Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Car Talk Puzzler, Theater Edition

This is topic Car Talk Puzzler, Theater Edition in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Tom Sauter (Member # 616) on 07-25-2012, 05:48 AM:

Last week's Car Talk (an automotive-related call-in show on National Public Radio) had a good theater question last week:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/theatrical-delivery?question

Like lots of other cities, Chicago has a subway system that consists of a maze of tunnels linking various parts of the city. But beneath the streets of downtown Chicago, there's another system of tunnels. And this tunnel system was excavated between 1899-1910 by the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph Company. The purpose of these tunnels was to provide space for telephone lines of course.

There was also an electric freight-carrying railroad with a narrow gage 2-foot wide track. And this small four-wheel-drive electric locomotive hauled diminutive little freight cars between stores, offices, factories and delivered packages, mail, food, coal and even people… small people.

Well during the early years after it's completion around 1911-1913, the telephone companies that owned the tunnels began selling something to movie theatres. What were these theatres buying?

And here's a hint. It wasn't popcorn. And it wasn't telephone service or film canisters. But it was something interesting. What was it?

Posted by Peter Howard (Member # 3491) on 07-25-2012, 06:52 AM:

In one of the great 'free money' ideas of all time, they sold cool tunnel air to hot theaters.

Sorry to get it on the first reply! [Wink]

Posted by Tom Sauter (Member # 616) on 07-25-2012, 12:58 PM:

Thought someone here might get it right away...there was a lot of neat stuff in theatres of that age. A theater here used the city water supply (which connects right to Lake Erie) for a "chilled water" source for heat exchangers. The CO2 air conditioners used the city water supply as a heat sink, then instead of a cooling tower the water would just go down the drain!

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 07-26-2012, 08:19 AM:

Some years back a crew was sinking pilings into the Chicago river when they punctured the tunnel. Of course, copious amounts of river water flooded the tunnel system. This, in turn, flooded many basements of some of the landmark Chicago buildings. Lots of folks at the time had no idea the tunnel system was even there beneath their feet!