Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS) _ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been _ previously listed in the National Register _ previously determined eligible by the National Register recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Primary Location of Additional Data State Historic Preservation Office Federal agency Local government Name of repository: _ 10. Geographical Data UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1 16 694390 4336220 (north terminus) 2 16 694400 4335850 (south terminus) University Other requested.
Other State agency Zone Easting Northing designated a National Historic Landmark Cultural Affiliation Acreage of Property57.170 square feet (1.33 acres) Darius Lapham (Engineer, Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal) Architect/Builder Period of Significance Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET The former Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel is situated in a gully east of U.S. 50 and Harrison State Park near Harrison's Tomb and State Memorial in the small community of Cleves, in western Hamilton County. The town's main street, Miami Avenue, follows a curving path east of the tunnel. The 50 and Miami Avenue in Cleves, runs through it. Single family residences are located nearby the tunnel but are not visible from the structure.
As originally built, the tunnel measured 1,782' in length, 990' of which extended under the ridge separating the Ohio and Great Miami rivers between Cleves and North Bend. The tunnel was fully lined with Rockville quarries in Scioto County (Neuhardt 1989:17). Between 1958 and 1960, during the construction of U.S. 50, the North Bend portal as well as a 290'=section of the southern end of the structure were either Plan, 1958) (Figure 1). The project also involved the insertion of a concrete and corrugated metal pipe culvert in the tunnel to drain U.S. 50. As a result, both the Cleves tunnel entrance and the tunnel itself have become extensively silted over the past four decades. As indicated above, only a portion of the sandstone portal at Cleves is still visible (Photo 1). The headwall of the portal measures 34' long.
At its highest point, the headwall measures 6' tall including a the headwall and is flanked by square piers. Originally, the tunnel measured 24' wide at the water line with an arch 15½' tall above the water line and 20½ 'above the bottom of the canal. The original archway has an opening measuring 15' wide and 3'tall from keystone to ground level. Stone wingwalls once curved out from although there are some missing stones. It extends approximately 18' north from the headwall. In contrast, in length before it disappears under a pile of dirt and rock. Despite the size of the sandstone blocks, there is no evidence that Lewis-type devices were utilized to place of heavy masonry for hoisting. The absence of visible holes in the top face of the blocks suggests they were placed by hand or perhaps cut in place, although the latter possibility is unlikely.
Physical inspection of the Description from the joints. opening flanked by square piers and curved, flared wingwalls.The sandstone was brought from the National Park Service a portion of the west wingwall is either missing and/or entirely buried. The west wingwall measures 14'5" destroyed or entirely buried under the new route (Ohio Department of Transportation Construction gully is densely covered with vegetation and trees, and a small stream, apparently fed by drainage off of U.S. the headwall and then turned sharply at a right angle away from the canal. The east wingwall is largely intact stonework suggests the blocks were dry laid without mortar. However, it is possible the mortar washed out slightly projecting 6" tall flat coping stone. The canal tunnel opening, a segmental archway, is centered in the masonry.
Lewis devices are metal components inserted into a downward flaring hole cut into the tops The stones used to create the portal are massive in size and exhibit deceptively simple cuts. Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 7 Page 2 Description (continued) All of the stones are dressed with a drafted margin and chamfered edges. In addition, a deep groove between each course of stonework is created by a lip cut into the top of each stone. All of the right angles and returns on the portal are created by kneelers, stones shaped specifically to change the direction of the to water, the stones exhibit calcite streaks, delamination, mold and some larger horizontal cracking.
There is also smaller cracking (exfoliation) of the stone, in particular between the joints. The interior of the tunnel is lined with red colored brick, laid in an unusual rowlock pattern, three courses deep, with buff-colored mortar with a high content of lime (Photos 6 and 7). Eight iron rope rings, all of which are corroded to some degree, are still set into the tunnel roof. A rope or chain strung through the rings would have been used to pull and/or guide the canal boat through the tunnel (Photos 5 and 6). The broken off end of a ninth rope ring is also set in the keystone of the Cleves portal arch (Photo 3).
Overall, the exposed portions of the brick tunnel lining appear to be in good condition (Photos 6 an However, a 1999 inspection of the tunnel by spelunkers from the Cincinnati Grotto of the National Speleological Society concurred that the brick lining in these areas appeared to be stable. According to a physical inspection of the structure, the tunnel measures 1,143.4' from the North Bend portal to the concrete culvert (Photo 8) (Figure 2). The Ohio Department of Transportation construction plan from the 1950s indicated that only 290' was to be demolished, which could mean that a 350'# section of the tunnel is extant beyond the culvert (Ohio Department of Transportation Construction Plan, 1958). This section of the tunnel was not able to be accessed at this time. National Park Service partial collapses of the brick lining.
There are also two areas where stalactites (calcite deposits) cover the brick lining and water is seeping through the tunnel, creating small ponds (Photo 5).The first area is masonry for a wall or a pier (Photo 2). Overall the stonework is in fair condition.Due to constant exposure 7), with the exception of a 3'deep breach immediately south of the limestone facade (Photo 4) and two approximately 100' long while the other is nearly twice that size, measuring approximately 175' in length. Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Page 1 Statement of Significance The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C.
Under Criterion A, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel is associated with early efforts at transportation improvements, specifically construction of canals, in the early nineteenth century in both the United States of America and the State of Ohio. Ohio's 1000-mile network of navigable canals, constructed between 1825 and 1847, provided a system of economical transportation where none had construction of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, a remarkable achievement in municipally funded capital improvements. During the late 1830s and early 1840s Cincinnati supported, through tax revenues, the construction of the Little Miami Railroad, their waterworks system, and the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal. These municipal improvements were seen as critical to a city's future and occurred despite the Panic of 1837.
Prior to the faster, more efficient mode of transportation provided by railroads, artificial canal waterways connected interior areas to natural waterways, and provided transportation of goods to markets far from navigable rivers and lakes. Begun in 1837 and completed in 1846, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal was built during the height of enthusiasm for canals in Ohio. The Cincinnati and Whitewater canal was also known as the east branch of the Whitewater Canal which extended from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to Cambridge City, Indiana. The east branch or Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal started in Harrison, Ohio, distinctive and rare type of construction. It is the first canal tunnel built in Ohio and 1 of only 12 canal tunnels undertaken in the entire United States.
Nine of the 12 tunnels begun were completed and used, and only 7 of that number are still recognizable as canal tunnels today. The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel is also the third longest canal tunnel ever built in the United States. Canal Tunnels in the United States of America When confronted with a natural barrier such as a ridge, mountain, or large hill in canal construction, there were three ways to cross such a divide, each with its respective advantages and problems. A series of locks was perhaps the most obvious solution to traverse such an obstacle. It would provide a series of was necessary at or near the summit of the hill to water both sides of the channel. Unfortunately, no such supply existed at the top of most hills or mountains being crossed. The second method to cross a natural barrier was to construct a device known as an inclined plane.
