All Fall Down

Wherever people settle, water is their first concern. Sometimes it means building a barrier to provide an adequate water supply; sometimes it means overcoming the barrier that water can create. But sometimes these structures of concrete and steel fail, taking people down with them.

The Malpasset Dam Failure: The Malpasset Dam overlooks the town of Fréjus, a beautiful French town founded by Julius Caesar. The site for the dam was chosen because engineers declared that the rock foundation was solid and watertight. On December 2, 1959, however, after a fall of heavy rain, seepage began about 900 feet downstream. Although some people worried that the seepage indicated a problem, it was ignored as a consequence of heavy rains. On the night of December 2nd, the dam burst with explosive force, and a wall of water swept through the Reyan Valley and into Fréjus. 421 people died in the flood and priceless antiquities were washed away. After the flood, it was revealed that the rock base was much weaker than the engineers had thought. Charges of criminal negligence dogged many of the engineers for years. The Malpasset failure changed the way dams were build, especially in the U.S.

The Second Narrows Bridge Collapse: On June 17, 1958, a group of 59 workers were out on the uncompleted 5th span of the new Second Narrows Bridge across Burrard Inlet. Without warning, the span's front end drooped downwards and collapsed into the water. About 20 men managed to run to safety. Others were thrown into the water or dragged down into the wreckage, attached the the steel beams by safety belts. 18 men died in the accident, which turned out to have been caused by the miscalculation of a junior engineer. The opening of the new bridge finally took place on August 25, 1960. It was recently renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Crossing, with plaques marking both ends of the bridge to commemorate the workers who died that day.