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HEAT TUNNELS
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE A&M PHYSICAL PLANT
(Above): A map of the Texas A&M University heat tunnels beneath the campus which connect most
of the buildings on main campus. The tunnels have been closed due to the presence of asbestos
and the dangerous levels of heat that can occur in the tunnels.
vision
Students explore A&M's steam tunnels
BY CHRIS CARTER
The Battalion
U nder students’ feet lies a world tangled
in history, controversy and mystery. It
is a place that has bellowed the tales of
Texas A&M for more than 60 years, yet many
current students are unaware of its existence.
Set only 10 feet below the surface, several
miles of tunnels large enough to walk through
have rested for more than half a century.
Commonly referred to as the “steam tun
nels,” they have been closed to students for
more than two decades, but have never ceased
to entice the daring who make attempts to enter
the chambers.
Today these tunnels are crowded with
telecommunications cables, heating pipes and
volumes of whispered lore passed dow n be
tween walls 5 feet apart.
The steam tunnels run between many of the
older buildings on the main part of campus. From
the Academic Building to the Memorial Student
Center to the Administration Building and many
buildings in between, the steam tunnels fonn an
underground vascular system of A&M.
For many who find themselves exploring the
veins of A&M, it is merely the challenge of stak
ing a daring escapade through “OF Army” that
draws them to passageways.
For others, it is the stories of those who have
gone before and told of the miles of graffiti-
filled walls and secret rooms oi'old signs from
Corps of Cadets outfits. But for all it is a dan
gerous trip that could have health-threatening
consequences.
Cecil Smith, master utilities plumber for the
Physical Plant, said the steam tunnels were
closed to students due to heavy concentrations
of asbestos (a carcinogenic substance once used
to fire proof buildings) which were found in
sections of tunnel.
One senior finance major, w ho wanks to remain
anonymous, found himself in a dangerous situa
tion when he and his friends took a stroll down
these corridors one night his sophomore year.
"After a walking around for a while, we
came upon a place that got pretty hot so we were
going to take a breath of air through one of the
manholes,” he said. “When the first person
opened the cover, a police officer was waiting
for us and told us to all come out.
“I was at the bottom of the ladder in the tun
nel, so I naturally ran and found myself lost in
the tunnels for two hours before I could finally
gel out.”
All of the older dorms on campus, including
all of those on the Northside and Southside
Quadrangles, have direct access to the steam
tunnels. Though it has always been against
school regulations, it seems the restrictions
have only made entering the tunnels more ap
pealing to resident delinquents.
According to several former students wTo
were members of the corps who wished to re
main anonymous, when A&M was an all-male
military school several dorms began having
trouble with other dorms playing pranks on
them via the steam tunnels.
The solution to this problem was obvious to
the cadets: have someone live under the dorm
and guard it from further attacks. Responding
to the outfits who inhabited a member in the
tunnels, or “moles,” most of the other outfits put
moles in the tunnels as well.
At this point the purpose of the mole was not
only to protect his dorm hut to become proac
tive in the pranking process. It is said that moles
only came out during the darkness of night and
were masters of practical jokes.
Having only a desire to roam the steam tun
nels is no longer a worthy excuse to descend be
low campus civilization. For those who dare to
venture there, a much more definite fate looms
ahead.
Aside from exposure to the carcinogenic
properties of asbestos in the tunnels, Smith said
there is danger in the amount of heat generated
and many exits are locked, making escape in
See Tunnels on Page 4.
Page 3
•ICE.
HOICE
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to come out with you
be 2 informationalsh-
The informational n
-
TALION
n, Editor in Chief
imaging Editor
ommunity Editor
mpus Editor
;ielife Editor
\ggiclifc Editor
Opinion Editor
don Editor
News Editor
rts Editor
Uidio Producer
Ccb Master
Graphics Editor
aphics Editor
Editor
litor
ce and 7echnology Edi ,or
1726) is published daily, Monday
spring semesters and Monday ^
r session (except University holiday
A University. Periodicals Postal ^
POSTMASTER: Send address ci^
cDonald Building, Texas A&M UW'•
111.
partmentis M
ision of Student Media, a ^ c '
lews offices are in 013 ,
i: 845-3313; Fax: 845-2647; W
/eb site: http://battalion.tamu.s4 11
idvertising does not imply sponsor*
n. For campus, local, and nation 1 .
: or classified advertising, call
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Student Services Fee entitles
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ir and $17.50 for the summer 10 '!
r, or American Express, call 845-
Business Career Fair
2000
Linking me^esen^p Future
February 8 th - 10 th • Wehner
Visit our website
Wehner.tamu.edu/bsc
Tuesday, February 8
ABB Inc.
AIM Funds
Arthur Anderson LLP
Auto One Acceptance Corporation
Bed Bath & Beyond
Broad Vision Inc.
Career Center
Chase Bank of Texas
Ciber
Cintas Corporation
Container Store, The
Crane's Stationers
Enron
Entercon International
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery
Ernst & Young L.L.P.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Reserve Bank - Houston
Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.
Frito-Lay, Inc.
General Mills
Glazer's Distributors
Guaranty Bank
Halliburton
Harley Davidson
Hastings Entertainment Inc.
HEB Grocery Company
Hershey Foods
Hewitt Associates
Home Depot
IKON Office Solutions
IMG Financial Group
J.D. Edwards
JCPenney Co.
KPMG L.L.P.
Kurt Salmon Associates
McLane Company, Inc.
Mervyns California
National Instruments
Neiman Marcus
Northwestern Mutual Life
Norwest Financial
Office Depot
OLDE Discount Corporation
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, L.L.P.
Randalls/Tom Thumb
Royce Homes
Ryan & Company
Sam's Club
Sears Roebuck and Co.
TEK Systems
United States Gypsum Co. (USG)
USAA
VarTec Telecom, Inc.
Walgreen Co.
Wallace Computer Services
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
she says,
"I’d Calf my
friends back
home to
invite
them to
a wine
party at
my new
oportment
he says,
"I’a call
the guys
from this
wine party
to brin
f |
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