In such a scheme a series of railway like tracks and a system of ropes and pulleys carried canal boats out of the watered channel and over a hill or mountain. Inclined planes were built, for example, on the Morris Canal in New Jersey, the Portage Railway over the inclined plane system is still in operation at Big Chute on the Trent-Severn Canal in Central Ontario, Canada. National Park Service Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania and on various mining canals in Pennsylvania. An example of an the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel.The tunnel is eligible for listing under Criterion C as a previously existed.Between 1837 and 1841Cincinnati taxpayers voted to spend $400,000 toward Section 8 and terminated between 2id and 3"d streets in downtown Cincinnati. Located along its twenty-five miles as watered "steps" taking the boats over the top of the hill.
For this approach to work, a plentiful water supply Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Statement of Significance (continued) John Roebling, the famous aqueduct and bridge engineer, the idea for designing suspension bridge cables. The most practical, and often the most expensive method to cross a divide, was to dig a tunnel. Tunneling had the advantage of not requiring an additional water supply, as the flow through the projected tunnel would remain relatively level.
However, despite the obvious benefits, the physical restrictions presented by nineteenth century manual construction methods and the more practical realities of any capital venture -available monies and time - limited the number of canal tunnels actually undertaken in the United States to 12. Today, tunnels for railroads and highways are fairly commonplace, even in areas not particularly mountainous. However, in the early nineteenth century a canal tunnel was a true engineering wonder. This Dynamite and TNT to aid in the excavation of rock had not yet been invented. Neither had drilling bores or the machinery to propel them. Black powder was the only explosive available. Workers used tools such uneven rock strata, and unexpected mineral deposits, any of which could slow construction. If such an obstacle was encountered, a solution had to be devised before progress could resume.
significant delays in completion. Canal company failures and reorganizations, bank failures, money shortages, and national economic depressions contributed to even further delays. When a canal tunnel was completed, it was after a series of problems had been encountered and overcome. Considering the obstacles and given the primitive construction methods available, one can see why these tunnels remain an engineering marvel even today. The following chart lists the 12 canal tunnels on which construction began or was completed in the United States of America (Table 1). The length of the tunnel, the canal on which it is located, and the dates of construction are also noted in the table. A brief history of each of these structures follows a discussion of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal and its tunnel in an addendum.
always unrealistically optimistic.Construction issues, geological problems and annual flooding caused In the mid-nineteenth century hazards on an inclined plane included problems with rope breaks and Section 8 as sledgehammers and shovels, rudimentary equipment by present standards, to clear away and dig out rock and debris. Geological study was also in its infancy, and excavations often began with little advance knowledge of what would be encountered. Geological problems included quicksand, water, unstable rock, was due to the limited technology canal engineers had at their disposal to construct such a structure. While most canal tunnels were projected for completion in one or two years, these projections were subsequent runaway canal boats.The development of wire rope to as a solution for that problem helped give Page 2 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 Page 3 TABLE 1: CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Lebanon, PA Tunnelton, PA Grant's Hill Pittsburgh, PA Staple Bend Ý Vinco, PA Chesapeake & Ohio Paw Paw North Paw Paw, MD Bat Cave Middle Falls, NY Cleves, OH Sandy and Beaver Dungannon, OH Hanoverton, OH James River and Kanawha Marshall Saltpetre Cave, VA Springwood, VA * = Later an open cut = Rail component of the Allegheny Portage Railway over Allegheny Mountain on the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. Also considered to be America's oldest railroad tunnel. Now used as a tunnel of the CSX railroad mainline. The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, built between 1837 and 1846, was constructed during the height of enthusiasm for canals in Ohio and Indiana.
These two states had simultaneously embarked on ambitious campaigns of canal, railroad, and turnpike building, and the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, located in Ohio, was actually a branch canal of Indiana's Whitewater Canal. The Whitewater River Valley was one of the most significant political, commercial and cultural sections of the new state of Indiana. 1849 729 1830 1848 1836-50 817 1826 1834 1853-56 1831 1821 1838-42 1843-46 Location Union Big Length Construction Mason Yes Little Canal Tunnelview Schuylkill Navigation Completed Harrison or Conemaugh or Cincinnati and Whitewater Pennsylvania Main Line The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal North Bend-Cleves Tunnel Name Form 10-900 Statement of Significant (continued) Genessee Valley 1,080' Date of 1,782' 825' 3,118' 2,640' 450' 3,180' 901' 900' 198' Auburn, PA Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 Statement of Significance (continued) Cincinnati was, at that time, the largest inland city in the United States after St. Louis and had port facilities on the Ohio River. The underlying rationale for the branch canal was that a direct transportation corridor linking Cincinnati to the Whitewater River Valley was the most logical means of moving goods between that southeast Indiana and Cincinnati. Darius Lapham, engineer for the canal, proposed that the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal would be more successful than the Miami Canal which connected Dayton, Ohio, with Cincinnati. By 1845 the Miami Canal was expanded to 250 miles and connected Lake Erie with the Ohio River as the re-named Miami-Erie Canal system.
In his 1836 report, Lapham outlined the benefits of the canal by comparing it to the Miami Canal which transported goods from the prosperous counties to the north Whitewater Canal since its territory would be twice the size of Dayton's. Lapham applied the rate of population increase between 1830 and 1834 and concluded that by the time the canal was completed, the enthusiasm, similar to other canal builders in the 1830s and 1840s, did not consider the impact of the railroads. The Miami-Erie Canal's high point was in 1851, but by 1855, the impact of railroads was evident Whitewater Canal was conceived during the earlier years of canal construction enthusiasm, it was completed in the waning years of their utility and struggled through an even shorter life. designed to interconnect all the major areas of the state.
Unfortunately, these ambitious plans ultimately resulted in the default of Indiana on its notes and the state's virtual bankruptcy. Indiana's Whitewater Canal was authorized in 1836. The canal extended from Lawrenceburgto Cambridge, Indiana, where it intersected with the National Road, now U.S. 40. It was supposed to continue through Anderson and then meet the Central Canal which ran through Indianapolis. However, only 13 miles of the Central Canal, the part through Indianapolis, was ever built. That segment is still used to supply that city's waterworks. Shortly after survey and construction on the Whitewater Canal was authorized, Cincinnati merchants ordered a survey in 1836 by Darius Lapham of the branch route of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal from Cincinnati to Harrison.
