>>4010120 (pb)
>SECRET TUNNELS FOUND IN YBOR FLORIDA.
>https://www.foxnews.com/science/mysterious-tunnels-discovered-in-florida
MYSTERY SOLVED: These underground vaults in YBOR city Tampa were "humidors" for storing tobacco
Q doesn't call us "Gold Star Researchers" for nothing…
The mystery that local Tampa historians have been scratching their heads about for years took me all of 5 minutes to solve. As much as we hate GOOGLE for all their globalist fukkery and censorship on social media, Google Scholar, Google Books, and Google Patents are the historical equivalent of having the Liberty of Alexandra in ancient Egypt at your fingertips for FREE. And most of us take it for granted. As long as they exist, I will never be bored.
from Tobacco Leaf, vol 40, number 21, 1903, page 11
"The new factory is a substantial brick structure, 110 x 50 feet, and consists of three stories. It has been skillfully planned so as to eliminate any waste of space, and is the result of years of experience as well as a clear perception of the future exigencies of the business. One of the most important features of the new factory, and What is regarded as a departure from the stereotyped style of factory, is the manner in which the tobacco will be handled. An underground vault, or humidor, has been constructed, entirely separate from the factory, entrance to which is made by means of a short vestibule from the basement, and Which is secured from all accidents by iron doors at either end of the passage. This Vault is built entirely of Steel and cement, 25 x 30 feet, with a storage capacity of 1,000 bales. Here the tobacco is kept at an equable temperature, and the humidity of the vault is as satisfactory and as beneficial, if not more so, as in the best warehouses in Havana. Expert tobacco men who have examined the construction and Surroundings of this original departure are unanimous in their commendation of the idea, and it is Safe to say that in future it will be a feature of every new factory built in Tampa. Not alone in this matter is it a good idea, but it does away with the old manner of storing leaf in Cuba, paying an excessive storage, and importing in Small lots, and will materially reduce the cost of insurance, as the vault is absolutely fire and water proof. In the basement proper is plenty of room for storage of empty cases and the shipping of goods, as well as ample closet capacity for the cigars not ready to be shipped."
NOTE: This is not to say that these vaults were not connected to tunnels running to the port and may have had other uses at later times, but I think this was its original function as stated clearly in the article. This interpretation is supported by the video in the link above which shows large rooms underground with walls made of brick.
BTW, the secret to successful searching in these search engines is defining the timeframe using the custom selection option. For this search, I chose 1850-1940 timeframe.