New Britain herald., 1920-12-13
CHICAGO SUBWAY TO
 HAUL ONLY FREIGHT
40 Feet Underground and Has 62
 Miles of Track

Chicago, Dec. 13.-Forty feet under ground Chicago has one of the most unique subway systems in the world Devoted entirely to the hauling of freight, it keeps the congested loop district comparatively free of heavy traffic vehicles. OfIctals of the tunnel company estimate more than 5000 trucks would have to pass through loop streets daily to duplicate the work done by the subway.
 Over 62 miles of narrow gauge track, 132 electric locomotives and 5000 freight cars hauled 6,000o,o 900 tons of merchandise and 23o,0 tons of coal last year.
 Scores of downtown office buildings and stores receive their freight direct from tho railroad depots via the sub way. Their coal comes by the same route, and at night the ashes are hauled away through the underground tunnels, to be dumped on the lake front where acres of land are re- the great new Field Museum, at the south end of Grant Park, is built, was a few years ago a part of the lake. The tunnel company filled it in with ashes.
 Another unusual service is the re- moval of dirt from building eXcava- tions. A shaft is sunk from the build ing site to the tunnel level under the street. Workmen with wheel barrows dump the dirt down ,ne shaft where it falls into cars of a waiting train, to be hauled to the lake front disposal station.
 For handling merchandise, coal and ashes, electric elevators lift the sub- way cars from the tunne level to stores and office buildings. whero they arc emptied and refilled. and then lowered again to the tracks below
 Under Every Street.
 Tho subway tracks underlay every district of 22 blocks long and nine blocks wide. and in addition the net work of tunnels extends north under the river to the warehouse and rail- road district along North Water street, and west of the south branch of the river for six blocks through the rail- road and factory district of the near west side.
 Four main receiving stations outside of the loop gather incoming merchan- disc for delivery to downtown build ings, and distribute outgoing pack ages for truck hauls to other parts Of tn. city.
 Every railroad station but one has connections, and freight and express billed from one station to another is transferred by the subway. In ad- dition every station but one has con- nections for sending mail to the post office Special trains of steel mail cars carry the sacks through the tun- mel.
 Hnfr fon wide and twelve feet long, while the track has a two foot gauge. The mer- chandise cars have a capacity of six tons: ash and dirt cars hold three and one-half cubic yards: and the coal cars have a capacity of four tons. Ap- proximately 2,00O shippers use the subway system.
 System All Electrical.
 The entire operation is electrical. train dispatcher and telephones con- trol the movement of the trains. At every outlet to a downtown building an employee is stationed to operate the lifting elevators, receive and dis patch cars, and act as agent for the company. The company employs more than 600 men.
 One of the advantages of the tun- mel, particularly in the transportation of refrigerated and other perishable products is said to be the even tenn perature. which remains constant at 55 degrees the year around. Ventil- atiny apparatus keeps a constant flow of fresh air circulating through the system, while 72 electric pumps re- move what water seeps in.
 Elaborate precautions have been talk en to prevent flooding of the tunnel when fires break out in one of the connecting buildings. Water tight doors shut off the elevator shafts so that the tons of water which firemen pour onto a fire cannot reach the main system.
 The subway was started in 1901 and completed in 1909. Thirty stores. thirty office buildings, three public buildings, six mail connections with mail order houses, branches to 27 railroad stations, four public freight stations, coal yards and the refuse disposal outlet are among the connec- tions served.