The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Company was incorporated on April 1, 1837, and at that time, Lapham re-surveyed the route (State of Ohio 1837). Unlike many of the other canals built in Ohio during this time, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal was built by a private company, not the State of Ohio. The owners at the time of incorporation were prominent Cincinnatians including bank presidents, attorneys, business owners, brokers, public servants, and civic leaders. Micajah T. Williams, who served as president of the canal company, went on to become one of Ohio's most respected canal commissioners (Cist 1836-1837:201-236).
in its diminishing activities and by 1895,the company abandoned operations.Although the Cincinnati and of Cincinnati.Lapham expected trade to the west would be more prosperous through the Cincinnati and Indiana had embarked on building an"internal improvements" system after achieving statehood Page 4 area and national markets.The total canal was 76 miles in length with the east branch from Harrison to downtown Cincinnati totaling almost 25 miles. The canal would be the main transportation route between Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Whitewater Canal ¾ of a mile south of Harrison, Ohio, at a feeder dam built on the farm of John Godley, Esquire (Gest 1838-1841).
The dam created a slackwater lake on the Whitewater River that provided both a crossing over and a connection to the Whitewater Canal and a water supply for the 25-mile distance to Cincinnati. The canal closely followed the east bank of the Whitewater River until it crossed the Dry Fork of the Whitewater River via a 300' wood aqueduct with a lock at the south end. After crossing the Great Miami River via a 700' wood aqueduct, the canal was confronted by a low ridge between the villages of Cleves and North Bend. The final solution to the problem posed by this barrier was the most impressive "Harrison Tunnel" for (later) President William Henry Harrison, who owned the property it crossed.
More commonly, it is called the North Bend-Cleves Tunnel, but it was never named in reference to Darius Lapham, crossing the Mill Creek by way of a free stone arch (Wessler 1935:11) and terminating near the foot of 5th Street. Lapham's plan made provision for a possible connection with the Miami-Erie Canal between the 5th & 6th locks on the Miami Canal (Lapham 1837b:2). In all, the canal was 25.04 miles in length with a total of 17½' of fall (Neuhardt 1989:15). Ground breaking took place on the North Bend farm of William Henry Harrison on March 31, 1838 (Burress 1970:40), and the canal was opened for business on November 28, 1843 (Wessler 1935: 12), at a was completed by 1846. The canal was used chiefly for freight, since a buggy ride to the city was much faster and passenger boats were available.
Throughout its active operation, the canal was beset by financial Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal ultimately lost its struggle to remain profitable, and on May 31, 1861, the company went into receivership. One month prior, on April 18, 1861, the Cincinnati and Indiana Railroad (C & I) Company, the business entity which was to become heir to the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal right-of-way, was incorporated in Ohio. On January 24, 1863, the canal property was sold to the railroad, attempted in the United States, all of which were located in Pennsylvania. Only four of the five tunnels had been completed.
However, while tunneling was not unheard of as an engineering technique, it was beyond Statement of Significance (continued) The Tunnel the man who envisioned the structure.The canal continued along the north terrace of the Ohio River, Whitewater Canal, canal tunneling was rare in the United States.In 1836,five canal tunnels had been As proposed by Darius Lapham, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal was to connect with the difficulties compounded by flood damage in1846,1847and again in1849(Wessler1935:11).The either entry. Although it does not appear to have been formally named, the structure has been called At the time Lapham proposed a tunnel between North Bend and Cleves on the Cincinnati and day was that Union troops went off to war on the canal and came home on the railroad.
Section 8 Page 5 engineering structure on the entire canal, a 1,782' long tunnel lined with brick and featuring stone portals at and on December 13, 1863, traffic began on the C & I Railroad (Wessler 1935:12). A common saying of the cost of$542,928 (Neuhardt 1989:17). The entire canal and its supporting infrastructure, including the tunnel, Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Statement of Significance (continued) the normal experience for most canal engineers. As a measure of how unusual canal tunnels were, rules promulgated by the State of Ohio for the construction of canals provided detailed specifications for every westernmost canal tunnel ever built in the United States.
Of the nine canal tunnels ultimately completed in the United States, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel was the third longest, originally measuring 1,782' in length. In his initial report submitted to Samuel Forrer, Principal Engineer of the Miami Canal, on January 23, 1837, Lapham remarked that the two possible methods of traversing the low ridge between Cleves and North Bend, a tunnel or an open cut, differed "only in the manner of their execution, and when completed will be exactly alike, in regard to their facilities for navigation," and until nearly the last minute, he wavered in 1836 (Figure 3), but after re-surveying the canal route a year later, he reversed his initial recommendation. In a report to Micajah T.
Williams, president of the canal company, submitted on December 28, 1837, The tunnel was to be built on the property of William Henry Harrison, a subscriber in the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Company and a major land owner in the area. In fact, the company scrips bore the specified a 1,782' masonry arch; a length of 15 chains (990) extended through the ridge between the Great Miami and Ohio rivers while an additional 12 chains (792') of the arch was built through an open cut; the additional 12 chains of arch were needed to protect the canal from soil washing down from the high banks of the cut. The canal inside the tunnel was to be 24' wide and 5½ deep. The original plan for a timber foundation for the arch was ultimately scrapped in favor of "broad flagging stones, projecting 6 to 8 inches "hard burned bricks" (Bonsall 1839:2-3).
Whitewater Canal Tunnel comes from the personal papers of Erasmus Gest (1820-1908). Gest, who went on to become a railroad magnate and street car entrepreneur, took his first job after leaving school as a rodman on the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal. He kept a diary and produced the only known sketches of the canal tunnel's construction (Ducket 1962:1). Gest's drawings and description indicate that the excavation available sources indicate the cause for this last minute change to the construction plans. image of the canal passing through the tunnel in front of Harrison's home (Figure 4).Lapham's design aspect of canal building-from grubbing to lock construction-but did not mention tunneling even in passing beyond the line of the walls(Bonsall 1839:3).
Finally, the original stone arch was replaced by a lining of Much of the detail about the"as-built" dimensions and construction of the Cincinnati and was conducted in stages (Figure 5). The upper center and two side sections of earth were removed first, Lapham proposed a full open cut instead ofa tunnel (Lapham 1837c:34).However,on July 4,1838,four Section 8 Page 6 months after ground breaking, contracts were amended to construct a tunnel (Bonsall 1839:2). None of the between these two options (Lapham 1837a:2). Lapham first proposed a tunnel for this segment of the route (State of Ohio 1974).The tunnel at North Bend represents the first canal tunnel in Ohio and is the Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 Page 7 leaving the center and two upper side sections to support the roof. Brick masons built the arch immediately after removal of the upper side supports. The lower center portion of earth was removed last (Gest 1838- Gest's records describe the tunnel as 24' wide at the water line, with an arch rising 15½' above the water line and 20½' above the bottom of the canal. According to Gest's measurements, the canal inside the tunnel was only 5' deep, half a foot shallower than Lapham's specified measurement of 5½. Gest also notes that the canal itself was 4' deep and the towpath was 4' wide. The width of the towpath is notable since the towpath along the rest of the canal measured 10' in width (Burress 1970:40).
