100 years ago in Spokane: 5 killed when Divison Street bridge collapses with two streetcars on top

From our archives, 100 years ago

One of the deadliest accidents in Spokane history occurred when the Division Street Bridge collapsed into the icy Spokane River just after 6 a.m.

Two streetcars plunged into the water. Five people died and about 14 others were badly injured.

The carnage was made worse by the fact that a steel bridge girder sliced through the top of one of the streetcars. The streetcars were filled with people going to work.

Survivors told harrowing stories from their hospital beds. One man said, “Everything went dark and it felt as if we were falling forever. The car went under the water and it was deathly still.”

He said he then heard “groaning and screaming in the darkness” and water began to pour in. He struggled to keep his face above the water.

“I do not know how long I fought like this, but I kept pushing on and on in the darkness and then my head came out in the air and I took a deep breath. My hand fell on an iron rod and I pulled myself clear of the wreck by it.”

A subsequent investigation showed that the bridge might have been damaged by debris from an earlier flood. However, the main cause of the collapse was metal fatigue.

A new concrete bridge was completed in 1917.