Paul St George writes:
Tim, I found the drawing of the island and the start of the tunnels.
The first thing to say is that it is not really called Notion Island. I have agreed with the Council that I will do everything I can to avoid a further run of treasure seekers and prospecters.
There are many other tunnels that emerge from the underground vault, but my great grandfather’s drawing shows where he started the tunnels that will soon emerge in Brooklyn and London.
One of his great innovations was the use of islands to release pressure from the tunnel. High underground pressure is one of the greatest causes of tunnel collapse and subterranean flooding. Alexander Stanhope copied this first accidental ventilation shaft and built a number of other islands in the Atlantic.
These islands are made from Asdug (this is the material that is removed to make the tunnel). The islands are hollow and contain ventilation shafts from the tunnels.
Sometimes, I am embarrassed to admit, the underground digging has led to volcanoes erupting through these islands. But this has helped to keep the islands unoccupied and so prying eyes are kept at a distance.
When we (I say we, but I mean my family) were going underground we found some interesting uses for the dug out spaces. On the way from Bristol to London we found loads of sandstone near Bath. We removed most of this sandstone, as it was very useful for repairing Cathedrals. Removing more than we needed created a timely opportunity.
For a while, during the war, Churchill had an alternative HQ in Wiltshire and he used our tunnel to travel from London to this safe place (I think that is why it is called an escarpment). Now, most of Wiltshire is actually on the first floor and the (under)ground floor is a huge Navy store.
When we removed the sandstone the workers would use their experience and knowledge to leave a pillar of stone here and there. When the Navy took over the space they replaced the strategically placed pillars with neat, equally spaced, orderly placed pillars. I hope Wiltshire does not collapse!
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