1941 — Dec 4, Charter Oak Bridge center span fails, under construction, Hartford, CT– 16

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 9-22-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 16  Connecticut Roads. “The Charter Oak Bridge,” Nov 27, 2009 update.

— 16  State of CT, Dept. of Transportation. “Chapter 5 DOT History. World War II 1941-1945.”

— 15  Grant, E. S. Connecticut Disasters:  True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. 2006, p.176.

— 15  Hartford Fire Department, CT.  “Major Fires.”

Narrative Information

Connecticut Roads: “The Charter Oak Bridge, carrying US 5 and state route 15 across the Connecticut River, connects Hartford and East Hartford south of both city centers. It opened during World War II and was the second bridge to cross the Connecticut in the Hartford area. In 1991 the original bridge was replaced, and now it serves as a critical link between I-91 and I-84.

“The Charter Oak, Connecticut’s state tree, is featured on the state’s quarter dollar coin. The large, ancient, gnarled tree, once standing in the Wylly’s Estate in Hartford, became legend by serving as a hiding place for a document — the Charter — that the King’s men meant to take by force in the late 17th century….

“In 1931 [a]…commission hired a design consultant. The new design was an 800-foot suspension span, with the eastern end shifted south to Main Street and Silver Lane. The project went to bid in 1933 and would cost $4.4 million. However, the Depression had struck, banks were closed, and nothing further was done with the bridge until the decade was nearly over.

“In 1939 the General Assembly authorized a new bridge commission, this time for a toll bridge in the same location. The commission studied several sites and arrived at a Silver Lane to Wawarme Avenue alignment. Since the bridge was intended to be self-sufficient, but the free Bulkeley Bridge beckoned just one mile north, traffic surveys were conducted to make sure the plan was feasible.

“In late 1940, construction began. The bridge suffered from wartime material restrictions and a 1941 accident when a portion of the western span collapsed, killing 16 workers. The steel truss bridge opened on Sept. 5, 1942.” (Connecticut Roads. “The Charter Oak Bridge,” Nov 27, 2009 update.)

Hartford Fire Dept.: “The Department responded to the collapse of the, under construction, Charter Oak Bridge.  This incident caused 15 persons to lose their lives.”  (Hartford Fire Department, CT.  “Major Fires.”)

State of CT, Dept. of Transportation. “Chapter 5 DOT History. World War II 1941-1945.”

“….Construction of the Charter Oak Bridge between Hartford and East Hartford suffered delays as contractors waited for preference ratings for materials. A major setback occurred on December 4, 1941, when a portion of the westerly river span failed and fell into the Connecticut River, killing 16 of the contractor’s employees. However, with persistence, the bridge finally opened on September 5, 1942. The Charter Oak Bridge was the longest span continuous plate girder bridge in the country. Riverfront Boulevard, the Park River Interchange, and the Park River Highway, part of the overall project plan, were not completed due to restrictions placed by the War Production Board….”

Newspapers

Dec 5, AP: “Hartford, Conn (AP). – In a dreary setting of rain and fog, Navy divers descended to the bottom of the Connecticut River today to resume their search among twisted steel and splintered lumber for six men unaccounted for after the collapse of an incomplete section of a $4,200,000 bridge – a tragedy that caused eight known deaths and injuries to 17.

“Police grappled in the hope of recovering the bodies of victims who may have been thrown clear of the wreckage. Officials estimated that at least 31 men were hurled 80 feet from the steelwork that was to have closed the 270-foot gap from land to a midstream pier, when the huge load of metal and a supporting ‘false pier’ toppled into the river yesterday.

“Seven bodies were recovered last night before the Navy divers abandoned their task at midnight. In the midst of the rescue operations, an eighth worker died in a hospital.

“State Highway Commissioner William J. Cox, meanwhile, reported to Gov. Robert A. Hurley that responsibility for the tragedy, Hartford’s worst since a boiler explosion in a hotel killed 23 persons in 1889, rested with the American Bridge Company which was erecting the superstructure for the bridge connecting Hartford with East Hartford.

“Yesterday’s tragedy came as a huge crane started to shift an 88-ton girder into place.

“One of the dead was W. James Ward of Waterford, erection superintendent for the American Bridge Company, who was supervisor of construction on the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco. The other known dead included Joseph N. Morin, 33, of Lewiston, Me., and Leon P. Volinger, 35, of Greenfield Road, West Hatfield, Mass….” (AP. “Divers Grope Beneath Wreckage for Bodies.” Berkshire Evening Eagle, Pittsfield, MA. 12-5-1941, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Divers Grope Beneath Wreckage for Bodies…Toll Reaches 14 Workmen.” Berkshire Evening Eagle, Pittsfield, MA. 12-5-1941, p. 1. Accessed 9-22-2024 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/the-berkshire-evening-eagle-dec-05-1941-p-1/

Connecticut Roads. “The Charter Oak Bridge,” Nov 27, 2009 update. Accessed 9-22-2024 at:  http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/br-cob.html

Grant, Ellsworth S.  Connecticut Disasters:  True Stories of Tragedy and Survival.  Guilford, CT:  Insiders’ Guide, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, 2006.

Hartford Fire Department. Major Fires. Hartford, CT. Accessed 5-5-2005 at:  http://www.hartford.gov/fire/MajorFires/major_fires.htm

State of Connecticut, Department of Transportation. “Chapter 5 DOT History. World War II 1941-1945.” Accessed 9-22-2024 at:

https://portal.ct.gov/dot/general/history/chapter-5-dot-history?language=en_US