Q
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 October 2011
Summary
Quebec Bridge. This steel cantilever bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Quebec collapsed during construction in 1907. After an inquiry by a royal commission, which found that the bridge was inadequately designed and its construction improperly supervised, the structure was redesigned and construction begun anew. A second accident befell the bridge in 1916, when because of the failure of a casting, the central suspended span that was being hoisted into place fell into the water and was destroyed.
The Quebec Bridge was finally completed in 1917 and now stands as a symbol of Canadian resolve. It also serves as the entranceway to Canada for ships coming up the St. Lawrence River. The structure, which at 1,800 feet between piers has remained for almost a century the longest spanning cantilever bridge in the world, demonstrates the chilling effect on technology that a failure can have.
The bridge was the subject of Willa Cather's first novel, Alexander's Bridge, which was published in 1912; has appeared on Canadian commemorative postage stamps; and is said to have provided inspiration for the country's iron-ring tradition. Although the belief persists that the wreckage of the original structure was the source of the iron for the first rings adopted by Canadian engineers as a symbol of their professionalism, this is belied by the fact that the material of the failed bridge was not iron but steel.
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- An Engineer's AlphabetGleanings from the Softer Side of a Profession, pp. 263 - 264Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011