The rock slide of September 19, 1889 along the cape Diamant, Quebec: a disaster apprehended by Charles Baillairge

摘要

The 1889 rock slide along Champlain Street is the one that caused the largest number of fatalities in this area of Quebec City during the 19th century. This paper presents a historical retrospective of the events leading to the 1889 slide, starting with the 1841 slide in the same area, which was as significant. Mitigation measures were initiated mainly after 1880, but they were not sufficient to prevent the major catastrophe anticipated by those who did the investigation of the Cap Diamant, including Charles Baillairge. The story of the 1889 slide ends in 1894 by a judgment by the Supreme Court of Canada, in which the Queen was not held responsible for the consequences of the slide, although the main trigger was the water draining from the Citadel, from a damaged drain, into the cliff fissures. A back-analysis of the 1889 slide reached the same conclusions as Charles Baillairge: the 1889 slide was a topple. This paper also highlights the significant contribution of Charles Baillairge (1826-1906) in the understanding of rock slide processes along Cap Diamant.