Citation

Sci. Am. 1907; 97(11): 185.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1907, Scientific American)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

The fall of the magnificent cantilever bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Quebec, which occured on the afternoon of August 29, 1907, is without question the greatest of all bridge disasters. As a tragedy, it will always be memorable for the fact that it happened at the close of a day's work, when eighty-five men were scattered from end to end of the structure, and that of these only eleven were rescued, the other seventy four being carried down to death in the enormous tangle of twisted and broken steelwork. Sad as is this disaster when viewed in relation to the great loss of life, it takes on equal importance, as we have shown editorially, from the fact that the fallen bridge embodied the highest technical knowledge and skill of the leading bridge engineers of this country, and the workmanship of one of our largest bridge works. Nor is our shaken confidence to be restored by any suggestion that there was carelessness in erection, or any untoward accident involving suddenly applied stresses in the bridge, to which circumstances its failure may be attributed. All the evidence at hand points to the fact that the bridge failed under stresses which, if the theories upon which such bridges are built are correct, were far below the breaking stress of the steel of which the bridge was built...

... Not only was the bridge of unprecedented proportions in the length of its span, but its capacity for traffic was also large, provision being made for two steam railroad tracks to carry the heaviest modern freight locomotives and trains; for two electric rail· way tracks ; two roadways, and two foot-walks. All of this was to be carried on the same level, the width center to center of the trusses being 67 feet. Neces· sarily, all the dimensions for the bridge are on a large scale...

The report includes a discussion of the likely failure -- the buckling of a single compression member.


Cantilevers; Bridge building; Bridge piers; Long span bridges; Truss bridges; Cantilever bridges

Language: en