Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-01

governments millions travel daily. There
are many manhole covers, each leading
down to a very wide and spacious sewer.
A messenger with his satcnel full OF bank
bills could be struck on the head in the
busiest part of the day, as such things
have happened time after time in the rush
of Broadway in New York. The two
men detailed to do the job could snatch
as working man could be tinkering with
an open manhoe: the two principals could
drop into the tunnel below and would be
lost to view.
What would happen? There would be
the usual hue and cry. 4 policeman
would rush to the spot. peer down the
open hole telephone to headquarters and
quick though the detective machinery of
the city is, there is nothing quick enough
to find where the criminals would escape
Men would be detailed by telephone to
watch the exits of the big pipes. The
exits are miles apart. In addition, there
are thousands of manhole covers along
the streets and through any of these the
two hold-up men might easily escape.
knowing just where they intend to come
out, others of the same gang could be
working there on a manhole cover and
allow them TO come to the street, having
secreted their booty somewhere along the
line.
Down in South Washington there is a
very large and long sewer. 1t runs
parallel. in general way. with the
southern edge of the city Rats scamper
along the walking shelf. and perhaps
the bluecoats for a decade. Through the
very center of the town. running almost
north and south is another big line. East
and west are other tunnels, ranging from
twelve feet in width to eighteen. The
larger sewers, some of them follow down
hill slopes, are larger at their mouth
than at their source. but there is scarcely
a foot of them that any one cannot
traverse with absolute safety-with one
terrible exception which will be spoken
Of later.
The great sewage pumping station al
most directly south of the Capitol on
the river front, has leading into il a
great tube that would accommodate many
river that looms large on the map A
thug could spend many a day right un-
der the feet of the busy police who are
chasing hither and yon trying to find
him. While the bluecoats are looking
for him in one street his friends might
be lowering him a package of food and
drink through manhole in another.
street He could walk north to any of
the branches which feed this great CEN
trail vein and by simply keeping his head
could come out at almost any, point in
the city.
1t must not be supposed that the cor
ner sewers or catch basins form any
part of this intricate system of protec-
ton for the criminal. The manholes
spoken of are more or less inconspicuous
and are in the middle of the street as
d rule.
But there is one thing which every
worker in the sewer department fears
and it would catch a hiding criminal so
surely that he would scarcely have time
to shrek for the help which would never
reach him. 1t is the rain. AS surely as
the clean water from heaven washes the
dirt and dust from the face of the earth
so surely does the great sewer system
catch almost every drop Of it through
the catch basins and empty it by the
thousands of gallons into the main char