Bruce Moffatt has written the book Forty feet below: the story of Chicago's freight tunnels.
Brian Morgan posted a history.
The tunnel system was started in 1899 by a phone utility. 2' gauge track was laid to haul dirt out and concrete, spools of wire, etc. in. In 1903 the franchise was renegotiated to allow freight and rail service. In 1913 the tunnel company (I use generic terminology because the corporate name kept changing.) agreed to sell its telephone operations to AT&T and by 1920 all telephone cables were removed. Freight included coal and ash as well as general merchandise. It was regulated by the ICC as an interurban railroad. The last trains ran in 1959. [Wikipedia]
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| Dave Durham posted I have seen a few photos of the Illinois Tunnel Company before, but in this pics description it mentions that the system crossed back and forth under the Chicago River 11 times, delivering various commodities to merchants...didn't know that! The tunnel crossing at Kinzie Street was ground zero for the 1992 Chicago Loop |
The tunnel system was started in 1899 by a phone utility. 2' gauge track was laid to haul dirt out and concrete, spools of wire, etc. in. In 1903 the franchise was renegotiated to allow freight and rail service. In 1913 the tunnel company (I use generic terminology because the corporate name kept changing.) agreed to sell its telephone operations to AT&T and by 1920 all telephone cables were removed. Freight included coal and ash as well as general merchandise. It was regulated by the ICC as an interurban railroad. The last trains ran in 1959. [Wikipedia]
The driving of pilings for a dolphin for the Kenzie Street Bridge damaged the tunnel wall. The damage was discovered in a timely fashion, but the city leisurely pursued a bidding process for the repairs. However, six months after the damage, the water started pouring into the tunnels. On April 13, 1992 the "Great Chicago Leak" happened. Court fights ruled that it was a leak instead of a flood. This was very important because insurance doesn't pay for flood damage, but it does pay for leak damage. [Wikipedia] The "leak" caused about $1.9 billion worth of damage. [NeilGale]
Parts of the tunnel system are now used for its original purpose: cables. [Wikipedia] But internet over fiber optic cables is probably the driving economic force in the 21st Century.
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| 1910 Map, Public Domain via Wikimedia Close to the max of 60 miles of tunnel had been built by this time |
This photo shows the marks of the draw knives that were used to slice off the blue clay that underlies Chicago. And it shows the thick concrete lining that was added.
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| 1902 Construction Photo, Public Domain via Wikimedia |
Bill Stephan posted three images with the comment: "So the story about the Blues Brothers brings us to the Chicago Tunnel system...Another bizarre "foundation" of the city. Theres a few connections down around where Warshawskies was that were used to store parts from the motor parts stores above Warsh. JC Whitney, Blue Star auto etc that also connected several unknow distilleries and speak easies. There even a route that ran pretty close to Al's secret vault under the Lexington Hotel. Even an electric locomtive was found buried alive a few years back by the Museum of S&I or the Field Museum..."
Rotwang Manteuffel: The tunnels were abandoned in 1959. The city took over the system at that time and pretty much flubbed the dub. Under city supervision (?) scrappers worked in the tunnels removing copper trolley wire and anything salvageable. The river drifts included water tight doors at each end. These were scrapped. There were numerous sump pumps that kept the system dry. Most were scrapped. The remaining pumps were shut down. About half the 50 miles of tunnels were flooded long before the river breach.
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| 2 [I had to look her up. She is the "Mystery Women" played by Carrie Fisher. The 3:17 video of the tunnel scene] |
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| Xavier Quintana posted Chicago freight tunnel workers take a radio break at Madison and State, 1929 (Vintage Chicago Tribune) Pat Minnie: Good luck getting any AM reception in a subway tunnel. AM cuts out going under a viaduct. [It must have been a long viaduct. I don't remember losing reception. And AM is the only thing we had when I was a kid.] Billy Mildaus: Pat Minnie all radios in that era had to have an external antenna, poke the antenna wire out the manhole. |
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| Glen Miller posted 40 feet below the World's busiest corner, State and Madison in the 1920's. The Chicago tunnels were used in the gathering and distribution of package freight and the hauling of coal, cinders and excavated material, services rendered by the Chicago Tunnel Company and the Chicago Warehouse and Terminal Company. They were clean and dry, with waterproof and fireproof doors. The air was very clean and the temperature a constant 55 degrees. The tunnels were used to air condition many buildings and especially theaters liked to access this service, bringing in extra income for the owners. When the flood happened in 1992, the tunnels were largely abandoned already, back in 1959. Today, some sections of the tunnels are used for utility and communication lines. Glen Miller shared Glen Miller shared The Chicago tunnels! Michael McCumber: I remember the flood of 92 very well because it was all over local radio. A pylon driver accidentally punched through the river floor by the loop......basements were flooded for miles....fish flopping on floors. It was a mess. Many of those businesses didn't even know they had a door to the tunnel system until that day..... Marsha Huddleston: I also remember it well because I got an unexpected day off. The city needed more electrical power to run the pumps in all the flooded buildings, so they decided to shut down all power to the new Harold Washington Library, where I worked, and use all that electricity to help run the pumps. I think they shut us down on the Saturday after the flood, which was actually the day before Easter, so all HWLC staff got an unexpected two-day Easter holiday. Kevin Mihal: 4-13-93 Mike Bauer: https://www.irm.org/player/ctc508/ Richard Fiedler shared Rotwang Manteuffel: The tunnels at State and Madison pictured above were obliterated by the State Street subway construction. The subway was built at the same level as the freight tunnels. |
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| Terry Gregory commented on Glen's first share The Chicago Tunnel Co was opened in 1905. Here is a map of the tunnel. |
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