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Cities of the underworld

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  • #1

    Cities of the underworld

    Hey everyone,

    I have a question, I found this on this website.
    Page Not Found
    http://www.history.com/content/citiesoftheunderworld/strange-facts

    Its says that Jack could have escaped by the sewer system. Is this possible??
    I saw the episode myself and it is very interesting.

    Haunted Underground
    During the fall of 1888, the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper terrorized the East End of London. He killed and mutilated at least five prostitutes in the Whitechapel neighborhood, and after each murder he just seemed to vanish into the fog. Since all of the crime scenes were near subway stations, some people speculated that he escaped by slipping down into the tunnels when no one was watching. Steam grates on the surface of the street would have made it simple to jump into the train tunnels without ever passing through a crowded train station. (Indeed, in the middle of the Ripper's spree some passengers on the Tower Hill platform spotted a man with a knife walking through the far end of the tunnel.) Some people even think that Jack the Ripper was a police officer stationed inside the neighborhood's subway trains and stations. In that case, his uniform would have diverted suspicion while his knowledge of the tracks and timetables would have ensured a speedy getaway after each killing.



    yours truly
    Washington Irving:

    "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

    Stratford-on-Avon
    Tags: None
  • #2
    No one has anything to say about it???
    Washington Irving:

    "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

    Stratford-on-Avon

    Comment

    • #3
      Hi Corey,
      I saw the program the History aired on London underground tunnels.
      The portion of the show on Whitechapel was The host wading knee deep
      in sewage thru tunnels under Whitechapel. My first thought was Jack was insane but he wasn't crazy. I didn't save my recording but it has aired several times and should be on again.
      There was also a show on a few years ago about tunnels from Druitts office
      to Whitechapel.

      Tom

      Comment

      • #4
        Map

        I would love to see a map of the sewage tunnels for 1888, Then I could compare it to the street maps and see if any of the crime scenes were actually close to portals that led to the sewers.

        yours truly
        Washington Irving:

        "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

        Stratford-on-Avon

        Comment

        • #5
          I saw the show and have it on tape. Could Jack have escaped underground? Sure, anything's possible, if he wanted to risk accidental death in any number of ways. But I think the fact that the show also had a segment on Sweeney Todd and implied that they thought he was real shows that they were pretty much going for sensationalism.

          Comment

          • #6
            I thought I read once that the police had considered the sewer system generally inaccessible to the public and an unlikely escape route for Jack.

            Comment

            • #7
              Sewers

              I still would be cool to get an 1888 map of the sewers and compare them, no matter how unlikely it is. I know he couldnt have escaped to a sewer from mitre square becuase he fled through goulston st.

              yours truly
              Washington Irving:

              "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

              Stratford-on-Avon

              Comment

              • #8
                Corey,
                I have a book I bought a few years ago called "London under London" written by Richard Trench and Ellis Hillman. There is a large chapter on the sewer system tunnels as well as chapters on the underground tube system. There is information on where the tunnels are and when they were dug but not many diagrams. It might be worthwhile to find a copy if you have an interest.

                Tom

                Comment

                • #9
                  I truly doubt Jack ever escaped to any sewers but the idea adds to the mystery doesnt it?? I'd better stay away from that idea. I might check into that book sometime though.

                  yours truly
                  Washington Irving:

                  "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                  Stratford-on-Avon

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Its worth noting that at the time the Ripper murders were committed the Underground was actively expanding into the East End, I believe 2 stations in the East End open in 1888. That means workers from outside the area were commuting or relocating there to do their work.

                    I realize that many people believe Jack was a neighborhood man, but in my opinion he could easily have come from anywhere within a reasonable walk, and could have walked right back to his home away from the East End when he was done. Making his "miraculous escapes" far more mundane....it was only miraculous if he was dodging patrols and vigilantes to get to his East End lodging house with a pocket of organs.

                    Best regards

                    Comment

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