The collapse of the Tay bridge has interested engineers, scientists and members of the public for decades. There have been many enquiries into the collapse and theories proposed as to why it happened. For hours after the disaster, people were left confused and perplexed about the facts concerning what they had observed. It was unclear whether the train, and the passengers, had survived the storm and furthermore there was the shock of how such a robust and recently built bridge had actually collapsed..
Earlier in the day, at 1.15pm, the Dundee, a ferry boat, was taken across the waters. The captain noted that the weather was mild and that the waters were calm. (The Open University) However, on the night of the accident it is reported that, from the viewpoint of the signal box on the north side of the bridge, at 7.15, lights of the train were observed entering the bridge. The lights then moved across the lower spans of the bridge and were seen to enter the high girders where a sudden shower of fire appeared. It is then described that the light disappeared and there was nothing but the darkness. The signalman described that at 7.09pm he witnessed the train signal to him from the south side of the bridge. It then entered the bridge, according to the signal, at 7.14. At 7.17 the signalman recounted
…show more content…
According to the evening telegraph on Monday the 29th of December at 10pm, a telegram from Broughty Ferry was received which reported the findings of passengers luggage along with portions of the carriage work that had been found upon the beach. Proof of the disaster was rapidly accumulating on the beaches. Part of the train’s carriage doors, the roof and even the flooring could be seen cascaded across the beach. Amongst the structure of the train, baggage and personal items could also be
Hundreds of boats came together to help the city, helping in any way they could. The boat captains in the documentary explained that they never seen so many boats at one time in the same location. Each boat would take as many people that they could fit on their boat it was the largest sea evacuation in history. Five hundred thousand people were evacuated in 9 hours more that the evacuation of Dunkirk in World War II where three hundred thousand people were saved over nine
Steven Hermosillo Professor Wallace Fire Tech 105 15 November 2015 Silver Bridge Collapse According to Wikipedia, Forty-six people were killed in the silver-bridge collapse and another nine people were injured. “The Silver Bridge was an eye-bar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. The bridge connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio, over the Ohio River” (Wikipedia). This was a highly used bridge serving thousands of cars a day before the collapse.
OWLCREEK BRIDGE" ." ABP Journal. 1.1 (2005): n. page. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Bierce, Ambrose “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. The Norton Introduction to
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is split into three sections. In the first section, Bierce describes in detail the situation, a youn...
'The Signalman' opens with a lot of shouting and commotion. This is the first indication that something strange is due to happen. The narrator is shouting, from the top of an embankment, to the signalman who is standing on the lines. The first particularly strange happening occurs when the Signalman, does not reply to the calls of the narrator. He hears them, but does not respond. This c...
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a perfect example of the power of the will to live. It
Bierce, Ambrose. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. #-#. Print.
train to arrive. Below the surface however the dialogue between the two describes the denial and
witness to the murder of this man. You can't believe what he said. The train
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is perhaps the most notorious failure in the world of engineering. It collapsed on November 7, 1940 just months after its opening on July 1, 1940. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff and at its time it was the third largest suspension bridge in the world with a center span of over half a mile long. The bridge was very narrow and sleek giving it a look of grace, but this design made it very flexible in the wind. Nicknamed the "Galloping Gertie," because of its undulating behavior, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge drew the attention of motorists seeking a cheap thrill. Drivers felt that they were driving on a roller coaster, as they would disappear from sight in the trough of the wave. On the last day of the bridge's existence it gave fair warning that its destruction was eminent. Not only did it oscillate up and down, but twisted side to side in a cork screw motion. After hours of this violent motion with wind speeds reaching forty and fifty miles per hour, the bridge collapsed. With such a catastrophic failure, many people ask why such an apparently well thought out plan could have failed so badly?(This rhetorical question clearly sets up a position of inquiry-which iniates all research.) The reason for the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is still controversial, but three theories reveal the basis of an engineering explanation. (Jason then directly asserts what he found to be a possible answer to his question.)
"An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge." Classic Reader. 2009. BlackDog Media, Web. 2 Dec 2009. .
After the collision, six watertight compartments began filling with water. Soon, water spilled over the tops. Scientists have concluded that the watertight compartments contributed to the disaster by keeping the flood waters in the bow of the ship [Gannon, 1995].
built, and after half the livestock and people had left the dry area, the bridge collapsed,
Although the same train had passed safely over the bridge in the morning with a full cargo of coal, as it returned tragedy struck. The train fell right through the deck of the bridge and fell onto the road beneath it, killing both the driver and fireman instantly. The cause of the accident was investigated and a
In the story the signalman is shown as being powerless to stop the horrible accidents involving the train just like humans are powerless to prevent train crashes from happening.