Would-Be Jumper Delays Train

Last evening, we left Montreal by Via Rail, expecting to arrive in Quebec City in two hours and 59 minutes. We departed only a few minutes late, crossed the St. Lawrence River and passed farmlands and small towns without incident. Then, we stopped at the station in Charny and we didn't move. Eventually, the word came down that a man was on the bridge, threatening to jump. Eventually, we were told to get all our luggage off the train because buses would be sent.

It is not surprising that a jumper might choose the Quebec Railway Bridge. To railfans and those who are interested in major civil engineering projects, it is iconic. It rises some 46 meters (more than 150 feet) above the St. Lawrence River and is 987 meters (about 3,000 feet) long and boasts the world's longest cantilever span. On August 29, 1907, while it was under construction, a large section of the bridge collapsed, something engineers had begun to fear. A telegram with a stop-work order had not reached the worksite in time, and 84 workers were killed. In 1914, construction began for a second time. On September 11, 1916, while attempting to connect a steel center span to the newly completed north and south cantilever spans, a support on the lifting apparatus fractured, plunging the new section into the river. Thirteen more workers were killed. Finally, on September 17, 1917, another replacement span was put into place. The bridge finally opened on December 3, 1917.

Today the bridge carries both rail and vehicular traffic. Our bus rolled into Quebec City two hours or so late, but our inconvenience paled before the desperation someone felt that would cause him to want to become another casualty on this bridge. The news came this morning that negotiators were successful in talking him down.