Repairs were made and the bridge was opened again. Then, in late summer of 1923, the Norwegian ship ‘Woldingham’ came to the Miramichi. Above the bridge at a mill, she took on half a load of wood. Her next stop would be down the river at Douglastown. On August 10, she left the Burchill Mill.

While passing through the open bridge, she hit the pier. The pier was badly damaged. The bridge had to be closed. The pier had to be repaired. It would cost a lot of money.

Repairs were made to the broken pier. They cost $3,773. Who would pay for the repairs? Because of the Navigable Water Protection Act, the ship’s owners did not have to pay for the damage. The Navigable Water Protection Act said the bridge was not legal. The broken pier was paid for by the Government of Canada.

The bridge was not legal because Mr. Morrissy did not get the orders he needed. He had to make the bridge legal. Plans had to be agreed to by the Governor-in-Council. They could make the bridge legal by stating the river was part of a harbor. The harbor was formed by the river mouth.

They described the bridge and how it was placed on the river. Eight feet around the bridge was also described. They called these Water Lots. Because the bridge crossed the Miramichi River which was part of a harbor, it was now legal. If the river had not been part of a harbor, the bridge would not be legal today.