The Republican., 1893-01-26
HOW TO TEAR UP A STREET.
In Paris They Make No Mess or Fuss and
Waste No Time.

| In Paris They Make No Mess or Fuss and
Waste No Time.
| One of the most marked things in
European cities to the American
traveller is the frequent evidence of the
employment of highly skilled labor
upon work whic h would be done by un-
skilled labor in this country. A city
official of New Y ork said short time
ago it would be impossible to keep the
streets of New Y orl1 in state of clean
illness and repair similar to the boule-
wards of Paris bee ause of the expense,
| which the taxpay yers would not stand
| And he went on to say that, granting
the taxpayers were willing to stand the
! expense, the needed number of skilled
laborers could not be found.
But in Paris such things can be done
quickly and skillfully, because large
highly skilled labor ers may be hired
for small sum. The result is that
even the humblest work is done with
an exercise of skill and intelligence
which amaZes an American. When a
street or buildin g is to be repaired a
great force of 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 pass
ers-by are hardly conscious that any
thing is doing.
An American drinking small bottle
at little table in front of the Cafe de
la Paix one day last SUNNI er saw an IL
lustration of this. As he discovered
later on a gas pipe four or five feet be-
low the level of the asphalt, not far
from the curbing, was in need of re-
pair. Toward 10 o'clock man with a
spade, a ham mer, 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 stand ards sharp at the lower
end. Quickly the men drove these
standards into the asphalt and stretched
the rope around them so that a square
space eight feet by four was inclosed.
The assista mt took from the basket
big placard and leaned it against one of
the standards and went away The
laborers had permission to take up the
asphalt and repair gas pipe.
The other laborer climbed over the
rope and marke d out upon the asphalt
a square six feet by two and half
Following this mark he chiselled
through the asphalt, and when he had
separated the piece inside the mark he
carefully lifted it out and laid it to one
side. Then he took his spade and dug
up the gravel nd other stuff that
formed the immediate foundation of
the asphalt. This material he put into
one of the basl1 cts. Then he attacked
the earth underneath and soon had his
hole dug o the required depth with the
gas pipe exposed. All the dirt he had
taken from the hole was in the other
basket. If there had been fine carpet
up to the edge of the hole on all sides it
would have bee only slightly sprin-
killed. with soil and not at all injured.
When he had done he gathered up his
tools and looked impatiently up the
street His face cleared at once and
broke into smile of greeting as two
laborers, armed with tools and basket,
appeared. He left them and went away.
They were evid emily plumbers and un-
derstood their businesss. For in almost
no time at all the pipe was fixed and
the plumbers were standing outside the
rope look ng about tn EN-. 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 it down with
a rammer he had brought with him.
just about the time he began to put
back the gravel a roller and engine ap-
peared. Another laborer climbed over
the rope and helped him with this last
work, in which h OF tar was used They
laid back the piece of asphalt which
had been cut out and put aside, and
filled in the crack. Then they pulled
up the stakes and threw them into one
basket and the placard in to the other,
the roller passed ov er the place two or
three times and then they all went
away leaving no dirt, no muss, and
only square line of slightly different
color from the rest of the asphalt to
show that anything had been done.
The American who was watching all
this look ed at his watch. 1t was not
quite 12 o'clock. The work had been
done in about two hours The street
had not been blockaded. No great and
unsightly piles of dirt had been thrown
up, the blouses of the laborers were as
clean when they went away as when
they came. The street was as perfect
as if it had not been disturbed. IN. Y.
Sun.