The Québec Bridge (1917)

Things were starting to boom in Québec City, in 1851, when some local officials asked engineer Edward William to study the possibility of bringing the railroad into town. William came up with the conclusion that if Québec City passed on this one, cities on the south shore would grow and eventually eat out the old town in sheer business power and value.

Train ferries were set up, helping trains cross the river in a rather long and complicated process. The "Compagnie du Pont de Québec" was formed in 1888, to decide if it would be worth it to build a bridge somewhere near. Another engineer, named Gauvin, was chosen to locate the best spot to set up the structure. He chose the location we all know of now, near the Chaudière river. The contract was signed in 1900 and he was given 1 million $, which is an incredible sum for the era.



The construction began on October 2nd. The sections of the bridge were constructed in Pennsylvania by Phoenix Bridge Co. and then carried to Québec and assembled there, mainly by native americans, who were reputed not to be too afraid of heights.

In August 1907, at the beginning of the month, designer Theodore Cooper inspected the premises and found some irregularities in some plates near the tower bases. He noticed John Deans, chief engineer of Phoenix Bridge Co, by telegram, urging him to seriously inspect the structure. Deans did not. Another telegram was sent during the afternoon, on August 29th, asking that the building be stopped. Deans ignored it. At 17h15 sharp, the whole structure collapsed, killing 76 workers.



Rebuilding began in 1910. The workers had to dig 27 meters deep into the river bank to reach a solid ground on the south side of the bridge. A cantilever bridge was opted for. It would feature two railroad tracks with enough space between them to accomodate cars if needed. Back then, only 786 cars were populating the province. In 1916, the central part of the bridge was ready to be added - hence completing the bridge - but while lifting from sea level to hook it up with the rest of the structure, it abruptly collapsed. Catastrophe !

On September 20 of 1917, the bridge was finally completed. It was officially inaugurated by the Prince of Wales some time in 1919, and it still stands today, tho it no longer is the main bridge used to go into town; the Pierre-Laporte bridge was built later on, with a much more modern structure, just besides the old one. If you go from Montreal to Quebec via highway 20 at night, you know you've reached your destination when you see the two impressive illuminated structures side by side, just waiting for you to cross over.



To this night where I crossed the bridge with you for the first time in ages, Caron.