The narrowness of the towpath over the hill, while the boat was pulled through by means of ropes hung in rings on the roof" (Neuhardt The contract for the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel was awarded to S. and H. Howard & Company, who remained the contractor from commencement to completion (Bonsall 1839:4). By September of 1839, work was well underway on the tunnel. At that time, Lapham reported that the open cut at the south (North Bend) end of the tunnel was complete and that the open cut at the north (Cleves) end was "far advanced." Moreover, workmen had excavated the tunnel 250' into the hill at the south end, bricked 175' of the arch, and masons were underway on 25' more (Bonsall 1839:4). On the north side a shaft was sunk from the top of the hill down to canal level. The shaft revealed that the northern portion of the hill was made of a "tenacious" blue clay.
From the shaft the excavation of process of dropping shafts into the hill and excavating the tunnel from "the inside out" was consistent with contemporary tunneling practices in Great Britain. At least one book, William Strickland's Reports on Canals Railways, Roads and Other Subjects Made to "The Pennsylvania Society for the Promotion of Internal Improvement", published in 1826, provided drawings and a discussion of the technique (Strickland 1826:5-8). One of the advantages of excavating the tunnel and then building the arch in the middle of the hill was that construction could proceed throughout the winter, uninterrupted by inclement weather.
Lapham predicted work could begin on the brick arch in the drift "in a few days," and that about half of the brick Late in 1839, the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Company encountered financial difficulties and Lapham recommended that while construction on other parts of the canal could be suspended without ill effect, if possible, construction on the tunnel should continue. He expressed numerous reasons for this argument. Most or all of the materials for the completion of the tunnel were already on site, and Lapham believed that it would be disastrous for the contractors to stop work. The open cut on the north end was 1841). Statement of Significance (continued) necessary for the tunnel was already made(Bonsall 1839:4).
construction of the canal was suspended.In his December 31,1839,report to the Board of Directors, a"drift"-probably a pilot tunnel along the axis of the canal-had progressed 1839:4).The Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Statement of Significance (continued) nearly complete and the tunnel had been excavated 353' into the hill at the south end and 311' of the arch was finished. About 30' of the arch had been bricked in the drift at the north end. The drift itself extended an additional 50' into blue clay, ideal soil for tunneling because it was easily worked and would not collapse was not only worried about losing momentum on the tunnel's construction.
In his report, Lapham also pointed out the financial loss that would be incurred by the contractor and the damages S. and H. Howard & Company would be entitled to if the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal company breached its contract with them. Moreover, Lapham was concerned about the fate of the 50 men who worked on the canal and their families. Finally, he worried about the public distrust that would have been engendered by a work stoppage Work on the tunnel resumed in 1840. In his December 31, 1840 report to the board, Lapham noted that the open cut at the north end of the tunnel was nearly complete and 150' of the brick arch was built. The arch was ready to be built in an additional 50'-60' of prepared open cut. On the south end, 730' of tunnel had been excavated under the hill, but construction was stopped after a cave-in collapsed 70' of the roof.
The cave-in, caused by a vein of damp, sandy soil, occurred before the brick arch could be built to support the roof. As a result, all work was stopped at the south end and the entire work force employed in excavating from the north end. However, before much progress could be made, a snowstorm forced a work stoppage All that remained was to tunnel and brick 225' under the hill, and excavate the rest of the open cut and construct the brick arch, which was to be covered over by earth (Lapham 1840:2). It is unclear exactly when the tunnel was completed, but the entire canal was opened for freight and however. Four major floods, coupled with national financial panics and increasing competition from railroads put the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Company out of business by 1856. The canal right-of-way was ultimately divided and sold to the C&I Railroad Company.
The Tunnel's Railroad Era In 1861, the C&I purchased the right-of-way for the abandoned Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal. This remarkably far-sighted act provided the railroad with many advantages, including a nearly level line that extended from the Whitewater River Valley into downtown Cincinnati, ample space for the construction of a downtown station, and a ready-made pass through the narrow ridge at Cleves, Ohio, via the tunnel (Condit 1977:27). This was the first canal towpath to be superceded by a railroad; a later example includes the Wasbash and Erie Canal in Indiana, whose right-of-way was purchased by the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1882 (Potterf 1963:14). The route south from the Great Miami River was sold to the C&I Railroad Company on January 24, 1863 (Wessler 1935:11-12). The C&l Railroad Company built its line along the old towpath and (Lapham 1839:4).
passenger business in November 1843.Prosperity was brief on the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, even when unsupported.In addition, about 2million bricks had been fired for the tunnel lining.Lapham Section 8 for the season. Lapham estimated that a passage for water could be completed within six to nine months. Page 8 Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Statement of Significance (continued) through the tunnel. A plat map of North Bend from 1869 shows the railroad tracks in the former canal tunnel Mississippi line (O&M) which previously dominated the western markets.
The C&l Railroad followed the bed of the canal which was adjacent to the O&M right-of-way to North Bend, Ohio, and continued to the Whitewater Valley in Indiana. Near the Ohio-Indiana state boundary, it then turned sharply away from its long, level tangent over the combined Whitewater-Great Miami River flood plains to follow the narrow valley of Tanner's Creek through the Indiana uplands (Condit 1977:27). This winding nineteen-mile grade was the steepest of any of the earliest railroad companies and it terminated in Cincinnati along the walled cut of the canal which was laid below the street grade to provide ample clearance for trains (Condit 1977:27).
In 1863, the line was opened from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, with segments extending to Greensburg Cincinnati terminal: although a station at Pearl Street was built, it did not become the ultimate location for a union terminal that it had seemed to promise (Condit 1977:29). In 1866, the I&C was leased to the Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Lafayette Railroad which was consolidated with other companies to form the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Saint Louis, and Chicago Railroad in the same year (Condit 1977:31). The tunnel's use was discontinued in 1884 due to the proclivity of flash floods in the tunnel and by 1888 a new cut was laid through the ridge to the west, and the last train ran through the former canal tunnel (Burress 1984). Around 1900, the south entrance to the tunnel was walled up as a safety precaution.
