[1] During a flood in 1894, a railroad bridge upstream from downtown Spokane was washed out and collided with the steel span at Division Street.

At 6:11 am on Saturday, December 18, 1915,[2] two Washington Water Power trolley cars were crossing the steel bridge, one headed north and the other south, when the repaired beams gave way.

The Spokane River is around 30 to 40 feet deep at that point, but the fallen bridge deck had lodged onto old pilings below the surface and thus kept the car from being completely submerged in the freezing water.

The Spokane Fire Department responded to the scene but was coming from the south end of Division Street and was unable to reach the survivors from that point.

After a 30-minute detour across another bridge, the Fire Department was able to lower ladders into the water on the north side to rescue the survivors and recover the remains of the deceased.

After inspecting the bridge, he felt that the damage suffered from the 1894 collision was largely responsible for the failure of the structural members.