The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-04-02
UNDERGROUND PARIS.
a Graphic Account of It's Great
Sewer System.

system of drainage, and a visit to its
sewers is one of the rare sights of tho
great city. Not one traveller in a thou
sand makes this visit, partly for the rea-
son that the sights above ground are
numerous and interesting enough to
consume the time which most persons
have at their disposal, and partly be-
cause of the difficulties that environ the
subterranean journey. You must OBJ
tain permission from the proper author
tiles, and from ten to thirty days will
elapse after your request is sent before
the answer is received. If you ask for
tickets for party of eight you may re-
eeive them for two or three, rarely
more. How the reducing process will
be carried out in case of an application
for one ticket only / am unable to say.
Ordinarily the sewers are open to Wis
itors about twice a 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
declinatisn of his request
But supposing the request to be
granted, the visitor will be instructed to
present his ticket on designated morn
ing, near the Church of the Madeleine,
at the head of the Rue Royal, the spot
from which the start is usually made. or
he may be sent to the Place du Chatelet.
On the occasion of my first and only
/ visit to the sewers of Paris l asked for
nine tickets and received three; two
ii American friends accepted my invita-
re finr, fD ,,,a1ya hn anI hl1t
of them ''backed out'' Just as we were
descending the steps in the hole which
Z had been opened in the pavement at the
side OF the magnificent church / have
1 mentioned, so the proposed original
nine was reduced to two; evidently
b other groups had been similarly cut
down, as there was room enough and
n 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
1E of injury to their dresses, but it was very
eA soon apparent that nothing of the kline
was likely to happen. From beginning
to end of the journey the route PROVED
d to be as well kept as the best orderet
N sidewalk on the Boulevards or the
II SIttluJS ySCcSs b1cIC w It's lOb lilc ldlIlb
oH est odor of a disgreeable nature
d and there was nowhere a leah
l4 in the roof to sprinkle the trav
ID elcr from above. The sewers are care
fully flushed with clean water just befor
+ one of these show visits, though the au
"a thorities are unwilling to admit that thi
is the case. The high officials insist tina
t L the sewers are always in the condition
nj in which we found them, but the work
al men employed about the underground
NJ canais sometimes let out the facts, as the
are not so jealous of the honor of th
all name and fame of the model city. 1t
III difficult to understand the absurd clair
n of the officials, as no man in his sobe
senses would expect sewer to have tn
purity of a mountain brook or the waite
of midocean. Every visitor is agreeabl
disappointed at the admirable cleanlines
of the place and the absence of for
odors, but it is not easy to convince hiI
that it is always thus.
Near the foot of the long stairs we CT
ID tered screw or float upon a canal, an
were pushed and poled beneath avaulte
a arch, which was resonant with the soun
Ill of the wheels rolling overhead. We wei
directly beneath the Rue Royal, and,
we had been in doubt as to our localit,
there were several sign-boards, like thos
arN above ground, to tell where we were. III
Ia rumbling was like distant thunder, an
tn after few minutes it was not difficult
let distinguish light vehicles from heav
'tu ones. My companion remarked fac
Ell tiously that he thought he Gould tell
teH covered cab from an open ole, or I'll
to omnibus of one company from th;