A photo from open sources
The core of the film “The Moth Man” is the appearance in the city Point Pleasant (West Virginia, USA) demonic creature, predicting a tragedy on the river. Ohio with numerous human victims. In the final film as a fulfillment of the prophecy the bridge collapses. The catastrophe really took place and still is one of the largest man-made disasters.
Handsome bridge
A photo from open sources
Connecting the cities of Point Pleasant and Gallipolis (and at the same time two State – West Virginia and Ohio) The bridge was built in 1928. Three spans: the central 213-meter and two 115 meters each. Traditional wire ropes were replaced by rod pendants with eyelets. Bridge really hung over the water, causing admiration. In decoration aluminum was used, and in the sun the bridge simply sparkled, for which the inhabitants cities and nicknamed it “Silver”. The name was fixed and became official. 39 years served as a bridge to people. In 1967 he collapsed.
The collapse of the Silver Bridge
A photo from open sources
The tragedy occurred on December 15 at about 17:00, when the bridge was blocked cars. Shocked eyewitnesses said that the bridge over one minute just turned out like a house of cards. Together with 37 cars, 46 people left by the fragments of the bridge to the bottom of the river died. The event resonated in society.
To find out the reasons, a commission arrived, a central figure in which was engineer John Bennet. He had to determine the cause accident and specifically point the finger at the perpetrators of the disaster and death of people.
Consequence of Engineer Bennett
Bennett examined hundreds of debris and found dozens of cracks in them, from microscopic to 2.5 mm wide. Hardness in 1928 carbon steel did not cause doubts among engineers. That she not only hard, but also fragile, much to be learned later.
A photo from open sources
As it turned out, small cracks were present in the structures a bridge already in 1928, but technologies to identify them presence then simply did not exist. In addition, for 39 years many times increased loads significantly exceeding projected. The weight of the “family” car increased from 680 kg (1928) to 1.8 tons (1967), a loaded wagon pulled in the 67th for 27 tons.
Loads increased, cracks multiplied – the bridge was doomed. As soon as one of the pendants burst, a chain reaction began.
Conclusions and Consequences
In a final report, John Bennett wrote that those responsible there was no disaster. The cause of the accident is imperfection on the moment of construction of the technology bridge and the absence at that time knowledge of the properties of carbon steel. Press demanding “blood!”, was left without a victim.
By 1967, the Silver Bridge was the only bridge in the United States, built on outdated technology. Everyone else has long been replaced by more modern ones. But there were two more who were in Brazil. After a thorough examination of the bridge in the city St. Merris was closed and disassembled. But the second one was found fit. A harbinger of death a butterfly man in his vicinity did not appear, and the bridge stood safely until 1991.
US bridges
