Picture courtesy of Jim Kuntz

The "Big Subway Gate" was constructed in 1914 by Shupp Brothers of St. Louis, MO. The gate was built on the plan of the Gatum Dam at the Panama Canal and weighs 80 tons, is 6 ft. wide, 24 ft. high and 5 ft. thick. The counter weights used to raise and lower the gate weigh almost as much as the gate itself, so that it will require only the effort of 2 men at each windless, one windless on each side of the gate, to raise the gate when it has been lowered. The cables used in the "crabs" in raising and lowering the gate are about 2 inches in thickness. On August 28, 1914, the big flood gate was given a formal test. Work began on the gate April 29th with the steel work commencing June 27th. The cost of the gate was a little more than $11,000. The gate was completed on August 23, ten days before its scheduled completion date of Sept. 1, 1914.

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