3,698 Comments Posted by Motts

I would love to see more for sure, but I don't think it's possible do it all at once. There are other tunnel networks that few know about, and it's tough to say how large the system really is... might take a few months or years of trips just to explore most of it!

Nope, no theater. It was dismantled by police when they raided it in 2004, and is located over 3 miles from where we were exploring.

I believe the wells were drilled to test the composition and integrity of the subsoil/rock. There's actually a "Mineralogy Office" (Le Cabinet, built in 1888) located in this network, which has a staircase-like structure built to display the various core samples.
http://www.28dayslater...r-2010-part-2.t54141

Yes security in the official catacombs has increased, due to either vandalism or theft of bones.

This part of the network is a lawless territory - you sneak in through a hole in the ground. What you do or take down here is up to yourself.

Yup - complete, absolute darkness without a flashlight. An experience difficult to actually experience outside of a cave or tunnel.

It was easy to breathe, except in the ossuary, where the air was very stale and probably full of mold spores.

Yes, a good map is a must... you can't rely on strings, spray painted arrows or bread crumbs through miles of tunnel. I was using one that had been built up of older versions since the 1980s, refined and computerized in the 2000s; it was very precise. Even with this, I found it pretty easy to get turned around!

People do get lost, and need to be rescued, although most have the common sense to acquire a decent map or mark their way out.

There are no lights down here; turning off your flashlight, you are plunged into absolute darkness. It's not like a dark room or a moonless night - it's a weird feeling in that you cannot see any hint of a perceptible shadow, not even your hand directly in front of your face. The thought of being lost without a light down here, like what happened to Philibert Aspairt, makes me shudder.

I would guess that the quarry worker found a nicely sized area of gypsum to mine, creating these "caverns" as opposed to narrow tunnels. Typically, they left un-excavated pillars of material to support the weight of the roof under such a large expanse, which the inspectors checked and bolstered where needed.

As the inspectors and their team worked down here, I'm sure these areas were used for breaks, eating, etc.

I believe many of these quarry caverns were refined by the IGC (the inspectors) and their team of stone masons, architects, and excavators as inspection galleries - places that would be routinely checked upon to ensure foundations were not being compromised. Perhaps they spent days or weeks down here working, and built amenities such as these for a better work place (it is rare to find a spot to sit down in the tunnels to rest or grab a bite to eat - they're narrow, very wet and muddy). Seats, walls, and staircases were constructed with a flourish of skill; this was their trade after all.

As far as the cataphile works (the golem, lantern room, movie theater), why not? It creates a venerable amusement park, lawless and secretive, that one with access can not only visit but help construct.

People stay down here for days on end... it's a pretty great way to isolate yourself from technology, work, etc.

I think original graffiti can be really great. Effort, style, and context are a few the things I enjoy in any kind of art.

Yes I thought about DNA too, and I suppose you could still extract bone marrow, but you'd need to compare the DNA to another sample from the person to determine their identity. These bodies are from anonymous mass graves, so it does seem an unlikely prospect.

Yes absolutely pitch black, every photo had to be lit with artificial light, and yes I used a Mag-lite for a fair number of these (I had a number of flashlights).

It roughly means "Course of the Aqueduct;" perhaps the name of a street that once followed an ancient aqueduct from the Roman era.

Thanks Cathy! I haven't seen shower stalls like this one in Worcester, so I'm hoping this wasn't the "norm." Also I must note, upon discovering Herbert Gehr's photos for LIFE magazine ( http://opacity.us/site...htm#historic|tests_1 ) and the remnants of scientific devices I found in this basement, it seems possible to infer that various experiments were being performed down here. Who then can really say what these stalls were intended for...

Thanks! Yes usually people aren't allowed inside these kinds of shuttered places due to liability reasons, but the former patient cemeteries of state institutions are sometimes open to the public... some locations require permission to be obtained to enter the hospital grounds.