The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-06-04
Sewers Of PGriS.

An American travelling in Europe,
wrote thus to a Western journal:
To-day | have been jOurneying mn
der Paris, partly by rail, partly by boat
in the main sewer. | descended at the
Place du Chatelet, and came out the
Madeleine.
The Project of the Seine, on a writ
ten application, grants permits to such
as desire to make this nasty trip. For
it is nasty. Volumes have been writ
ten in praise Of the sewerage system
Of Paris, and great many words may
justly be said in its favor. The mile
and half of sewer through which j
passed is, in point of construction, a
grand work, and in point of cleanli-
ness is as clean as a sewer can be.
Nevertheless it is sewer. The air is
that of a sewer, and the fluid is that
of a sewer, and the long tunnels are
crammed with rheumatism, typhoid
and diphtheria.
TRAVELLING CONvENIENCEs.
The travelling cOnveniences are su-
periOr to many above ground. The
hand-cars for passengers are neatly
made and furnished with cane seats.
You may sit as in an Irish jaunting
ear, facing either side. Of the two
seats, one faces the front, the other the
rear. Each car or truck has four
lamps. The propelling power is man,
four to truck. They roll directly
over the sewer, the rails being laid on
either side. The walks are wide
fflr. TO al, oil.
Bars are slipped through sockets front
and rear of the truck. The sewer men
push the vehicle along after the fash
ion of sailors behind the capstan bars.
They hold about a dozen persons each,
and there are seemingly enough to
carry hundred passengers. The sew
ers are named after the streets under
which they pass. Starting from the
place du Chatelet, we turned the cor
ner into Rue Rivoli. Along this street
our human motive power started OH a
run, and did not slacken their pace un-
til we reached the Place de la Con-
corde. The sewer here equals good
sized mining ditch in dimensions, with
pretty rapid current. l cgnnot give
the depth of water. l had no ambi-
ton to take soundings. One investi-
eating passenger tried it with his cane,
but found no bottom. After that
was afraid of his cane. The air through
out averaged good strong smell. The
men smoked the ladies held perfumed
handkerchiefs to their noses. Many
ladies visit the sewers. 1t is 4" the
thing" to do. Consequently they do
it. 1t is fashionable if it is nasty.
SEWER GoNDOLAs.
At the Place de la Concorde we left
the cars and took the gOndolas. The
sewer and stream are here much wider
Each gendOla will hold about twenty
persons There were four or five of
them.
The descent at the Place du Chatelet
is through a large diamond trap-door,
like those used on the stage. Some
forty or fifty visitors awaited the hour
marked on our cards, that being a
quarter past ?. Fourteen Chinese
dignitaries. in blue silk robes, preced-
ed us. They were evidently high-cast
Mongolians. They were brought to
the hole in a luxurious carriage, and
attended by European footmen in liv-
cry. Their arrival created quite
hutter on the square. 1t caused a
great deal of bowling, scraping, and
running TO and fro on the part of the
sewer officials. At last the favored
Cinnamon were gotten safely under
ground. The mongrel crowd of Eu-
ropeans then pressed forward, But
not yet. Five Orientals. all in turbans
and fiuttering white robes, succeeded
the Celestials, and were passed down
among the dead men. After which
Americans, Englishmen, Germans,
Russians and French humbly Joined