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Canadian Theme Unit

The Quebec Bridge Disaster

The Quebec Bridge Disaster
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.36

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    killing, provincial, structural, completion, havoc, mounting, wartime, cantilever, reconstruction, inquiry, reality, federal, armed, accuracy, streetcar, warp
     content words:    Quebec Bridge, Lawrence River, Quebec City, Phoenix Bridge Company, Norman McLure, Theodore Cooper, Phoenix Company, New York City, While McLure, St Lawrence River

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The Quebec Bridge Disaster
By Mary Lynn Bushong 		  
1     Caption: Collapse of the centre span of the Quebec Bridge in 1916
 
2     For centuries the only way to get from the south shore of the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City on the north shore was to take a ferry. The first bridge project was suggested in 1852, but it would take another 50 years for the project to begin.
 
3     It seemed like a brilliant idea. The bridge could not only take highway traffic, but also pedestrian, rail, and streetcar traffic as well. It was not so easy to build as it seemed.
 
4     The discussion about the bridge showed both the federal and provincial governments to be in favor of it. The sticking point would be who was going to pay for the bridge. The people of Quebec City would help with costs if it came directly to their city.

Paragraphs 5 to 15:
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