this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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(page 4) 26 comments
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Regardless of the truth, I prefer Diane Duane's explanation in the "So, You Want to Be a Wizard" novel, In that all of the steam in the subways are generated by a breed of fire worms. These worms, if left long enough, can grow to the size of a respectable and quite terrifying dragon.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There's C.H.U.D.s down there.... https://youtu.be/BJckCjZ8Tdw

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)
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[–] [email protected] 58 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

It's the ancient horrors beyond description, that are buried underneath the city, that are having indigestion.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Sewer mutants cooking up some grub.

[–] [email protected] 166 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It’s not steam. It’s smoke from wood fired pizza ovens for the turtle men that live there. There was a cartoon documentary about them on tv a few years back.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I never thought of them eating artisan pizzas. I always figured they’d get some shitty dominos.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

They wouldn’t do dominos they’d probably get a variation of Rays famous near them

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Ew, gross. They live in a sewer, but they're not animals.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

The tubes are there to raise minor steam leaks above street level so they don't hinder visibility.

Another interesting underground quirk we have is our pneumatic tube mail system.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There’s a lot of things under the streets of New York, many of them cause heat. In order to cool them off the heat is vented outside and the warm moist air meets with the cool dry air and condensates into droplets that we see as steam. Same affect as breathing out on a cold day, you’re not creating steam but it looks that way because the warm moist air from your breath is condensing in the cool dry air.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

Could you name one thing that would cause heat under streets? It's kinda hard to believe tbh

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 243 points 2 weeks ago (13 children)

Ooh. I know this one. Parts of NYC still use a steam heating system that was first designed in the late 1800's:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_steam_system

[–] [email protected] 101 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

The New York City steam system includes Con Edison's Steam Operations, a piped steam system which provides steam to large parts of Manhattan. Other smaller systems provide steam to New York University and Columbia University, and many individual buildings in New York City also have their own steam systems. The steam is used to heat and cool buildings and for cleaning and disinfecting. It is the largest such system in the world and has been in operation since 1882.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_steam_system

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Wow, that was quite a read, thanks. Amazing technology

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

Amazing for the 1800s

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