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D. J. Hende r-eon , that a 'tu nne], ran thr-ough a part of the Hill , and that he , Hr .
Hender-sonk had seen and be e n dov n into the vaults vhfch connected vfth t he tunnel .
Further
than this I could never get, as to t.he realit y of a passage_wy under any
part of Signa l
Hill.
In reference t o this tunne l i t may be of int erest to note bhab in t he summerof
1881, vhe n the r a i l way \018 8
first st.ar-ted , in their york of e s cavat ing at Fort
WilliplD, the wor kmen came across a part. of i r on dOOTf~ , and it wa s gene rally stated
by some t hat the p'l.ace where these doors were found was the ex i t of t.be subt.er -r-can
ea n passag e whi ch l ed from Fort Willia'll t o t he Bl ock Hou se .
or course all such
rumor \ISS lightly heeded , a nd like othe r- things, it soon passed ou t of t he public
mind . The vho'Ie story R.t best. rr.ay be but a myth ; but certain it is that much of
historic i nter e s t and much of r omance and daring is cov ered up in the df Iapddated
va~~lt~ and f oundat.Lon-i-rudne of Signal Hi l l . In t he days of i t s more I mperial
e mi nen ce it ve e much close r to the hear-t, of t.he Colonial office than it can
possibly be at the pr-esent, time ; and
there can be no doubt vhs tever- that the
Colonial r ecorda bear upon them SMe long l os t f'ac t s concerning this spot . ~"he re
t hese r e cords are may be diffic'li t
to dd.ecover-, but they muet. ce r -t.edn'ly lie hi dde n
in the archives of the C("'l~~:1al offi~ . ~ :,""",London ; and llke_ Shdl~ d.O~:D~~s.. t he y __ ~
may yet se e the light, and thus afford to the future historiRn such important data
as \li l l i ncrease the novelty And enhance the VAlue of bis vor-k ,
The stud y of such places SR Sienal Hi l l wil l a f f or d to a ny t.our-Lat, ~r et udent j
or autho r an abundance of l ore; which should not a I one pr ove of keen est int eres t t o
the r ea der, but should also cr-ea t e in the breast, of any IoyaI British subject the
deepest, feelings of patriotism. These old forts er-e to be found in almost a l l parts
of ne wfou nd land , and eve n aWAy North on the coast of labrador , and further on to
the e r f"at e xpanse of Hudso n Bay , t.he menonr-y of t.he old-time Britdsh so 'ldfer- may
be se en , end the SQ'T\r" hc'lds good 'thr-oughout. th... near-er- C..nadian pr-ovfncenj 1n all