The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-28
HE DIGS TUNNELS F0R INVESTMENT . VAV IA4T1O01>AvAAAA A
 AS OTHERS PLAY
But Washington Mans Hobby Caused Lot Of
 Excitement

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.--Mankind likes to dig, personally or by proxy. Maybe psychologists explain the burrow- ing instinct as a throw-back to care dwelling days when the only human habitations were holes in the earth. Be that as it may, few boys of the pres ent age-real boys, that is-escape the cave digging fever. As they grow up most of them find other ways of work ing off their surplus energy and turn the exacting job oxer to the other fellow. But once in a long while there's a man in whom enough of the boy re- mains to keep him digging for the fun of it-the exercise and the smell of the freshly turned earth. Harrison G. Dyar, an entomologist in the Smithson- ian institution at Washington, is that kind of man. A scientist in his work ing hours, his mind filled with the names and pedigrees of the thousand and one varieties of bugs that help or harm humanity, he is a tunnel digger by way of a hobby. He digs caves and labyrinthine passages connecting them, while his associates get their recrea- tion in golf and other top-of- -the-ground diversions.
 Stirred Government Police
 For years Mir. Dyar followed his sub terrenean bent without thought that some day it would set the wheels of the Washington police and government secret service machines to running. Yet that is just what happened and here's how it came about.
 The entomologist in 1915 moved to California. The entrance to his back yard tunnel system was sealed by the | hn 1oc iv nh a nf By and by he returned to the capital, but not to the same house. Then, not long ago, part of his old home place was acquired by building company that started excavating a basement for new apartment house. The workmen, of course. found the tunnels. The po- lice heard of it, speculation started as | to the origin and purpose of the dig gings, the secret service department was called in and pretty soon the mystery assumed first class proportions. German spies, counterfeiters, bootleg gers-in one quarter or another they all got credit for the job. The Germans wanted secret meeting place to dis cuss war plans and sort over the in- formation collected through their es- pionage system in America. Counter feiters planned to use the underground chambers in a quiet and respectable residence district as a mint from which to flood the country with spurious coins and currency. Bootleggers planned to extend the tunnels to every part of Washington so they could deliver illicit liquor wherever and whenever they might choose without annoyance from inQuisitive prohibition enforcement agents.
 And Then the Truth
 These and other theories were ad yanced by those who viewed the maze of passageways, and the town was all excited. Press associations sent the story out to newspapers and the whole country got mildly ''het up.'
 That went on for couple of days and then somebody remembered that Mir. Dyar used to live there and thought it might be well to ask him if he knew anything about the find. He was asked and he knew.
 No mystery about it at all, he said, with chuckle. II did it every bit my self just for exercise and to amuse my little son, who has since grown up and married. Digging tunnels after the days work in the laboratory is my hobby. I have done it for years. worked ten years off and on digging those just uncovered"
 While the discussion and theorizing was at full heat word got out that the tunnels extended under streets and al- leys, linking up the Dyar property with others, but MT. Dyar declared he limited his operations strictly to his own back yard and an adjoining lot he owned. And the excavator's steam