New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-05-12
THE GI TIA PERCHA MAN.
A WORKMAN WHOSE HANDS MUST BE
WHITE. SOFT AND SUPPLE.
from The London Mail.

From The London Mail
The 'gutta percha man lives in little red
brown canvas tent in the streets of London.
Nearly always a braZier glows before the open
door Of his tiny abode
\ pan SINNERS continuously the fire. but
the contents OF the vessel are nedlhlc. They
look like silver when the 'gutta perCha man
dips his big spoon into the cauldron-
Many times during the day the "gutta pcrcha
man buTies himself in q hole dug in the middle
Of the street. He is protected by barrcaCcs. and
the traffic is diverted or stopped altogether at
share this prercgative with the "gutta percha
man.
The "gutta percha man" is amphiblous. He
is To toe met with in the Pacific or Atlantic. but
not frequently in Fleet-st The marine
species has a habit OF penetrating the water To
a great depth and fishin, up mysterious looking
objects from the floor of the
Although no reference to the "cutta percha
man" can be found in any dictionary of natural
history. he is interesting biped and well
pays a little study. His greatest popularity is
his hands, a great part of his life is passed in
washing them.
A little dust Crime the 'gutta percha
mans fingers might cut off all communication
between England and the seat of war. or it
might lead to the tearing up Of another London
street. The 'gutta percha man" has so
speak; thousands of pounds in his hands, al
though he himself is only a workman. with be
tween - and E., week.
The other day a representative of The Daily
Mail took the liberty of dropping in on
''gutta percha man who had erected his tenn
rorary home in the shadow of st. Pauls. The
! visit could not have been timed more oppor-
tunely. for the "gutta perCha man per-
forming sort of massage his hands with
an oiled cloth. warranted to remove every speck
of dust.
Sorry can't ask you to sit down. he said
+ politely pointing to the two-fo deal seat in
his cramped quarters. With the exception of
his unusually white and supple hands he was,
after all, an ordinary looking workman. dressed
in honest fustian and with shoulders that sug-
gested they had been bent by sitting in his
low cenged hut and creeping into narrow
holes.
1T is quite true he added that have to
keep my hands scrupulouSly clean and very
soft. When join: has to he made in the under
ground cables ii is my duty To make il. The
wires are. of course, insulated with gutta percha.
I If while making joint | should soil the gutta
/ percha with my hands leakage would occur
! the wires working again and
the streets would have to be pulled up once
more and the work begun all over again. What
/ that would cost in money and the interruption
of traffic you well imagine
BY this time he had completed his massage
I and gently drawing through his fingers
yards of what looked like inch ribbon of a red
Another reason for keeping our hands in the
pink of condition. he further explained. lis
that it increases our delic2cy of touch. which
has to be fine that of professional piano
player"
Important ii is that the land species Of
'gutta percha man" should keep his hands
clean and supple, it is necessary that the marine
type should be even more careful A little dust