The wall was subsequently breached by hunters, and in 1937 it was entirely washed away by a flood. By 1953, the opening at the south entrance was only 10'wide and less at the north entrance (Feeger 1953). Later between 1958 and 1960, the North Bend end of the tunnel was either obliterated or buried during construction of U.S. 50. As a result of the same project, approximately 60% of the Cleves end of the tunnel was buried, which is the way it remains today. Little of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal itself survives to this day. Of its major engineering works, including two wooden aqueducts, a free stone arch resources are the tunnel, aqueduct abutments at Dry Fork and the Great Miami Rivers, and the ruins of the Dry Fork lock.
The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel remains the most significant resource associated with the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal as well as being one of only 12 canal tunnels completed in the United States. Of these 12, only 7 are still recognizable as canal tunnels and only the Union Canal Tunnel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, has been listed in the National Register to date. (C.O. Titus 1869)(Figure 6).The C&I Railroad immediately became competitive with the Ohio and Section 8 Page 9 and Indianapolis. The C&l's successor, the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad (I&C) began to plan a aqueduct, 2 locks, 15 stone culverts, 11 road bridges and nearly 25 miles of canal bed, the only remaining OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 Page 1 Letter to Francis Cleveland, Esq., Agent, Board of Public Works, from Joseph Bonsall, president, C. & W.C. Company, September 14, 1839. In, Executive Documents, Report No. 20. Special Report of the Board of Public Works to the General Assembly. Transmitting the report of the Agent appointed to examine into the affairs of Turnpike, Canal and Slackwater Navigation Companies, December 14, 1839, pp. 51-58. Typescript transcription. Columbus: State of Ohio. Burress, Marjorie B. Unpublished letter to Donna Dolick dated May 11, 1984. It Happened Round North Bend. A History of Miami Township and Its Borders. Cincinnati: Marjorie B. Burress Cincinnati Enquirer "Early Tragedy Recalled". July 13, 1928.
Cist, Charles Sketches and Statistics of Cincinnati in 1851. Cincinnati: Wm. H. Moore & Co. The Cincinnati Directory for the Years 1836-1837, Containing the Names of the Inhabitants, their Occupations, Places of Business, and Dwellings and a Complete List of Streets and Alleys. Cincinnati: J.H. Woodruff. The Railroad and the City: A Technological and Urbanistic History of Cincinnati. Columbus, Ohio State University Press. Ducket, Kenneth W. Inventory of the Erasmus Gest Papers: 1834-1885. Inventory and Calendar Series, No. 4. Columbus: Ohio Historical Society. Feeger, Luther M. Gest, Erasmus The Erasmus Gest Papers, Volumes 1-13, at the Ohio Historical Society Library, 1851 1839 1837 Columbus. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bonsall, Joseph Form 10-900 June 8. Condit, Carl W. 1,900-Foot Tunnel Near Cincinnati Used by Canal Boats, Still Stands. Palladium-Item, 1953 1928 1970 Form 10-900 OMB No.
10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 Page 2 Gieck, Jack A Photo Album of Ohio's Canal Era, 1825-1913. Kent: Kent State University Press. Glazer, Walter Stix 1999 Cincinnati in 1840. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. Harrison, William Henry 1838a Letter to Micajah T. Williams, President, Board of Directors of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, Cincinnati, Ohio, from William Henry Harrison, North Bend, August 10, 1838. Cincinnati Historical Society, William Henry Harrison Papers, Group I, Box 1, No. 26. 1838b Letter to Micajah T. Williams, esq., President, Board of Directors of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, from William Henry Harrison, November 15, 1838.
Cincinnati Historical Society, William Henry Harrison Papers, Group I, Box 1, No. 28. Letter to Micajah T. Williams, esq., President, Board of Directors of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal, from William Henry Harrison, March 18, 1839. Cincinnati Historical Society, William Henry Harrison Papers, Group I, Box 1, No. 30. Lapham, Darius 1837a Report of Darius Lapham, Resident Engineer, Miami Canal to Samuel Forrer, Principal Engineer, Columbus, Ohio, January 23, 1837. Typescript transcription. Canal Documents, 1830-39 Letter Book, Items #301-309. Columbus: Ohio Historical Center, Archives - Library Division. 1837b Letter to M. T. Williams, Esq., President, Cin. & White Water Canal Co., Cincinnati, Nov. 10, 1837, from Darius Lapham, Engineer. Typescript transcription. Canal Documents, 1830-39 Letter Book, Items #248-250. Columbus: Ohio Historical Center, Dec.
28, 1837, from Darius Lapham, Engineer. Typescript transcription. Canal Documents, 1830-39 Letter Book, Items #320-326. Columbus: Ohio Historical Center, Report of the Engineer to the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati and White Canal Company, December 31st, 1839. Typescript transcription. Canal Documents, 1830-39 Letter Book, Items #311-318. Columbus: Ohio Historical Center, Archives - Library 1839 Division. Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 Letter to the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal Company, from Darius Lapham, Engineer, December 31, 1840. Typescript transcription. Canal Documents, Record No. 3 - Series 1262. Board of Public Works, Document Marked A.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Center, Archives - Library Division. Neuhardt, David A. The Waterways of Southwestern Ohio (Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal; Canal; Miami Canal; and Ohio River), Canal Society of Ohio Spring Tour, May 5-6, 1989. Canal Society of Ohio. Ohio Department of Transportation Ohio Department of Transportation Construction Plans for Route 50. Sheet 42. HAM.50 3.72 (Sta. 98+00 to Sta. 104+00). Potterf, Rex M. The Whitewater Canal Story. Allen County: Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen Scheiber, Harry N Ohio Canal Era: A Case Study of Government and the Economy, 1820-1861. Athens, Ohio: The Ohio University Press. Shaw, Robert E. Canals for a Nation: The Canal Era in the United States. Lexington: University Press of State of Ohio Medary's Power Press.] An Act to Incorporate the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Company. Cincinnati: Looker, Ramsay and Company, Printers.
Strickland, William Reports on Canals, Railways, Roads, and Other Subjects, Made to the Pennsylvania Society for the Promotion of Internal Improvement. Philadelphia: H.C. Carey & I. Lea. 1974 1840 1958 1837 County. Kentucky. National Park Service Page 3 Rules and Specifications Relating to the Construction of Canals in the State of Ohio and the Estimating of work Performed Thereon. Facsimile reprint of the original edition. Parma, Ohio: The Charterhouse of Parma. [First published in 1843. Columbus: S. 1969 1826 Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Section 9 Page 4 Titus' Atlas of Hamilton County, Ohio. From actual Surveys by R.H. Harrison, C.E. assisted by Geo. E. Warner, A. Leavenworth, J.E. Sherman, L.C. Warner and R.T.
