Forty Feet Below: The Story of Chicago's Freight Tunnels

by Bruce G. Moffat

Fascinating history of the two-foot railway that ran beneath the commercial buildings of the Chicago Loop. Constructed to relieve surface congestion, the Chicago Tunnel Co. chugged on until 1959 when lack of business closed the system. (In 1992, it again made headlines when it was flooded and the resulting damage closed the Loop for several weeks.) This Interurbans Special describes the construction, operation and financial challenges of the company. With detailed fold-out map in the back. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos and schematic diagrams. 82 pages with index.

84 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1982

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long ago, I worked at the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Ave. It had one of these tunnels. It was interesting to me because we (staff) could still access the tunnel in the basement. I worked there during the "Great Chicago Flood" in April '92 and had first-hand knowledge of these tunnels that were being flooded by the leaking Chicago River. Granted, our tunnel was a little further south than the flooded ones off Wabash. Reading this book brought back some memories and added to my knowledge just how vast this whole underground network was/is.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing piece of Chicago's history that, much like any true Chicago story, began with illicit dealings and ended in disaster. This book includes interesting facts and great pictures, but doesn't go into depth with the elements of the tunnels that I found most fascinating.