The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-26
HOW TO FIX A STREET.
In Paris They Make No Mess or Fuss
and Waste No Time.

New York Sun.
One OF the IN ost marked things In Europ-
can cities to the European traveller is the
frequent evidences Of the employment of
highly skilled labor upon work which would
be done by unskilled labor In this country.
A city official of Nov York said a short time
ago that it would be impossible to keep the
streets Of New York In state of cleanliness
and repair similar to the boulevards of Paris
because OF the expense, which the taxpay-
ers would not stand. And he went on to
say that, granting the taxpayers were will
Ing to stand the expense, the needed num-
Der OF skilled labOrers could not be found.
But in Paris such things can be done
quickly and skillfully, because a large force.
an indefinitely large force, of highly skilled
laborers may De hired for small sum.
The result is that even the humblest work
is done with an exercise of skill and Intel
llgeDce which amaZes an American. When
street or building is to be repaired great
force If trained laborers is gathered, the
materials for labor come with them and the
work goes forward swiftly, quietly, In an
orderly manner, with SO little muss and
fuss that passersby are hardly conscious
that anything is doing.
An American drinking a small bottle at
little table in front of the Cafe de la Paix
one day last summer saw an Illustration of
this. As he discovered later on, gas pipe
four or five feet below the level OF the as
phait, not far from the curbing, was in need
OF repair. Toward 10 O'clock man with
spade, hammer and a chisel appeared with
an assistant. who carried two great baskets.
The two laid down their tools, and one OF
them took from one of the baskets a rope
and a number of iron standards sharp az the
lower end. Quickly the men drove these
standards into the asphalt and stretched the
rope around them SO that q square space
eight feet by four was enclosed. The assist
ant took from the basket a big placard and
leaned it against one of the standards and
went away. The Dlacard was an announce
ment that the labOrers had permission to
take up the asphalt and repair gas pipe.
The other labOrer climbed over the rope
and marked out upon the asphalt square
six feet by two and a half. Following the
mark he chiseled through the asphalt and
when he had separated the piece inside the
mark be carefully lifted it out and laid it to
one side. Then be took his spade ard dug
up the gravel and other stuff that formed
the immediate foundation of the asphalt
This material he put into one of the baskets.
Then he attacked the earth underneath and
soon bad his hole dug to the required depth,
with the gaspipe exposed. All the dirt he
had taken from the hole was in the other
basket. II there had been fine carpet up
10 the edge of the hole on all sides. it would
have been only slightly sprinkled with soil
and not at all injured.
When he had done he gathered up his
tools and looked impatieDtiy up the street.
His face cleared at once and broke into
smile Of greeting as two laborers, armed
with tools and a basket, appeared. He left
them and went away. They were evidently
plumbers and understood their business, for
in almost no time at all the pipe was fixed
and the plumbers were standing outside the
rope looking about them. They did not
have long TO wait. The laborer who had
dug the hole reappeared, and they went
away. He proceeded with the greatest care
but very swiftly, to put back the earth and
TO ram IL down with q rammer he had
brought with him.
Just about the time he began to put back
the gravel. roller and engine appeared.
Another laborer climbed over the rope and
helped him with this last work, In which
hot tar was used. They layed back the
piece Of asphalt which had been cut out and
put aside. and filed in the crack. Then
they pulled up the stakes and threw them
into one basket and the placard into the
other, the roller passed over the place two
or three times, and then they all went away,
leaving no dirt no muss, and only square
line OF a slightly different color from the
rest Of the asphalt TO show that anything
had been done. The American who was
watching all this looked at his watch. 1t
was not quite II O'Clock. The WORK had
been done IN about two hours. The street
had not been blockaded. No great and un-
slightly piles of dirt had been thrown up,
the bOuses of the laborers were as clean
when they went away as when they came.
The street was as perfect as If it had n OF
haen distu