Chicago Lake Tunnel

[2] In 1863, Chesbrough completed a design for a water and sewer system for the city that included a tunnel five feet wide and lined with brick that would extend through the clay bed of Lake Michigan to a distance of 10,567 feet.

The crib had outer, middle, inner walls bolted together, and each was sealed with caulk and tar in the same way ships of the day were made.

The crib comprised fifteen separate water-tight compartments with an opening at the bottom twenty-five feet in diameter referred to as "the well," which directed water into the tunnel.

Builders used 618,325 feet of lumber in the crib in the following quantities: During the construction, crews began from the intake location and the shore, tunneling in two shifts a day.

The crib above the well was then destroyed, radio station WENR broadcasting the story and the sound of the final blasting.