Higgins. Philadelphia: C.O. Titus. Trevorrow, Frank W. 1973 Ohio's Canals. Oberlin, Ohio. 1966 The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal. Towpaths, October: 41-47. 1935 1869 Historical Society. The Whitewater Canal.Unpublished Manuscript in the Holdings of the Cincinnati Titus, C.O. Wessler, Charles H. OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION _X_ See continuation sheet. Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title:Adrienne Cowden.Tom Fugate, and Harrison Stamm Gowdy (Gray & Pape, Inc.): Michael E. Morthorst Organization: _ Gray & Pape, Inc.
date January 15, 2001 street & number: 1318 Main Street telephone (513) 287.7700 state_Ohio Zip code 45210 Submit the following items with the completed form: Maps (7.5 minute series USGS map showing tunnel location) and Graphics (6 figures) Photographs (2 sets - 8 representative black and white photographs) Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) street & number city or town zip code Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. telephone Property Owner Form 10-900 Continuation Sheets (see attached) city or town Cincinnati Additional Documentation (see attached list) name Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION CONTINUATION SHEET Page 1 UTM Coordinates: Hooven, Ohio - Ind - Ky Quadrangle The Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel is a linear corridor with a current documented length of 1,143.4. The headwall of the north portal and the exposed sections of the wingwalls in Cleves measure approximately 45' in width. The documented length of 1,143.4' and a width of 50', a measurement slightly wider than the exposed sections of the Cleves portal and wingwalls, were used to determine the boundaries and 57,170 square foot acreage for the purpose of the National Register of Historic Places nomination. The legal description of the property that the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel lies on and under is as follows.
Situated in Hamilton County, State of Ohio, Section 20, T.1, F.R. 2 Miami Township and lying in the villages of Cleves and North Bend, and being more particularly described as follows: The above ground end of the tunnel begins in the center + or - of Lot 4 of C.W. Shorts Sub'd of Cleves as found in Plat Book 6 Page 75 of the Hamilton County Recorder's Office. Lots property boundaries. From the above described point of beginning, the tunnel runs south 04 degrees 07' 09" east 1150 feet + or - under Lot 28 of C.W. Shorts Sub'd of Lot 31 of Harrison's Dower Tract, Plat Book 6 Page 67 of Hamilton County Recorder's Office, then under Ohio Department of Transportation R/W property to a wall and a 48" C/M pipe sewer and a 4' diameter manhole. Said manhole is 32' deep and is situated at Sta. 98+72 -63' left (rim elevation 523.1 feet) of U.S. Route 50 Sec.
3.72 as shown on Sheet 42 of ODOT 694400 694390 4335850 4336220 Northing Zone Easting Boundaries and Legal Description Section 10 (south terminus) Construction Drawings for HAM.50 SEC.3.72(see attached plat map). 1,2 and part of 3 of said sub'd are also to be considered part of the National Register OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS - CINCINNATI AND WHITEWATER CANAL TUNNEL Page 1 Hamilton County, Ohio Note: All negatives are located at the offices of Gray & Pape, Inc.; 1318 Main Street; Cincinnati, Ohio View of Canal Tunnel Cleves Portal, Facing SW Photograph taken by Adrienne Cowden Detail of Stonework, East Wingwall of Cleves Portal, Facing NE Detail of Iron Rope Ring Base Located in the Keystone of the Cleves Portal, Facing S Entrance, Facing SE View of Corroded Rope Ring and Stalactites, Facing Up and SW (see Figure 2) John N.
Agnew, photographer View of Rope Ring and Brick Tunnel Lining, Facing Up and SW Overview of Tunnel, Facing S View of Storm Sewer at Southern End of Tunnel, Facing S 45210 Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel Form 10-900 April 1999 Detail of Tunnel Interior Showing Partially Collapsed Area Located South of the Cleves Tunnel Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION ADDENDUM-CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY MICHAEL MORHURST Page 1 The first canal tunnel ever built in the United States was on the Schuylkill Navigation near Auburn, Pennsylvania. The Schuylkill Navigation canalized the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia through Reading to Pottsville and was constructed between 1816 and 1824.
The waterway was 108.23 miles long, with 50.5 Extending a length of 450', the tunnel was constructed on one of the short connecting canals built around Slackwater River Dam 11 and an oxbow in the Schuylkill River. The contractors for the canal had a choice chance to earn the distinction of being the first canal in the United States. In 1854, the tunnel was excavated The Union Canal was completed in 1827 and extended 79.5 miles from Reading to Middletown, Pennsylvania. Costing six million dollars, it was the first canal surveyed (first in 1762 and later in 1770) in the United States although the American Revolution delayed construction until 1792. The name "Union earnest thereafter. excessively, impeding navigation in the summer months. Its locks were small, measuring only 8.5'x 75' with a lift of 5' to 6'.
Similarly, the Lebanon Tunnel, completed in 1826 over the highest point on the route, was quite narrow; boatmen had to pole through the structure while the mules were walked over the top of the hill. Despite these design flaws, the canal was initially successful until the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal opened in 1834. A costly enlargement of the canal briefly increased business, but after 1857, proceeds declined United States. The tunnel remains and can be observed today, located just west of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Three tunnels were constructed on the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal in the early 1830s. The Conemaugh Tunnel was built first in 1830, near the present-day borough of Tunnelton, Pennsylvania in an interurban, a railroad and a hydro power tunnel. In 1830, both the tunnel and the nearby hamlet were known as Tunnelview. The canal complex built at this site was considerable.
At the eastern end of the tunnel was degree turn. On the western end, the canal left the tunnel and immediately crossed the Conemaugh River a 6.5' towpath along the south side of the tunnel. The aqueduct at the western portal was 412' long with each Pennsylvania Tunnels whether to make this crossing as a tunnel or open cut. The final decision was partially influenced by the oxbow around Box Ridge on the Conemaugh River.It is one of four tunnels in this area including an The Union Canal was ultimately plagued by a series of design problems.The canal leaked passing under Tunnel Hill Road. a slackwater dam and a guard lock;a large excavation at the eastern portal permitted the canal to make a 90 miles of slackwater navigation and 57.73 miles of canal. The Auburn Tunnel was completed in 1821.
on afive span arched stone aqueduct.The tunnel itself was817 long,22'wide and14'high.There was also Canal"was given to the project when two competing canal companies, the Delaware and Schuylkill and the "Schuylkill and Susquehanna"were merged by the state legislature in 181l. Construction began in Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION ADDENDUM - CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Page 2 arch measuring 56' wide and 14' tall. The entire complex was completed in June of 1829 under the direction of Alonzo Livermore, chief engineer. In 1992, Pennsylvania Power and Light donated a parcel of land providing an approach to the western side of the old canal tunnel.
