From Pruned:

From one of the pages of Modern Mechanics and Invention, scanned and transcribed here by Modern Mechanix, we learn that “[o]ne of the oddest hobbies in the world is that of Dr. H. G. Dyar, international authority on moths and butterflies of the Smithsonian Institution, who has found health and recreation in digging an amazing series of tunnels beneath his Washington home.”

And he was quite the mole: digging and removing the dirt without the help of heavy machinery, “[a]lmost a quarter of a mile of tunnels has been completed, lined with concrete. The deepest passage, illustrated in the accompanying diagram, extends 32 feet down.”

In case you’re wondering: yes, Dr. H. G. Dyar is Geoff Manaugh‘s nom de plume. So watch out California, his tunneling activities will undoubtedly compromise the tectonic integrity of the San Andreas Fault.

It’s our thought that we’re going to need to encourage the hobbyists – if not, we may have to improvise uses of existing tunnels.