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Description:
Beautifully engraved certificate from the Chicago Utilities Company issued in 1913. The company was incorporated in Maine in 1912. This historic document was printed by the American Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an eagle with its wings spread out holding a shield, spears, laurel, and ribbon in its claws. This item is hand signed by the company’s vice-president and assistant treasurer and is over 88 years old. The certificate is made out to Cyrus D. Jones. The company owned the property in the Illinois Tunnel Company and the Chicago Subway Company. The Illinois Tunnel Company did do well financially, and it was troubled by political and legal problems through its parent the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph Company. In 1912, the Illinois Tunnel Company was reorganized and renamed the Chicago Utilities Company . Construction on Chicago's unique freight tunnel network began in 1899 in the basement of a tavern in the heart of the Loop near LaSalle and Madison Streets. Workers dug a small access tunnel from the basement down to the center of the intersection forty feet below grade. There, they continued to carve tunnels by hand out of the blue clay under nearly every street in downtown Chicago. Excavations were quietly removed through the tavern and other small access tunnels during the night. Forms were put in place and the tunnels were lined with non-reinforced concrete about one foot thick. The finished tunnels were roughly six feet wide by seven and a half feet high. Although the tunnels were officially constructed to house only telephone cables, the Illinois Tunnel Company also secretly installed two foot gauge railroad tracks in them. The company was interested in running miniature freight trains in the tunnels, using small electric mine locomotives and pony sized freight cars. Trains would enter Loop building basements to pick up and deliver packages and mail. Also, the trains would deliver coal to, and remove cinders from, building boiler rooms. A few years after construction began, test trains were run in a few sections of tunnel with two locomotives and a hand full of freight cars. The four wheeled locomotives received power from a "third rail" cog which was situated in a slot between the two running rails. The test operation proved to be feasible, however, it was decided to eliminate the third rail in favor of overhead trolley wire. By 1906, freight service was officially established. The tunnel system was expanded over the next twenty four years to include approximately 60 miles of track. Click here to see a map of the system. Service was provided with 149 four wheeled electric locomotives of various capacities, and over 3000 double truck freight cars including flat cars, merchandise cars, coal cars, and ash cars. Click here to learn more about the cars that ran in the tunnels. Tunnel freight cars were delivered to railroad freight stations, warehouses, office buildings, and store buildings via elevators or direct access. There were approximately 62 miles of tunnels and connections running 40 feet beneath most of the downtown streets, all equipped with track of two feet gauge and with trolley for the use of electric locomotives.
| Status: For Sale |
Reference#: chicutcom |
| Condition:
See Description |
Year:
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