
is published and the other down on
the river front where Ralph Bolton
and Postmaster Huffman have offices.
Then imagine the central span rising
high above every building intervening
over the Clapp block, the S. & l..
building. the Fleming block and the
Harris Emery store. Near the center
there would be a gap Of $40 feet be-
tween pan facing each other at a
height of nearly twice the cornice on
the Fleming building. One end of this
gap would be owe the Clapp block and
the other just west Of Harris-Emery's.
To Mi that gap an arch span OF steel
had beer constructed in a harbor To-
Gated on great pontoons. which were
floated to the center of the big river.
The arch vas to be lifted straight up
$50 feet and then fastened to the ends
of the side spans of the cantilevef.
II such ar engineering project was
under way ct the location indicated it
would be seen at once what a wonder
full work was planned. Every one
would have some conception Of its
magnitude. Out in the st. Lawrence
river it probably did not seem so
wonderful.
What really happened was that
when this span had been raised about
fifteen feet a break occurred some
where and the whole eel to the bot
tom of the river. crushing the boats
and carrying down many men. 1t was
a gala day and many distinguished
visitors were present. 1t must nave
been a remarkable sight. The dis
patches say hat the expectation was
that a week would be needed for the
lifting Of the span. The program as
announced last spring was that the
span would be lifted in t~wenty-four
hours. B~uteHnyway it was a very I'M
usual piece Of engineering and it is
now evident that somebody mis-
calculated and the catastrophe which
will cost a million dollars to repair was
the result.
It will be recalled that a similar
bridge, at the same place. went down
with a great crash nine years ago.
carrying down a whole train Of cars.
That bridge had beer in operation
about thirty-fve years and was sup
posed to be a perfect work. The cree
ton of the%new bridge was commenced
in 1913 and had been proceeding &C
cording to schedule and without in
cident.s The bridge when completed
will be one OF the most striking and
picturesque bridges in America. 1t is
not the largest nor the longest bridge
in the world, but it is one Of the
notable bridge structures that will al
ways be listed when big bridges are
under discussion.
! The science Of bridge building has
undergone great changes within the