By:  Angela Vanderbilt

The construction of the subway seems to have been something of a spectator sport in Cincinnati, with groups of onlookers crowding along the banks of the old canal and hovering over the rails of bridges, watching as workmen dug out the canal bed to build the framework for tracks and tunnels.

The photographs of the construction show businessmen and laborers alike stopping to view the progress being made on the new rapid transit system, with some even finding a seat and making themselves comfortable, seen in the enlarged section of the image below.

The photographs also show children playing along the banks of the construction site, or crowding on bridges with other onlookers, their curiosity getting the better of them.

Others took the opportunity to voice their opinion of the subway project publicly, as well as other issues of the day, as seen in the close-ups of the striking workers shown in the images below.

This project is funded by a grant for $60,669 through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Ohio.