Pittsburgh, PA: The Point in 1896+1910.

Heinz History Center posted

#TBT to 1896: A view of the Point from Mount Washington.

Today's #throwbackthursday photo is featured in #Pixburgh: A Photographic Experience and is from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development Photographs.
Dennis DeBruler shared
Another bunch of tows waiting for "coal water."
Georgeann Held: World Largest Inland Port at one time ! More tonnage Passed the Point than went through the Panama Cannel !
Barbara Ritts: Check out the bridge going from the Point to the North Side. It sure looks like a covered bridge!
Dennis DeBruler

Author

Barbara Ritts It was. It was called the Union Bridge and was opened in 1876. It was removed in 1907 because of its low clearance.

http://pghbridges.com/articles/PA3-01.htm

The suspension bridge was built in 1877.

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted

Barges loaded with coal at "The Point" in Pittsburgh in 1910.

(Photo from Shorpy via https://www.facebook.com/WQEDPittsburgh)

Fred Copeland: Reminds me of when I worked at Dravo corporation "We made these barges and Viking tow boats on Neville Island.

Note all of the steamships and coal filled barges. Obviously they were doing serious shipping on the Monongahela River.  (Update: I learned from the post below that they are waiting for "coal water.") It looks like the other bridges are about as low as the covered bridge on the Allegheny River. Furthermore, it looks like the metal bridges on the Allegheny still exist. (Update: in fact, they are the "Three Sisters Bridges."

3D Satellite

Update:

That has to be the Duquesne Incline in the foreground. And the Wabash Bridge in the background.

Dennis DeBruler posted

While researching the Point Bridges that were in Pittsburgh, I came across this Detroit Publishing Co. photo, circa 1900-15. It shows the importance that riverboats, railroads and street cars once had in that area.

LC-D4-15633 [P&P]

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016802438/

Robert Swenson: Awesome photo…. Waiting for the creeks to rise.
Don Sanders: Robert Swenson. Waiting for "coal water," and then all hell broke loose.
Dennis DeBruler: Robert Swenson So they are waiting for the wet season so that there is enough water in the Ohio River to provide the needed draft. I remembered that this was well before the 9-foot channel project was built. But I never realized how they queued up waiting for the rains to come.
Dale Zubik: Largest Inland Port at one Time