Plans are to develop the west side of the tunnel into "Tunnelview Park" to celebrate the unique transportation history contained in this small area. Presently, a metal drain culvert close to the portal obscures the western entrance. Pennsylvania was the Staple Bend Tunnel. It was located four miles east of Johnstown. Constructed at a cost of $37,000, the tunnel was 901' long, 20' wide and 19'tall. Each end of the tunnel was elaborated with 150' of cut stone. In addition to being one of the first canal tunnels constructed in America, the Staple Bend Tunnel is considered to be the first railroad tunnel to be built in the United States. The final canal attempted on the Pennsylvania Main Line was under the city of Pittsburgh, known as the Grant's Hill Tunnel. It was begun only a short time after Conemaugh Tunnel in 1831, but the structure was never completed.
Ohio: Sandy and Beaver Canal Tunnels In northeast Ohio, the Sandy and Beaver Canal extended from Navarre, Ohio to the junction of the Little Beaver River with the Ohio River less than a mile east of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line, a distance of 73 miles. This was one of two canals that were built to connect the Ohio and Pennsylvania Canal Systems, and it had a short life. It opened in 1846 after many delays, and passage over the entire route lasted for only three or four years. The parallel canal to the north, the Pennsylvania and Ohio, opened earlier, passed through more significant towns, and thus attracted the majority of the available business.
Part of the delay in the opening of the Sandy and Beaver concerned the best method of crossing the solid rock divide between the watersheds of Sandy Creek (part of the Muskingum River drainage) and Little Beaver Creek (which drained into the Ohio River just east of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border). The solution adopted was digging two tunnels - one long, the "Big" Tunnel, and one short, the "Little" Tunnel - through the sandstone barrier. distance of 3,180' nearly six-tenths of a mile through solid rock. Its construction required the removal of 25,100 cubic yards of sandstone to be excavated. It was 18' tall and descended up to 80' below the surface of the hill through which it passed. Big Tunnel features three spoil piles from vertical shafts dug at regular intervals first to remove rubble, later to provide an air supply.
The Little Tunnel was also a significant structure at 900' in length. For Little Tunnel, 11,000 cubic yards of slate, coal, and rock were excavated. Locomotion to traverse both tunnels was provided by a chain. The tunnels shortened the total distance of adjacent streams as water supply feeders. Edward Gill, the first chief engineer of the Sandy and Beaver, who had also worked on the Erie Canal in New York, as well as Ohio and Pennsylvania canals, projected Part of the Allegheny Portage Railway on the Pennsylvania Main Line system in central the canal by 15 miles.They also lowered the canal's elevation sufficiently to allow the canal to use more (Rev. 10-90) The Big Tunnel turned out to be the longest canal tunnel ever completed in the United States, a Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION ADDENDUM - CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Page 3 complete by 1837. The three shafts on Big Tunnel were dug in 1836. This allowed digging to take place at six points simultaneously. Up to 250 workers toiled on the project at one time. Blasting was done with black powder A major problem encountered was an extended national economic depression, beginning in 1837, long departed. New engineers were hired. Construction on Little Tunnel started again in 1844 and work on Big Tunnel resumed in 1845. The Little Tunnel was completed and open by 1846, but Big Tunnel took passed through, and the noise from the celebration caused a large rock to fall from the roof of Big Tunnel, blocking the passageway.
Other similar problems prevented regular canal traffic until 1850 by which time Maryland: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal - The Paw Paw Tunnel One of the most spectacular surviving remnants of the American Canal Era is found in the western Maryland mountains near Paw Paw, West Virginia. At this point, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal avoids a five and one-quarter mile meander loop in the Potomac River by tunneling through 3,118' of solid rock. The tunnel was selected as an alternative to carving a channel along the river through solid rock, or crossing over the then Virginia side and back, or use of a slackwater pool in the river. The general contractor, Lee Montgomery, had built the Union Canal Tunnel in Pennsylvania. The rock formation was shale, and an initial belief that it contained a natural arch to protect against rock slides proved to be false.
North of the tunnel was to be a 200' deep cut through the rock. The steep angle of the rock strata proved to be a serious landslide hazard. The bore was holed through in 1840. Still the construction problems money was raised and construction resumed in 1847 and the tunnel finally opened in 1850. Final cost was Cumberland, Maryland in 1842. This gave the railroad a competitive edge over the canal which it never lost. day. were such that consideration was again briefly given to abandoning the tunnel and using a slackwater. and the resulting debris was conveyed to the surface up the shaft by means of a steam engine.An Financial problems plagued the tunnel construction efforts in the 1840s, one from the canal company railroads were beginning to effectively end the usefulness of canals.
$600,ooo.The delays in the canal construction resulted in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reaching In 1845,the company was reorganized to begin construction anew.By that time, Gill and his workers had and yet another from shoddy brick(tunnel lining) construction.The company collapsed in 1842.New construction to begin in 1835on Little Tunnel and the year after on Big Tunnel. Both tunnels were to be underground stream seeped into the diggings, providing an additional source of water, even to the present which dried up financing until 1844. Construction had mostly stopped shortly after the downturn began. longer to finish. Big Tunnel was not ready for service until January 1, 1848. A few days later, the first boat Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S.
Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION ADDENDUM - CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Page 4 This tunnel is approximately 17' wide (one boat width) and 24.5' high. The downstream boat theoretically had the right-of-way. A watchman was placed at both ends to help regulate traffic. It was not unusual for many boats to be lined up at each end waiting to pass through the tunnel. The water was to be 7' deep through the structure. A 4' wide towpath lines the east side of the structure. The Paw Paw Tunnel is part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park and was restored in 1966. It can be reached from Maryland Route 51 just north of Paw Paw, West Virginia [BACVII4].
New York: The Genessee Valley Canal - "Bat Cave" Tunnel The Genessee Valley Canal extended from Rochester, New York on the Erie Canal, to Millgrove, on the Allegheny River. It was intended to be both a feeder canal on the New York Canal System and a connection between the Erie Canal and the Ohio River. Construction was authorized in 1825, surveyed in 1827 and 1835-36, and work began in 1837. Locks were 15' x 19'. Prism was 42' wide at the top, 26' wide at the bottom, and depth was 4'. The largest natural obstacle was the Portageville Moraine. Two tunnel plans were considered. A long tunnel plan involved a 1720' structure that would have eliminated a 1.75 mile loop in the Genessee River. This plan was abandoned when test drillings revealed the moraine would not support a structure of this magnitude.
A short tunnel proposal was then advanced that would put a 1080' bore through the hill just south of Middle Falls on the Genessee River opposite Inspiration Point. It was to be 27' high and By 1842, a rough bore was completed through the hill and the structure was ready for masonry arching. A financial crisis stopped construction between 1842and 1847. When work resumed five years later part of the roof of the tunnel had collapsed. Bids were taken to correct the collapse problem and to consider an open cut around the hillside. Since the cut would cost a third of finishing the tunnel, the decision was made in 1848 to abandon the tunnel and finish the canal with the excavation. The total cost of the tunnel to that time tunnel became home to a large bat colony in the years following.
