European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Nighttime magic fountains and fireworks on the world showcase Lagoon at Ditney world s Epcot Center. Magic underground kingdom Disney after dark by Greg Myre associated press t Ime the darkest part of the night. Place main Street u.s.a., Walt Disney world at Lake Buena Vista. A sighted activity Nota creature was stirring not even the mouse. But suddenly out of the dark and out of the ground a la be White Cloud gathers Baclit by the Majestic Spires of the magic kingdom. A refugee from the haunted House the Tiery after breath of Pete s dragon nope. It s a steam Cloud created by a Street cleaner a member of main Street s Midnight maintenance Crew and part of vast netherworld of nocturnal workers in an underground kingdom where Disney s biggest show never ends. Tha subterranean Lair of those who venture out Only during the bewitching hours consists of thousands o workers a Aniie and a Hall of tunnels and nine acres of catacombs and cubicles computers and costumes. This it Olidor system is the brains and brawn of the Disney operation where a human ant Colony labors round the clock out of the Public s View to preserve Disney s above ground fantasy. The underground system was a master stroke of practicality said Disney spokesman Rod Madden. But it also serves to maintain the illusion that no one is working Here that everyone is always having  but the fun the Public Seldom sees consists of preparing 100.000 meals a Day. Washing 17,000 uniforms cleaning 737 commodes emptying 604 trash cans and for Good measure dusting cobwebs irom the magic Castle and plucking Swan feathers irom the surrounding Lake. And those who Are part of Disney Aller dark tend to see the magic kingdom in a slightly dil Lerent Light than most. I can t stand crowds says Norman Robbins 50, who Heads the 20-person graveyard shift devoted exclusively to cleaning main Street. My Mother made me take her to see the rockette Here but i try to stay away from the Park when it s  this place is a mess at night Robbins said. It s prettiest in the morning when it s empty and clean and the Sun is just Starling to  and when Dawn Breaks and the show begins the underground Parade also kicks into High gear. On a recent Day Al one hectic Tunnel Crossroads. Or. Tiger was Busy dodging a Trio of maintenance workers rambling past on three wheeled bikes. A Golf cart loaded with show props vied Lor the right of Way with a dozen band members returning from a performance. In the costume room sewing machines clattered like Skeleton s Teeth As a brigade of seamstresses repaired old costumes and fashioned the new. Just outside two Young costumed workers one a girl in florescent Green. The other an Indiana Jones dress alike discussed rumours of Michael Jackson sightings at the Park. This place can be More a mystery than what s upstairs said Bette Buckley who described Hersell As an actress in the magic kingdom but in keeping with company policy would not say what role she plays. I be been at Disney 10 years and my friends and family Are still intrigued by what s Down Here. What i remember most is getting lost and just wandering around before they color coded the  about 1,000 of Disney world s employees work full time underground but several thousand others use the area. The Park employs 16,000-22,000 people depending on the season. Even the most mundane functions become showpieces with Disney s attention to detail and fondness for High technology. To so is collected at 17 Points throughout the magic Kindom and placed underground into circular 24-Inch, vacuum sealed pneumatic tubes that whisk garbage through the pipes at 60 Mph toward a Central compactor. There Are no garbage trucks just the Dull hum from the overhead tubes that line the corridors. Elsewhere the computer Center monitors thousands of Park activities from the 229 magic kingdom urinals that unfailingly flush at appropriate intervals without human assistance to the sophisticated audio animator pics where life like historical figures walk and talk. The system has t let us Down yet said computer systems manager John Kemp. The underground Domain has inspired such curiosity Over the years that Disney finally began offering limited backstage Tours last year to organized groups of 15 or More. It s a rather natural reaction especially irom adults to see All the shows and wonder How we do wednesday october 16, 1985 it says Paul Campbell who runs the tour program. The hours Are closely monitored by Disney officials no one under 16 is allowed. Guess Are Given i i tie room to roam and Many backstage areas Are off limits to photographers. There is a philosophy Here that what goes on behind the scenes is to be kept secret Campbell sad we agonized for quite a while Over whether to should let people backstage but we re pleased with the results. People just seem to to endlessly curious about  Okunev production Disney world visitors posing with Dreo finder and figment spaceship Forth sphere in background. The stars and stripes Page 13