The temperature on the Lawn is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but underneath the University, in a network of tunnels 5.5 miles long, the thermometer displays temperatures of up to 130 degrees.
These are the steam tunnels that carry heat, steam and data wires to the University community.
Underneath the well-manicured lawns and gardens of the University, this is the scene of self-described "tunnelers," students who illegally sneak into the steam tunnels at night.
At the plant
The Heating Plant can be seen from the Corner, four white columnar silos rising up behind the Women's Center. The 14th Street bridge serves as the supplier of the necessary fuel for the heating and steam needs of the University.
Boiler supervisor Lealon Smith points out the hoppers where the coal gets dumped. He speaks in an excited voice as he describes the vast machinery of the plant, which churns away in the background, burning more and more fuel to provide energy to the University.
"During a winter day," Smith said, "we use about 80 tons of coal. During the summer when it's in the 80s, we use half of that."
The energy is captured and moved in compressors that can carry up to 370,000 pounds of steam at a pressure of 180 pounds per square inch per hour.
The steam and hot water go below the steam plant to the steam tunnels, serving most of the Charlottesville area.
The stairwell leading into the steam tunnels has a faint odor of what smells like fish.
Plumber-leadman Bruce Lovelace, who is in charge of the steam tunnels, said the smell is from the West Complex of the University Hospital's vivarium and morgue.
Into the dark
But the smell and even the threat of getting caught does not keep all students from illegally traversing the underground tunnels.
Charles, a student and steam tunneler who would not provide his last name, has been tunneling about five times. "It's something that is mysterious and illegal but doesn't do any harm," Charles said.
"It's putting yourself in danger. There's a little danger from whoever else is down there - not only people, but also little animals like mice and roaches. I've seen droppings in the tunnels."
Lovelace agreed that small critters may not be pleasant to intruders.
"We've got roaches down here. Certain places like over in Dillard-Gooch, we have a lot of big roaches," he said. There have been no extermination plans, according to Lovelace. "It's sort of hard to kill a bunch of roaches."
Another deterrent to intruders is potential legal action. According to University Police Captain Michael Coleman, people found trespassing in the steam tunnels may be charged with a Class I misdemeanor. The charge carries a $2,500 fine and the chance of up to a year in prison.
But the risks and bugs in the tunnels do not provide excitement for everyone.
Jessica Anderson, a fourth-year College student, traveled through the tunnels one time. "Some of my friends go down there to map the tunnels, but I thought it was pretty lame," Anderson said.
She said there are risks involved in tunneling, such as getting burned by the hot pipes, but that for all the hype, the tunnels were fairly monotonous.
"It was the same thing, just yards upon yards of dark tunnels, and pipes on each side."
Tunnel workers
Back at the center of the factory, Lovelace unlocks the gate into the tunnels and trudges down. Inside, the tunnel lights cast an eerie glow as the sounds of the central plant above grow softer and softer.
"It's much warmer up at O-Hill and up in Monroe Hill," Lovelace says. Upon leaving the plant the heat rises to the high points in the network of tunnels, and temperatures in those high elevation areas, according to Lovelace, can reach the 150-degree mark.
Suddenly, the narrow pathway sharply ascends. Lovelace gestures at the main pipe on the side and feels the insulation. The workers are repacking the insulation onto the pipes, and Lovelace gives the insulation a firm shake.
Lovelace says he's never seen an entire steam pipe erupt, or blow out, but he still has been fairly close to danger.
"I've seen steam stations go off where the relief goes out," he said. "I crawled down on my belly to close down the valve to shut it down, with about 125 pounds of steam blowing around."
According to Lovelace, the most dangerous time to be in a steam tunnel is when a shutdown is taking place. The need for maintenance sometimes requires that a steam station be taken down.
Lovelace says that this situation provides danger for anyone in the tunnel because leaks in pipes and valves may seem to be fixed satisfactorily. But when the station is started again, faulty pipes could surprise and injure someone.
A culture of tunnelers?
First-year College student Jason Love has been steam tunneling three times. He said that while there is not necessarily a culture of steam tunnelers, certain people are more likely than others to traverse the underground pipes.
"I don't think that there is a stereotypical steam tunneler," he said.
"People I go with are people that like to try new things. Some people say that they are freaks, but they're not."
Cynthia, an anonymous tunneler of five times, disagreed.
"There is a stereotypical steam tunneler," she said. "They are adventurous - not your Rugby Road type."
"To tell you truth, I don't think I know anyone who enjoys frat parties and also goes steam tunneling. I have a lot of friends in fraternities and sororities, but I just would not take them down there. I don't think they could appreciate it, because you need a weird type to go down there, someone who finds it invigorating. It's one of the dangerous things you can do but still be safe. There's nothing similar."
Charles believes tunnelers are motivated to descend below ground just to let off a little steam.
"It's a stress release," he said. "Everybody is intrigued by steam tunneling a little bit."
The University is not oblivious to the lure of steam tunneling. Lovelace said he knows there are intruders down in the tunnels from time to time, whether they are students or vagrants. Graffiti and debris lying around are the not-so-subtle clues left behind by the tunnelers.
"People come down here to drink too," Lovelace said. "I can think of better places to drink than here."
Anderson, however, said that the tunnels provide an alternative social outlet for some students.
"There's not too much of a night life in Charlottesville," she said. "There are bars and TV and that's it."
Lovelace said he thinks students descend into the steamy bowels of the University to find excitement. "It's just an adventure, he said. "We've all been young."
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