It was included in Letchworth Gorge State Originally proposed by George Washington, the James River Company was formed in 1785 for the between Richmond, Virginia, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia. After slow progress, the company was reincorporated in 1828 as the James River and Kanawha Company, and construction resumed in 1835. The the Ohio River. plan included digging a canal from Richmond to Covington, crossing the Allegheny Mountains via a Virginia:James River & Kanawha Canal -Marshall Tunnel and Mason Tunnel Park and acquired the name"Bat Cave"at that time.The park closed the tunnel in the late1980s. was $250,0000. The Genessee Valley Canal remained in business until 1878. Business gradually declined spectacular nine mile long tunnel. The ultimate goal of this ambitious plan was to extend the waterway to 20' wide. The contract for the Portageville Tunnel was awarded in 1838.
In the first year, 460' was bored. purpose of constructing a transportation system comprised of canals, turnpike roads and river navigation Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-4018 (Rev. 10-90) U. S. Department of the Interior Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel NAME OF PROPERTY National Park Service Hamilton County, Ohio LOCATION ADDENDUM - CANAL TUNNELS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Page 5 were revised for a much shorter, three mile tunnel, which was also cheaper but suffered from water supply Tunnel of the C&O Railroad was built close to the route of the three mile tunnel. Further to the east two tunnels were anticipated in Botetourt County. One, the Mason Tunnel, was completed but never saw water or boat traffic. It was named for the then Navy Secretary, John Y. Mason. It was 198' long but it bypassed three miles of the route along the river.
Later, the Richmond and Allegheny adapted the tunnel for railroad use and named it the Thompson Tunnel. Ultimately, the C&O Railroad acquired the tunnel and named it the Little Tunnel and designated the line the James River Division. The longer structure, the Marshall Tunnel, was located a few miles north of the Mason Tunnel. It was started but never completed. It was named for the first Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall. It was to be one half mile long, cut through the solid limestone Timber Ridge, eliminating six miles of river and from a vertical shaft sunk midway on the route. Construction ended abruptly in 1856 when the money ran out and the General Assembly would approve no more money. Only 195 days of work remained. When construction ended, the workers literally dropped their tools where they were; these tools still remain in situ.
The nine mile tunnel proposed by engineer Edward Lorraine proved financially impractical.Plans problems and the need for more locks.It too was discarded. Ultimately the transportation system was route. The tunnel was to have a cut in the side for a towpath. Construction began in 1853 from both ends completed with a road over the mountains, after the waterway project ran out of money. The Allegheny U.S. ROUTE 50 NORTH BEND + CLE ALAN S. SUB.OF CLEVES. PB C * 4105 190 CINCINNATI & Whitewater Canal Tunn TUN SUMNLT AVERS - GOOO STATE RT: 128 MIAMITOWN; CHIO 45041 3ZDEEP RIM 523./° THE CINCINNATL.* CLEVES MONTAGUE 191 HARRISON MIAML.AVE CLEVES, HAMILTON CO., OH Constructed Prior to 1860- Lake Erie by Steam Boat Borders of the States in 1860 Projection: UTM (Zone 17) Miles Scale: 1:5,000,000 This map was made possible by a fellowship with the West Humanities Council, 1998. 1.
Erie Canal 11. Genesee Valley Canal 21. Lancaster, Susquehanna & Slackwater Nav. 31. Blackstone Canal 41. Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal 51. Illinois & Michigan Canal 2. Champlain Canal 12. North Branch Canal 22. Pennsylvania Mainline Canal, Easter Div. 32. Middlesex Canal 42. Muskingham River Canal 52. Central (Indianapolis) Canal 3. Delaware & Hudson Canal 13. Wyoming Canal 23. Pennsylvania Mainline Canal, Juniata Div. 33. Cumberland & Oxford Canal 43. Ohio & Erie Canal 53. Louisville & Portland Canal 4. Chenango Canal 14. W. Branch & Susquehanna Canal 24. Pennsylvania Mainline Canal, Western Div. 34. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal 44. Hocking Valley Canal 5. Black River Canal 15. Bald Eagle & Spring Creek Nav. 25. Monongahela Navigation 35. Chesapeake & Delaware Canal 45. Walhonding Canal 6. Oswego Canal 16. Lehigh Canal 26. Youghioheny Navigation 36. Salem Creek Canal 46. Miami & Erie Canal 7.
Cayuga & Seneca Canal based on data from Christopher 17. Delaware Division Canal 27. Pittsburgh & Erie Canal 37. James River & Kanawha Canal 47. Sandy and Beaver Canal 8. Chemung Canal & Feeder Baer's "Canals and Railroads of 18. Schuylkill Navigation 28. Morris Canal 38. Rivanna Navigation 48. Whitewater Canal 9. Junction Canal 19. Union Canal & Feeder the Mid-Atlantic States, 1800- 29. Delaware & Raritan Canal 39. Dismal Swamp Canal 49. Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal 10. Keuka Canal 1860* and Ronald E. Shaw's 20. Susquehanna & Tidewater Canal 30. New Haven & Northampton Canal 40. Albamarle & Chesapeake Canal 50. Wabash & Erie Canal Michigan Canalized River River Navagable CINCINNATI AND WHITEWATER CANAL TUNNEL Lake Ontario Major Canal or Major Canals of the United States Delineated by Dan Bonenberger "Canals for a Nation.
Legend NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET NAME : DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF 45TH DAY: OTHER : N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: COMMENT WAIVER: N ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS : REJECT TELEPHONE DATE RETURN DISCIPLINE MULTIPLE 4/18/01 6/03/01 REVIEWER 5/19/01 RECOM./CRITERIA SAMPLE: DATE RECEIVED: VACCEPT REASONS FOR REVIEW: Natlonal Register DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PROPERTY APPEAL: REQUEST: Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel Bntered in tho Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tumel Photograph #1 Cincimoti end Whitewater Canal Tumel Hami ton County,Ohio Photograph# Honmil ton County.Onio Homilton County, Ohio Cincinnati end Whiteiwater Canal Tumel Honil ton County,OhiD Hamilton County, Ohio Photograph * Cincinnati end Whrewater Conal Tunnel Hamiiton County, Unio Hamilton County, Ohio Photograph #8 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HOOVEN QUADRANGLE UNITED STATES HOOVEN, OHIO-IND.-KY.
460 000 FEET DUTTENHOFER'S MAP STORE HOOVEN, OH
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