Compressed air pipeline an engineering marvel

It is more than just a big, old black pipe on the side of a back road.
The year 1903 marked the advent of the great silver boom in Cobalt. With it came the demand for quick and reliable power, required to run the mines’ machinery.
Within the mines, drilling was done by hand using compressed air from a vast network of pipes. It was one of the most unique power plants in the world. The Ragged Chutes (Montreal River) plant had no moving parts, and used falling water to produce enough compress