The incident, in which supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C., on June 6 and flooded Capitol Hill, forced members of Congress to evacuate through an underground tunnel, has accidentally exposed the underground labyrinth on Capitol Hill and made outsiders want to find out what’s going on.
According to the U.S. military news website “The War Zone” (The War Zone) reported that the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives held a joint session on the 6th of this month to certify the electoral votes, and the incident of the influx of Sichuan fans into the Capitol Hill, so that members of Congress had to evacuate from the underground passages, triggered the curiosity of the outside world about the underground tunnels of the Capitol Hill. In fact, legislators and staff members use these underground tunnels every day in order to travel between several buildings adjacent to Capitol Hill.
The Capitol Hill underground maze consists of at least 19 tunnels, some of which even include subways. The first tunnel stretching directly from Capitol Hill was opened in 1800 and was rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century after being burned by the British during the War of 1812. These first tunnels, dug during the American Civil War (1861-1865), were primarily used for ventilation, and the first electric tracks were erected in 1898 to connect to the adjacent Library of Congress for the transmission of paperwork. But this system is no longer in operation today.
The first underground passageways for human traffic under the Capitol were connected to the Cannon House Office Building and the Russell Senate Office Building, completed in 1908 and 1909 respectively. These buildings still house the offices of members of Congress.
The underground passageways of Capitol Hill have been cut, enlarged, and improved over time. Today, the passageway between the Capitol Hill and the “Old House Building” has developed into a small underground city, with shoe repair shops, post offices, credit unions, cafeterias, and more along the way, and the walls of the tunnel are decorated with the artwork of students from all over the United States.
The tunnel between Capitol Hill and the Russell Senate Office Building took shape when it was first cut, and from being used only for Studebaker vintage cars, it has evolved into today’s light rail, and the entire subway system has gradually expanded, with many branches leading to different buildings in the vicinity.
Senate Republican Leader McConnell (pictured) rides the Capitol Hill underground trolley.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin (pictured) talks on the phone while walking through the underground.
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