A Bridge With Two Tragedies
The twisted remains of the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse.
Spanning the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City, the massive Quebec Bridge has a history of triumph and tragedy. Completed in 1917 at a cost of more than $22 million, it is the longest cantilever bridge in the world, stretching more than 1,800 feet between its main piers. For years, the bridge has been viewed as an engineering marvel, but few people know the full story behind its construction and the two disasters that claimed the lives of 89 workers.
The story of the bridge begins in 1887 when a number of entrepreneurs from Quebec City decided there was a nee...