The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-07-14

ancient Alamo building In San An
tonic has never been explored. 1t is
known that one branch OF the tunnel
runs south for at least two and half
miles, to the old Conception mission,
and that another branch extends
north from the Alamo to the ruins OF
the antiquated stone block house,
which stands in what Is now San
Pedro Park. 1t Is about two miles
from this block house to the Alamo.
The early accounts Of the string of
ancient missions which are situated
along the San Antonio River make
no reference to the system of tunnels
which was evidently constructed
about the time the buildings were
erected. 1t is evident that the exis-
tence Of these tunnels was not known
10 the early settlers. It is certain
that had the brave American defend
ers of the Alamo known that two
passageways led from beneath the
floor of the structure at the time they
were being hesieged by the forces Of
Santa Anna they might have escaped
the horrible massacre that befel them
at the hands of the Mexican horde.
When the American garrison OF the
Alamo were surrounded by the Mexi-
can troops they knew of no way Of
escaping the death that surely await
ed them. So well did the Franciscan
Fathers who built and inhabited these
missions keep the secret of the exis-
tence of the tunnels that this knowl-
edge did not even come to the early
Mexican settlers Of San Antonio. 1t
was not until about twenty years ago
that the discovery was made that a
tunnel led from the Alamo to the
Conception mission and then 1t was
quite by accident that the under
ground passage was found.
Louis Teborah was digging a we'll
at his home on South Presa street
when the picks Of the workmen
struck hard substance that proved
to be adobe plaster such as the Fran
ciscian Fathers taught the Indians Of
this section to make in the early days.
A few strokes Of pick made an open
ing in this concrete wall and cavern
was exposed to view. Toborah and
the laborers who were digging the
well descend1i into the opening and
found that it was not cave, as they
supposed, but was tunnel, with a
width Of about i've feet and height
of seven feet. The concrete layer of
two or three inches in thickness
formed the walls and arched roof
while the floor or bottom of the pas
eageway was of dirt. The tunnel was
explored by Teborah and others for
distances of several hundred yards
f. both directions. Further progress
was blocked by cave-ins which had oc-
Cured, filling the passages with dirt
and debris. One end of the explored
tunnel crossed under the San Antonio
River. In order to get q safe dis
tance under the bed of the stream
the tunnel was lowered several feet
at the crossing point, fights of stone
steps connecting the two levels. 1t
is thought that the tunnel runs in an
almost direct line between the block
house on the north to the Conception
mission on the south, by way Of the
Alamo, and if this theory is correct
the river crosses above it no less than
a dozen times.
The opening into the tunnel in the
Alamo is situated in one of the cells
of the monks. Centuries of disuse
have caused it to fill with debris, and
no effort has ever been made to clean
it out and conduct an exploration so
as known. The same condition
is true of the entrances beneath the
block house and at Conception mis-
sion. Since the discovery made by
Teborah the tunnel has been encoun-
tered at several other points on its
course. While eXcavating for the out
fall sewer that leads south out of the
city the tunnel was broken into and
considerable difficulty was expert
enced in building the brick sewer
across it. 1t not inirequently happens
that the tunnel is struck while eIca-
waiting for the foundations for houses.
1t is curious that no systematic ex-
ploration of this ancient relic of the
Franciscan Fathers has ever been at
tempted. 1t is believed that the tun-
mel does not stop at the Conception
mission. but that it extends all the
way to the San Francisco de la Eapa-
da mission, situated nine miles south
of San Antonio, connecting en- route
the San Jose and the San Juan mis-
sions. All these ancient structures
are built close TO the San Antonio
River, and are surrounded by little
villages OF Mexicans. These mission
buildings were erected nearly two
centuries ago and it is supposed that
the tunnel, which probably connects
all of them, was constructed about
the same time. The block house in
San Pedro Park was built at later
date, and it is considered likely that
the branch tunnel which leads to 1t
was built some time after the pas
sageway to tka missions was finished.
There is much speculation as to
the original object of the system of
tunnels. The Franciscan Fathers had
Iift1o m fanr from fho Indians Thov