The Quebec Bridge, World’s Longest Cantilever Bridge
In 1900, construction began on a bridge that would set a world record, but also record two disasters along the way. The Quebec Bridge was almost finished on August 29,1907, when its southern span collapsed, killing seventy-five men, many of them from the Caughnawaga native band. It was Canada’s worst bridge disaster, attributed by the results of an inquiry to faulty design and inadequate supervision.
On September 11, 1916, a new centre span was being hoisted into position when it fell and killed thirteen men. Finally finished in 1917, the 1,800-metre-long bridge was officially opened by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) on August 22, 1919. It was the longest cantilever bridge in the world at that time.
Image: ameriquefrancaise.org