Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-07-11
The GUTTA PERCHk MAN.
a workman of London Streets Whose
Hands Must BE White. Soft
and SuD2Ie.

4 Workman OF London ST fleets whose
Hands Must BE White. s.ft
and suDSle.
The 'sgutta 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, says the Mail of that
city.
A pan SINNERS continuously on the
fire, but the contents of the vessel
are inedible. They look like silver
when the 'gutta percha man" dips his
big spoon into the cauldron.
Many times during the day the gut
ia percha man. buries himself in Il
hole dug in the middle of the street.
He is protected by barricades, and the
traffic is diverted or stopped alto
gether at his coming. Only royalty
and the lord mayor share this prerog-
ative with the ''gutta percha man.
The ''gutta percha man" is amphlb-
ious. He is to be met with in the Pa
cific or Atlantic, but not so frequent
ly as in Fleet street. The marine spe-
cies has habit of penetrating the
water to! great depth and fishing
up Notwithstanding objects from
the floor of the sea.
Although no reference to the "gutta
percha man. can he found in any Glc-
tionary of natural history, he is an
interesting biped and well repays a
little study. His greatest popularity
is his hands. A great part of his life
is passed in washing them.
A little dust or CRIME on 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 s'gutta percha man" has,
so to speak, thousands of pounds in
his hands, although he himself is only
workman, with between SO and G 3
a week.
The other day a representative of
the Daily Mail took the liberty of drop
ping in on 'gutta percha man" who
had erected his temporary home in the
shadow of ST. PauIs. The visit could
not have been timed more opportune-
ly, for the ''gutta percha man was
performing a sort of massage on 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.
foot deal seat in his cramped quar-
tiers. With the exception of his un'
usually white and supple hands he
was. after all, an ordinary looking
workman, dressed in honest fustian,
and with shoulders that suggested
they had been bent by sitting in his
low-ceilnged hut and creeping into
narrow holes.
1T is quite true" he added, chat
l have to keep my hands scrupulously
clean and very soft. When joint has
to be made in the underground cables
it is my duty to make it. The wires
are, of course, insulated with gutta
percha. II while making joint 1
should soil the gutta percha with my
hands leakage would occur as soon
as the wires were 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 can we'll imagine"
BY this time he had completed his
massage and was gently drawing
through his fingers yards of what
color. 1t was really gutta percha.
another reason for keeping our
hands in the pink of condition. he
further explained. SIS that it increases
our delicacy Of touch, which has to be
as fine as that of professional piano
player"
Important as it is that the land spe-
cies of ''gutta percha man" should
keep his hands clean and supple, it is
necessary that the marine type should
he even more careful. \ little dust
from his fingers settling on the gutta
percha while making joint in a
submarine cable would involve the
sending out of another ship to dis
cover and repair the leakage. This
work might occupy months and in
volve an expenditure of thousands of
pounds.
Time was when the ''gutta percha
man" was more important person
age than he is now. He was trained
from youth to cultivate hands whose
whiteness and delicacy would have
aroused the envy of duchess. He re-
ceived a handsome salary, and had
men to wait upon him. Now. however,
his glory is dimmed and his wage d.
minished.
Employers find that there are now
more workmen with soft ana supple
hands than formerly.
Progress of Southern Industry.
Southern phosphate deposits are