It was a cold one this year.
New Babbage had not seen snowfall like this for a good number of years, heavy snow, day in, day out and the snow ploughs was having a hard time keeping the tram line and roads clear, infact they was having such a hard time the city municipal secretary sent out a tender for help, and the sandhogs came out of their usual month-long holiday to help out.
Mornington decided to take advantage of the Sandhogs being up and about in the city by hiring a handfull of them to do what they are good at, digging.
The cellar under Brunel Hall was needed an extension out towards where the pool and sauna was, so a small group of 3, recommended by Mr Biggins himself, set to work on digging from the floor of the sauna down…and then it happened.
A massive crash as the bore drill fell out of its cradle and dropped straight down into a massive void…
The Sandhogs peered down the borehole into the black void below
“Was drilling fer a good 3 minute afore she dropped…”
“That makes it a gud 3 tae 4 foot ‘o rock drilled through…”
“Drill took a good couple secunds tae fall..which means…”
“uhhhhh… MR MORNINGTOOOOON!”
Mornington ran into the sauna and seen the three sandhogs peering down a drill-less borehole…
“What happened fellas? Drill hit some sand or something?”
“uhhhh not quite…”
One of the sandhogs took a wax candle lantern, lit it, closed the glass and lowered it down into the void below, all the sandhogs and now Mornington peered into the dimly lit gloom…and then one of the sandhogs noticed something odd…
“Is that… a wine barrel?!”
“You know what Mr Thompson… I believe it is!”
Mornington then asked the sandhogs to head down to the existing cellar, and knock the side wall out to dig through under the pool, if his hunch was right, the cavern at the far side of the hotel may well be the old cellar of the original Crumb Manor…and if the original cellar was found, then the original joining tunnel to the graveyard crypt, and the tunnel leading to the storage caves could be dug out as well…
Ha, so you found a bunch of old wine. So you’re going to be making salad dressing? It doesn’t sound nearly as good as my 100 year old whiskey barrels.
–Checks his underground maps going west out of Clockhaven–