Bridge collapse in Baltimore stirring memories of 'barge mania' at Peace Bridge

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) It was August of 1986.

A tugboat captain was piloting a barge across the Niagara River when it broke away and crashed into a middle abutment at the Peace Bridge.

"It was one of the more unusual stories I covered," said former WBEN and longtime Buffalo News reporter Brian Meyer.

The story in no way compares to the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore this week, after being struck by a cargo ship. But it is part of 'Buffalo lore.'

"A 250 ton structure hitting a bridge is a big story, but the salvage operation was so problem plagued that it literally dragged on for several months." He said It became what some called "barge mania."

Meyer recalled several failed attempts, mechanical issues, a challenging river current and bad weather hampering the effort.

"When it was all said and done, a federal report called it one of the more difficult and complex salvage projects in naval history," he added.

The saga became a public spectacle.

"I remember people pulling their cars over on the 190 to watch. There were daily updates for media. Two brothers who served in the Coast Guard Auxillary were inspired to write a song, 'The barge will come out tomorrow,' from Annie."

Early concerns about the integrity of the Peace Bridge were eventually dismissed. The barge acted like a small dam and caused water levels to increase on Lake Erie and it threatened the International Railroad Bridge down river, if it was to become dislodged by the current.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman John Derbyshire became a household name during the saga. Meyer remembers Derbyshire describing the first attempted lift. "He talked about how it was going to be a long, slow process. He was talking about hours. But it actually dragged on for days, weeks and ultimately four months."

Finally, in late December of 1986, the barge was lifted off the bridge abutment and towed to a site near the Bethlehem Steel Plant to be cut up for scrap.