Canal and rail tunnels under U.S. Steel Bldg.

[Bob Rathke]

Thanks, Greg.

In case you're not aware of the distances involved in the 19th Century canal:
Pittsburgh is 300 miles (480 km) from Philadelphia, and there are several
3,000+ft. (1,000+ m) mountain ranges between the two cities.

The 1830's canal system required 10 inclined plane railways to get over the
Allegheny Mountains in the middle of Pennsylvania. At the base of each
mountain, the canal boats were transfered to wheeled bogies running on rails,
and a cable hauled the boats up - and then down - each mountain.

The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) completed its railroad between Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia in the mid-1850's, and the canal's portage railways were
abandoned in 1857.

The Portage Railway National Historic Site is actually in Cresson, PA which is
on U.S. Rt. 22 near Altoona.
Some of the canal and incline railway structures remain, and can be visited in
that area.  The last time I was there, one of the old canal/incline hotels was
still in existence along Rt. 22 and in private ownership - although in
disrepair - and was known locally as the "Tilten' Hilton".

Bob 12/17

---------------------------------------------

Greg King wrote:

> Thank you Bob,
>
> That was truly interesting, being "downunder" was not aware of any of this
> and I find this archaeology absolutely fascinating.

> Greg

-------------------------------------


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bob Rathke <brathke at mediaone.net>
> To: Pittsburgh Trolley List <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2000 4:07 PM
> Subject: Canal and rail tunnels under U.S. Steel Bldg.
>
> > In 1967-68,  I took some  photos of thecconstruction of the U.S. Steel
> > Bldg.
> > (officially, 600 Grant St.).  Derrick has uploaded one of these photos
> > to his website.   See
> > <http://www.dementia.org/~shadow/PCC/brathke/CanalTunnel68.jpeg>.
> >
> > This photo was taken  from Grant St.on 2/11/68, and the view is to the
> > south toward the old Bigelow Apartments.  The rubble in the foreground
> > is the beginning of the excavation for the foundation of the
> > U.S. Steel Bldg.
> >
> > What's unusual about this scene is the daylighting of TWO tunnels,
> > visible along the back wall.  The tunnel to the right is the old PRR
> > railroad tunnel that is now used by the PAT subway.  The tunnel to the
> > left, above the yellow power shovel, is an older canal tunnel that was
> > UNDER the railroad  tunnel. For a very short time in 1968, the canal
> > tunnel was visible.
> >
> > The canal and its tunnel are shown on a copy of an 1830 map of downtown
> > Pittsburgh that I have.  In 1830, more than two decades before the PRR
> > railroad was completed between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, a water
> > canal connected the two cities.  The canal boats from Philadelphia were
> > hauled over the Allegheny Mountains on incline railways, and then
> > traveled by water to Pittsburgh.  However, the boats didn't enter the
> > city by river - they were floated on an elevated canal that paralleled
> > the north shore of the Allegheny River (near the present Canal St.).
> > The elevated canal crossed the Allegheny River on a BRIDGE near the
> > present 11th Street, and near the site of the current Federal Bldg. it
> > went into a tunnel under Grants Hill.  The tunnel was not straight, but
> > had an "S" shape, and emerged near Ross Street and the Monongahela
> > River.  However...at that point the canal was still some height above
> > river level (remember that the canal crossed the Allegheny River on a
> > bridge), so there were a series of locks near Ross St. (and the present
> > Liberty Bridge)
> > that allowed the boats to descend to the level of the Monongahela River.
> >
> > It's hard to believe that this canal and tunnel were constructed by hand
> >
> > and operated for several decades in the early 19th Century!  It was easy
> > to identify locations of the canal and tunnel, because even in 1830,
> > many Pittsburgh streets had the same names that they have today.
> >
> > By the way, part of the canal's incline railway over the Allegheny
> > Mountains has been reconstructed, and the site is managed by the
> > National Parks
> > Service along Rt. 22 near Altoona.  It's worth a visit.
> >
> > Although the downtown canal tunnel has been publicized previously,
> > especially around the time of the PAT subway construction, I find the
> > 1968 photo to be very interesting.  The tunnel was uncovered - and then
> > covered - in an era when the concept of "preservation" didn't get much
> > attention.  Wouldn't it be great if today you could walk in the basement
> > of the USS Bldg. and see a museum-quality display that was a
> > cross-section cut of the actual canal tunnel?
> >
> > Bob 12/16
> >
> >