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Linked To Canada

Linked To Canada image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
September
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Port IIitron, Mich., Sept 21.- The international tunnel under the 9t. Clair river connecting the United Statas and Canada was opened Saturdáy. üeretofore it has taken over one hour to transport a train by boat. At 1 o'clock Saturday seven carloads of visit ors entered the Canadian end of thé tunnel and in just three and onc-half minutes the train reached the American end. The train was drawn by a monster locomotivo built expressly for the occasion, weiffhing 200,000 pounds. At the depot the guests disembarked, when Mayor Mcllwain made a brief weleoming address, to which Sir Henry Tyler responded. The excursión train then rcturned to Sarnia, where 550 people sat down to a banquet given in honor of Sir Henry Tyler. Everything was gotten up in the most elabórate manner. Toasts were responded to by Sir Henry Tyler, SirJohnRoss.Gov. Winans, of Michigan, Senator Palmer, of Illinois, Erastus YViman and others. The tunnel will not be used for general trafflc until October 1. [The tunnel is the longest river tunnel in the world. It is 6,050 feet long. From the Amerl caa cutting to the river edge is 1,800 feet, and from the Canadian eutting to tho river edge Is 1,950 feet, and the distance across the river is 8,300 feet. The tunnel walls are of cast-iron segmenta, thirteen of whioh and a key form a circle. The segment dimensions are: Length, 4 feet 10 lnches; width, 18 inches; thickness, 2 inches, with flanges inside 6 inches deep and inches in thickness. Their total weight is 28,1)00 tons. The segments are bored and secured in place with bolts seven-eightha of an inch in diameter and weighlng in all 2,000,090 pounds. The outside diameter of the tunnel Is SI feet and 20 feet inside. The soil excavated amounts to 2,196,400 oubio feet Employment has been steadily furnished to T00 men slnce flrst the work of construction be gan and costs complote about $3,000,000. It 13 a year ago since the englneers, who had been working toward cach óther from opposite sides of the river. fltted their hydraulie shiclds together and shook hands fathoms below the suriaco. The approaches and railway tracks have been completed since that day. The Grand Trunk people be lieve that when the tunnel is in actual use lt will offer facilities for through communicatlon between Chicago and all points east whioh will be greatly appreciated by passengers and by freight shippers. It shortons the distanoe to the seaboard about 6 miles and saves two nouia in time.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register