The Fall of the Quebec Cantilever Bridge: One of the Greatest Engineering Disasters in History.

This article describes the collapse of the Quebec Cantilever Bridge, half-completed, in August 1907. The collapse killed 75 of the bridge workers and injured 11 others. This article was written barely a month after the collapse and provides insight into the thoughts and perspectives of engineering professionals of that time period. The author begins by describing why this bridge collapse dealt a particularly heavy blow to the engineering profession, primarily because of the high expectations of safety and quality under which the bridge was being built. The author provides a detailed description of the bridge as it was planned and its role as a link in the Canadian railway system, then outlines the possible causes of the bridge collapse. A final section considers whether the bridge should be re-erected. The article is illustrated with photographs of the bridge the day before it collapsed and after it collapsed, as well as with drawings of the bridge's structural members.

• Publication Date: 1907-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: pp 129-139
• Serial:
  • Technical Literature
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Technical Literature Company

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge engineering; Cantilever bridges; Cantilevers; Collapse; Collapse strength; Railroad bridges; Railroad engineering; Railroad safety; Steel; Structural analysis; Structural deterioration and defects; Structural members
• Identifier Terms: Quebec Bridge collapse, 1907
• Geographic Terms: Quebec (Province)
• Subject Areas: History; Materials; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01079850
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 25 2007 10:24AM