Victoria Bridge (Montreal)
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Victoria_Bridge.jpg
The Victoria Bridge at Montreal, Quebec is the name for the first bridge spanning the St. Lawrence River and remains in use to this day, carrying both road and rail traffic. The Victoria Bridge was opened in 1859 and was initially named the Jubilee Bridge in honour of Queen Victoria but eventually came to be known as the Victoria Bridge (Pont Victoria in French).
The Victoria Bridge is a key historic structure, one still actively used by the Canadian National Railway on its Halifax-Montreal main line, and remains a major contributor to Montreal's role as a continental hub in the North American rail system. Prior to the building of the bridge it was difficult and at times impossible to cross the St. Lawrence during the long winter season as there would be a freeze up as well as a thawing in the fall and spring. During the summer the crossings of the river had to take place by boat and in winter it was accomplished by sleigh.
The Victoria Bridge, built between 1854 and 1859, was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in 1860. The building of the bridge was tied directly with the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway, a system headquartered in Britain, which had been formed in 1852 with the support of the colonial government of the United Province of Canada to connect the Great Lakes with an ice-free port on the Atlantic at Portland, Maine.
James Hodges (1814-1879), was the chief engineer for the bridge's construction. The bridge, approximately 5 km (3 miles) long, includes 24 ice-breaking piers. The original deck was a long structural metal tube made of prefabricated sections from England and designed by Robert Stephenson, son of the builder of the famed Rocket locomotive. This landmark was completed in the year 1859 and during its peak construction years six steamboats, 72 barges, 3040 men (of which there were several children between the ages of 8-12), 144 horses, and four locomotive engines were required to erect the bridge at a cost of $6,600,000. Queen Victoria had been invited to attend the opening of the bridge, however, she declined the invitation and instead sent her eldest son Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and heir to her throne. This was the first visit of a royal prince to a British colony in Canada.
In 1897-1898, the metal tube from 1860 was replaced by metal trusses, common at the time. To minimize traffic disruptions, the trusses were assembled around the tube, while the tube continued to carry train traffic. The tube was then demolished. The stone piers from 1860, slightly altered in 1897, still testify to the excellent original engineering.
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The St. Lambert Diversion, around the St. Lambert Locks, was added in the 1960's as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway project.
Irish Stone
When the bridge was being built the workmen discovered human remains of Irish immigrants to Canada who had fled the famine in Ireland in 1847-8. Unfortunately many of these immigrants had died of typhus when they arrived in Canada. At the bridge approach there is a stone that has become known as "The Irish Stone" with the following inscription:
"To preserve from descration the remains of 6000 immigrants who died of ship fever A.D.1847-8 this stone is erected by the workmen of Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts employed in the construction of the Victoria Bridge A.D.1859."
See also
External links
- The Victoria Bridge (http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/virtualexhibits/victoriabridge/exhibit.html) — Virtual Exhibit (requires Flash plugin)fr:Pont Victoria (Montréal)