The Architect of the Underground: The Sparks, Anvils, and Invisible Blueprints of Johnathan Cross (How Iron, Timber, and Intuition Built the Secret Network to Freedom)

It is well-known that brave conductors that walked through in the woods of darkness, however beneath the night flights lay an entirely different and unexplored part of the battle that was the physical infrastructure for escape. For human cargo to be smuggled through vigilant border patrols and bounty hunters, struggle for survival required more than luck; it demanded a specialized engineering.

The story of the architect of the underground you will enter the bustling blacksmith workshop of the 19th century to discover the amazing mechanical calculations behind the struggle:

·      It's the double-bottom wagon: how cross altered spatial perception to create an improvised sanctuary mobile enough to stand up to the physical force of bayonets, search rods and even bayonets.

·      Subterranean sanctuaries: the technology behind the rapid aging of masonry mortars as well as ball bearing pivot hinges that enabled multi-hundred pound stone walls to effortlessly with one click.

·      Hydro-engineered tunnels. The techniques used in civil engineering to create trapezoidal wood arches through the riverbank's saturated and unstable subsoils to create invisible paths right from the edge of the water directly into secure homes.

·      The philosophy of the covert artisan: a thorough look into the intellectual rigor and the strategic discipline of a master mechanic, whose benchmark of achievement was a complete unbroken silence.

With a wealth of structural insight as well as practical examples of historical cases as well as the famous history that is"the "anvil and broken chain" maker's marks, this book is an excellent guide to perseverance and applied knowledge.

It's a must read for those interested in history and engineers, as well as students and all who are impressed by the force of humanity's ingenuity used against oppression.