A Moment in History

The Collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge

Mikayla Asta

Port2Port - 2024

Eighty-five years ago, people gathered around the Niagara River to see the expected collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge, also known as the Falls View Bridge and the Upper Steel Arch Bridge.1 The collapse of this bridge can be seen in Figure 1.2 For several days leading up to the collapse, due to severe changes in weather, ice blocks began piling up more than thirty feet high resulting in damages to the foundation of the bridge.3 The collapse, which luckily did not result in any fatalities, eventually took place on January 27th, 1938, at 4:20 p.m., and quickly became the topic of national news.4

Figure 1. Honeymoon Bridge Collapse at Niagara Falls.

The Honeymoon Bridge, was constructed in 1897 by the Pencoyd Bridge Company of Philadelphia, was built to replace the previous Suspension Bridge.5 The purpose of its construction was to accommodate carriages, people, and electric cars.6 With a length of 840 feet, it was considered the longest and greatest steel arch bridge in the world at the time it was built. However, as the years followed, there were growing indications that there were structural flaws in its construction.7

These flaws were specifically evident when the abutments required continual monitoring and protection due to the accumulated ice. In an attempt to save the bridge, a stone wall that extended four feet (1.2 metres) below the water surface was installed around the foundation, however this fix eventually failed as water and ice conditions worsened.8 Another flaw in its design was its proximity to the water, which was just a few feet in height. In fact, due to those close proximities many weeks before the collapse were spent attempting to remove ice that had piled up around the base of the bridge with the use of dynamite.9 However, these weren't the only conditions that deemed the bridge unstable, rather, high winds would frequently result in the swaying of the bridge which at times almost blew cars or people off of it.10

Thus, on January 27, 1897 a combination of structural flaws, extreme water levels, ice accumulation, and high winds that resulted in the historic collapse of the bridge that connected Canada to the United States of America.11 While no one was allowed on the bridge due to the understanding that it would eventually crumble, pedestrians gathered on both Canadian and American sides of Niagara Falls to experience the soon-to-be historical moment, including witness James Mullane who compared the view to that of a volcano.12 Once the bridge finally caved in, spectators couldn't believe their eyes as the bridge lay on the sheet of ice below it.13 In an attempt to remove the debris, dynamite was used to break up the pieces. Of the 2,600 tons of steel and 300 tonnes of wood, the pieces that were near the walls of the gorge were retrieved from the river and as time went on and the ice melted, what was left of the bridge sank to the bottom of the river where it remains to this day.14

While the collapsed bridge marked the end of one era, it also marked the beginning of a new one: the Rainbow Bridge, which is still used to this day. In saying that, I am not sure how many people are aware of the collapsed bridge that still lives beneath our water, at least I didn't prior to conducting my research. Overall, it seems it was just a matter of time until a new bridge was built due to its structural flaws, as well as its placement since it was so close to the falls. It was a lesson that needed to be learned in order to build a stronger, more reliable bridge.


  1. "Falls View Bridge" January 27, 1938. Brock University, Library Exhibits, Archives & Special Collections, accessed October 4, 2023. 

  2. Figure 1. "Photograph of collapsed Honeymoon Bridge", 1938, Niagara Bridge Disasters Collection, James A. Gibson Archives and Special Collections, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. RG 102, box 1, folder 1. 

  3. Clipping of "Ice Jam Like Volcano" Buffalo Times, 26 January 1938, , Niagara Bridge Disasters Collection, James A. Gibson Archives and Special Collections, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. RG 102, box 1, folder 2. 

  4. "The Honeymoon Steel Arch Bridge," 1938, Niagara Falls Info, Niagara Falls, 2023. 

  5. Ibid. 

  6. "Collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge" 1938, The Exchange Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Museum, accessed October 4, 2023. 

  7. "The Honeymoon Steel Arch Bridge". 

  8. "Falls View Bridge," Brock University

  9. "Collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge". 

  10. "The Honeymoon Steel Arch Bridge". 

  11. "Falls View Bridge," Brock University

  12. Clipping of "Ice Jam Like Volcano" from the Buffalo Times, 1938. 

  13. Clipping of "Once Proud Bridge Today is Gaunt Skeleton" from the Niagara Falls Evening Review, 28 January 1938, Niagara Bridge Disasters Collection, James A. Gibson Archives and Special Collections, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. RG 102, box 1, folder 2. 

  14. "The Honeymoon Steel Arch Bridge"