Ideas over building a bridge that connected the north part of the St. Lawrence River to the south part were popular in the mid to late 1800’s to allow ease of transport.

Of the 86 workers on the bridge at the time, 75 were killed. The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. A distinguished panel was assembled to investigate the disaster. Theodore Cooper had been the consulting engineer for the Quebec Bridge project, and most of the blame for the disaster fell on his shoulders. In August 1907, the bridge collapsed suddenly. Seventy five workers were killed in the accident, and there were only 11 survivors from the workers on the span. The Quebec Bridge was included in the National Transcontinental Railway project, undertaken by the federal government. Show less The Iron Ring worn by most engineers today is rumoured to be made of the steel that collapsed, to remind engineers of their importance and their duty. Classic editor History Talk (0) Share. Advanced Search

This disaster showed what unquestionable power an engineer had in a project. This led many to question this power. Cooper was at fault for not knowing what was happening at the worksite, and for miscalculations. Design Defect.

You might think these types of collapses aren't as serious because no one was driving on the bridge at the time of the collapse. He mandated unusually high allowable stresses, and failed to require recalculation of the bridge dead load when the span was lengthened. The Quebec Bridge Company was first incorporated by Act of Parliament under the government of Sir John A. Macdonald in 1887, later revived in 1891, once again revived for good in 1897 by the government of Wilfrid Laurier, who granted them an extension of time in 1900. Prev NEXT . In Canada, and many other countries, the aftermath of the Quebec bridge collapse still affects many today. Add Video. In 1907, the first span of the cantilever reached over the water, and it became clear to McLure that certain steel chords were beginning to bend. From an investigation by the St. Lawrence Bridge Company, the company assigned to build the bridge, the collapse was due to a material failure in one of the four bearing castings that supported the central span.These collapses were the driving force in regulating the engineering profession.

The Quebec Bridge, Aug. 29, 1907 and Sept. 11, 1916 The Quebec Bridge, in Quebec City, collapsed twice during its 30-year construction. Cooper later sent a telegraph to the Phoenix Bridge Company to “add no more load to [the] bridge till after due consideration of facts”, but McLure resumed construction. Show more A Royal Commission was assembled to investigate the cause of the collapse, and the majority of the blame was on Cooper and Hoare.

The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning.

Construction finally began in October 1900. In August 1907, the bridge collapsed suddenly. Engineers worried about government intervention acted on their own and founded multiple independent engineering groups.

The panel’s report found that the main cause of the bridge’s failure was improper design of the latticing on the compression chords. The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning. This caused many setbacks in the design and construction. Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stilwell Hall SH 108, Cleveland State Univ., 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115-2214.Associate Professor, Dept. The Quebec Bridge Collapse. There are bridges whose collapse was inevitable before the bridge was ever built. Ideas over building a bridge that connected the north part of the St. Lawrence River to the south part were popular in the mid to late 1800’s to allow ease of transport.The Quebec Bridge is the longest cantilever span in the world, with a centre-distance of 549m (1,800 ft) between supports.The Government of Canada assigned this task to the Quebec Bridge Company who contracted the Phoenix Bridge Company to design this structure.The Quebec Bridge Company employed a chief engineer, Edward Hoare, an erection inspector, Norman McLure, and a consulting engineer, Theodore Cooper who was seen as an expert in his field.

Construction finally began in October 1900. The first collapse in 1907. 3. [citation needed] Eventually these groups … This caused many setbacks in the design and construction. In the late 19th century, the transportation needs of Quebec led to proposals for bridging the St. Lawrence River. In its final design, the clear span was 548.6 m (1,800 ft) long. Sometimes, bridges collapse due to design flaws. A surprising number of bridges collapse as they're being built.

The report found that Hoare should not have been appointed as the chief engineer because he lacked technical competence to control the work. 10 Reasons Why Bridges Collapse. Edit. The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. Some lessons learned by this collapse include: paying engineers well for their work, defining clear duties for individuals, discussing design plans in groups, communicating effectively, making sure the work is monitored regularly, and only assigning tasks to capable individuals.