The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-19

power OF any fanatic anarchist riding
through the subway to drop bombs of
sufficient potency to destroy not only
inc tunnel but also the royal palace
ana Its inmates above. 1t seems almoyt
like tempting Providence.
At Berlin the imperial box at the
Opera Is connected by means Of n SUBJ
terranean passage with tho Zeughaus,
or quarters Of the Main Guard whom
at all times a strong military force 10
on duty. Tho Kaiser Is thus able, if
no so wishes 1t. to reach his box at the
opera or to leave the Opera House
without being observed by those loiter-
ing about tho various entrances to the
great metropolitan temple Of lyric
drama. This is not without its advan-
tagcs. For although the Kaiser gets
on fairly well with the Berllners. among
whom socialism abounds. yet he cannot
forget that his grandfather. old Emperor
william. had TO flee for his life from tho
Berlin populacc in 1S4s, while in that
same year his grandunclc. King Fred
erick' William w.. was forced by a
Berlin mob to stand bareheaded on tho
balcony Of his palace while tho corpses
OF all those rioters who had been shot
down by his soldiers during the dis
turbances were borne past him to the
cemetery.
Emperor William Is by no means
the only SOVEREIGN who has tunnels of
this kind at his disposal. The late King
Leopold spent enormous sums IN SUBJ
terranean passages OF this kind, one
of them, equipped with rails, passed be-
meath the vast garden and grounds OF
his suburban residence at Laeken, con-
Meeting the palace with the nilroad
system OF Belgium. Thanks To this,
whenever nc wanted to leave for Paris
or other foreign parts unobserved he
merely stepped into an elevator situated
in his private Apartments at Laeken,
which carried him into the sub base
ment of the palace. where he would find
his private railroad car, with an electric
motor, in waiting.
As soon AS he was on board II glided
quietly off through tho tunnel to a
point where II Joined the main line and
where "A locomotive would be in waiting
to haul him to Paris, to Hamburg, to
the Riviera, or whatever other destina-
zion he wished. In this way he was
n able to leave not only his palace but
o even his dominlons without any one
= save few railroad officials being
f aware of the fact and his comings and
@ his goings were enveloped in such an
:, amount of privacy that his Ministers of
: state and the great dignitares Of the
d realm never knew with any degree OF
: certainty whether he was at I.aeken or
= abroad. 1t is not without interest to
s add that when Leopold first conceived
the idea of connecting his palace of
q Laeken with the belgian railroad sys-
IT TEN by means of n tunnel he sent over
It TO New York in order TO obtain a
v quantity OF designs and data concern
inN Int OH. Il.
It The house in the Rue de rElysee in
e Paris acquired by Mrs Henry Edwards
If Huntington from the estate of the late
It baron Hlrsch was connected in the
n days when it still belonged TO Count
e. Bacchiochi with the Palace of tho
e Elysee. just across the street, by u
a subterranean passage. Bacchiochi was
the confidential chamberlain of Napo-
10 leon Ill, and whenever the latter wished
Is 10 escape the prying ana Jealous eyes
&c or Empress Eugene and of the spies
/ py Whom MS enemies surrounded hint
u he would betako himself to the Elyseo
< Palace for the alleged purpose OF grant,
% ing audiences and transacting business
0, there with his Minister'S after which
" he would make his way through the
e underground passage to tho Bacchiochi
lie House, on the opposite side OF the Rue
II de lElysee. and would drive thence
J. in Bacchiochi's carriage to visit
the Confess de Casuglione, tho late
u Duchess of Litta and other of his fair
u friends. Meanwhile his own equipage
e would be waiting for him in the court
U yard OF the Elysee Palace, where he
!. was understood to be engaged in the
discussion OF affairs OF state.
| As for London, it rivals both Pari.
1 n
ranean mazes, with the difference that
they are largely of modern origin.
Three or four tiers Of underground
railroads, with their underground sta
tons and shops, as well as other huge
conduits. tunnels, sewers and subways
- of every description. honeycomb the
:, subsoil OF London to the depth of 100
> feet or more, and Parliament is being
- urged to devise some check for this
10 form OF enterprise. owing to the extent
II to which 1t is impairing the safety
4 Of the foundations OF the buildings
"a above. A goodly portion of the capital.
e indeed. seems threatened with SUBJ
"A sdence
If Oddly enough. IN spite of 60 MANY nj
these borrowings being of q modern
re character, no one seems to possess any
lie 1t would appear that they are, so to
g speak, uncharted. at any rate in their
l. entirety. AS an illustration thereof
J. 1t may be recalled that little over
h twenty years ago great amazement was
IS caused by the chance discovery that
r. gigantic and ancient metropolitan
g. sewer draining the great st. Georges
le Hospital. half a mile distant, passed
n right under Buckingham Palace within
p few feet OF the floors OF the cellars,
D and that It was so imperfectly con-
structed OF brick as to have impregnatod
- the subsol of this the sovereigns Lon
r, don residence with sewage.
e In digging deep foundations in the
d city. in London. the workmon arc con-
l. stantly bringing to light ancient tun-
D nels, some OF them dating from
n Roman times. and this recalls tha
% case OF the master plumber who.
finding the directors OF the Bank OF
r. England reluctant to sanction certain
J. subterranean work which he had