The tunnellers of Holzminden (with a side-issue) . g down to the basement floor. This was onthe right as you passed the threshold of the entrancedoor. On the left was the first flight of the staircaseleading up to the baggage rooms and orderlies the left of the steps down, and completely blockingup the underneath part of the first flight up, was apalisade of stout upright planks, each about six inchesacross, a further Boche precaution against undue com-munication with the cellars. Just as a dummy key to open the basement corridordoor had been completed, somebody had a brain-wavewhi
The tunnellers of Holzminden (with a side-issue) . g down to the basement floor. This was onthe right as you passed the threshold of the entrancedoor. On the left was the first flight of the staircaseleading up to the baggage rooms and orderlies the left of the steps down, and completely blockingup the underneath part of the first flight up, was apalisade of stout upright planks, each about six inchesacross, a further Boche precaution against undue com-munication with the cellars. Just as a dummy key to open the basement corridordoor had been completed, somebody had a brain-wavewhich enabled the whole idea of using the cellar passage ACCOMPLICES 73 at all to be dispensed with. It was conjectured (correctly,as it turned out) that behind these planks there mustbe some sort of square cellar or chamber not actually inuse by the Germans. Two sides of it would be boundeddirectly by the eastern and southern walls of theKaserne, the western side by the last cellar in the base-ment corridor (the potato cellar) and the northern side. Groundlevel ?^fl 2-S Cellar floor (concrete)Cellar used by Germans Packed earth Plank partition -^ Hah * pi! £ fe Door to ??§< B. A. Section, B. Ground-plan of staircase, chamber, and tunnel entrance. by the inside wall of the corridor itself. If this supposi-tion was correct, and if the place could be got at, itwould be an ideal spot both as a base of operations forthe tunnel and a receptacle for the excavated earth. Itwas decided therefore, by loosening one or more of theplanks and hingeing them so that they could be movedas required in and out of position, to arrange a make- 74 THE TUNNELLERS OF HOLZMINDEN shift but effective trap-door for the daily needs of theworking-party. The ceremony at the laying of the foundation stone—one should say, perhaps, removing the foundationplank—was not largely attended. For one thing, therewere at that time only about four people in the knowat all ; for another, a German sentry was sta
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