Arizona silver belt., 1886-09-18

A Graphic Account OF It's Great
Sewer System.

sand makes TINS Visit, partly Tor tie rca,
son that the sights above ground arc
numerous and interesting enough to
consume the time which most persons
have ut their disposal, and partly be-
cause Of the difficulties that environ the
subterranoan journey, You must OBJ.
tain permission from the proper author
tiles, and from ten to thirty days win
clapSC after YOUR request is sent before
the answer is received. Ii you ask for
tickets for q party Of eight You may re-
Oeive them for two or three, rarely
more. How the reducing process will
be carried out in case Of an application
for one ticket oEly | am unable to say
Ordinarily the sewers are open to Wis
itorS about twice month during SUM
mer and not at all in winter, and as
only limited number of visitors can
be accommodated, the applicant must
be prepared to receive polite but firm
declination of his request
But surprising the request TO be
granted, the visitor will be instructed to
present his ticket ON designated morn
ing, near tho Church uf the Madeleine,
at the head Of the Rue ROYAL, the spot
from which the start IL usually made, OF
he may be sent TO the Place du Chatelet.
On the occasion of my first and only
visit TO the sewers of Paris / asked for
nine tickets and received three; two
American friends accepted my invita-
ton to make the journey, and but ono
OF them '.hacked out just us we were
descending the steps in the hole which
had been opened in the pavement at the
side Of the magnificent church | have
mentioned, so the proposed original
nine was reduced to two; evidently
other groups had becn similarly cut
down, Is there was room enough and
to spare for the fifty or more that COM
posed the actual party ON that day. The
stairway was narrow, but perfectly
clean; there were several ladies in the
party, and some of them expressed fears
of injury 10 their dresses, but Il was very
soon apparent that nothing Of the kind
was likely to happen From beginning
to end OF the journey the route proved
10 be Us well kept us the best ordered
sidewalk on the BouleYartls or the
Champs Elysees there was not the faint
est odor Of disgrecable nature,
and there WAS nowhere leak
in the roof to sprinkle the tFay-
eler from above. Tho sewers are care
fully flushed with clean water just before
one Of these show visits, though tho au-
thorities are unwilling 10 admit that this
is the case. The high officials insist that
the sewers are always In the condition
in which we found them. but the work
men employed about the underground
canals sometimes let out the facts as they
are nOl SO jealous Of the honor Of the
name and fame Of the model cts. II Is
difficult TO understand the absurd claim
of the officials, as no man in his sober
senses would expect sewer 20 have the
purity of a mountain brook or the water
OK midocean Every visitor Is agreeabIy
disappointed at thn admirable cleanliness
of the place and the absence Of foul
odors, but II Is not easy to convince him
that ii is always Tins
Near the foot ofthe long stairs we en-
tered screw or floaS upon canal aud
were pushed and poled beneath ayaulted
arch, which was Resonant with The sound
OF the wheels rolling overhead. We were
directly beneath The Rue Royal, and. II
we had been in doubt as to our locality,
there were several sign-b0artis, like those
above ground, tellwhercwe were The
rnmbling was like distant thunder, and
after 3 few minutes il was not difficult to
distinguish light vehicles from heavy
ones. My companion remarked ftcG-
tiously that he thought he could tel
covered cabfrom an open one, OF the
omnibus Of one company from that
of another. The rumbling was inees-
SAINT, and continued All the way from
the Place do Ia Madeleine 20 the Place
de la Cogcorie, where the seows for
there were two or three of them came
10 . halt There was u sidewalk six or
eight feet wide along the canal We
landed at the corner of the Rue de
Rivoli, as Indicated by the slgnboaFds,
and were directed into narrower
archway leading Along this last-named
street. All the way from orr point Of
departure the route of the scow was
lighted with gas-jets suspended from
the Top of the arch or projecting from
tbs walls, and the lights continued down
toward the banks Of the Seine until lost
in She distance. The arch we entered
from our landing-place was considerably
narrower. lesshigh than the one We had
left, and the canal under the Rue Dc
Riyoli had q width Of not more than
four feet We wondered how q boat
could navigate this narrow passage, but
we did not wonder long, as, moment
after stepping ashore, we met a party
emerging from the narrow passage
and found they were visitors like our
selves. They had come from the Place
du Chatelet, and were to embark on the
scowg we had Just left When there II
a rush Of visitors the movement of two
parties is timed 50 that they will meet
at this point; but whom the applications
are few and there Il only one party it
starts from the Madeleine,
The sewer we entered had a walk
about three feet wide on each side Of the
canal or ditch III It's center and at tho
very edges Of the ditch there were iron
rails Of q liliiputian character. A long
string Of little cars, each made 10 hold
four persons, stood on these rails and
above the ditch, and into these cars we
We're uifeCtbQ 70 eHiefs Nv u close
squeeze for q traveller with long legs, as
the vehicles were evidently planned by
men Of less than thcayeragc height, but
with exaggerated notions Of their own
consequence In the world, Several Of
us had hard time crowding into the
limits Of these contracted cars but enter
them we did, and tile signal To start was
given. Each chr was propelled hy two
men, who walked on opposite sides o.
the ditch and pushed upon handles pro
tecting from the side Of the vehicle
Part 81 the way they went 1T a walk, but
for the greatey part of the distance their
pace wis qUnkened into mild trot
They remUdcd me Of the iinrickisha