The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28
COUNTLESS CAVERNS
UNDERMINE PARIS
Labyrinth Of Subterranean
Tunnels Invites Disaster
When Storm Comes.
CITY MANY LAYERS DEEP
Subway Works, in Contact
With Sewers. Blamed
for Upheavals.
Special Correspondence 10 Tnr SUI.

PARIS, June ls.-"Paris Is a gigantic
molehl. undermined In every direction
labyrinth OF railway tunnels. pipes and
buried cables When these are enlarged
or additions are made to them the sub
soil Is disturbed and trouble results. The
building of the new subway tunnel is
responsible"
VI. Delaney. Project OF the Seine, thus
explained the disaster OF few days ago
when. following two hours torrential
downpour Of rain. the earth on half a
dozen downtown corners OF the city
opened and literally swallowed whom
ever and whatever CHANGED to be near.
Between twenty and thirty persons lost
their lives. The exact number Is not
known. Near the Church of ST. Philippe
dc Roule. In the Rue du Faubourg st.
fionore, "A gaping hole thirty feet deep
! and iifty across was torn and a score OF
persons tumbled in. Some were rescued.
| In front of the Church of ST. Augustin.
near the spot where Duboiss graceful
| statue OF Joan Of Arc stands. appeared
IA great assure through which sank n
motor car, with It's driver and a woman
| passenger. Their litcless bodies were
| drawn out hours later.
| Wide gaps appeared also near the Care
| St. LaZare. where many American tour
lists daily leave The boat trains for their
| first view Of Paris; near the Printenps,
!
? Boulevard HauSsmann, and at other
familiar points in tho centre of Paris.
Sewer pipes burst, gas mains exploded,
| telephone and electric lighting services
! were put out of commission, travel on
! some OF the subway lines was interrupted
and the motor buses were forced TO make
long detours. Where there were not yawn-
! Ing chasms to avoid. lofty earthworks APP
| peared In the streets. recalling 10 students
I Of history the barricades thrown up dur
( ing the Commune.
Paris Sits on Volcano.
II was as IL part of Paris had been
nesting on the crater OF a smoulderng
volcano which without warning had
burst into life Yet. when the situation
comes to be analysed 1t Ia seen that there
have been WARNINGS In plenty. Although
the trouble occurred along the line OF
section of the subway now In course or
construction--to lead eventually from the
Opera to the Porte de st. Cloud. on the
Western boundary OF the clty-it Is scarce
Is fair to charge the disaster entirely to
present day engineers and builders. Al
least It is only just to consider the
| extraordinary conditions underlying Paris
the labyrinth OF subterranean passages
beneath the surface OF the capital.
The volcano was not the creation or
men OF the present generation. AS long
ago as the days OF ancient Rome men
were buirowing In the earth beneath the
soil OF the city and the galleries they
constructed, long unexplored and some
VI them now uncharted, are known to re-
main to this day.
The Paris newspapers are clamoring
now for the enactment or precautionary
measures 10 prevent recurrence OF the
recent disaster II while men are probing
in an effort to trace the uncertain foun-
datlons on which the city rests they are
! uJle to discover the exact extent OF the
underground area which shows signs OF
having been penetrated IN one epoch OF
another OF the worlds history the revela-
lions will be OF great interest as well AS
value.
, Subterranean Paris IL known to be
, many LAYERS deep. The passages and gal
, lcrles in which the ancient Romans quar-
ried rock to build the early day city
7 were transformed into catacombs by u
, later generation. Visitors nowadays. en-
tering at tho Barrier d'Enfer or Gate "a
lis: which every one agrees Is q
peculiarly appropriate place at which to
begin a journey into the bowels OF the
earth descend ninety steep steps before
reaching the depths.
The catacombs are one or the ghastly
: mysteries OF Paris, Their tunnels are
: known to extend beneath the greater part
,, of that large section OF the city which
lies south OF the Seine while vestiges oil
: them have been discovered beneath Mont
: the river. No fewer than 100000 bodies
. were buried there and could the closed
J. galleries be explored the skeletons OF many
! more probably would be revealed. Some
l of the galleries are so large that chapsls
: have been formed, with crosses and ever
. affairs OF bones.
@ At various levels above the catacombs
3 streteh the famous Paris sewers, form
7 ing Il network now more than 900 miles
l IN extent. Some of the pipes are twenty
feet In diameter. sufficiently large to per-
nit the operation of electrically propelled
wagonettes. In places and OF boats In
n others. The main sewers are at RICH,
angles with the Seine. under the Boule'
: ward de Sebastopol and the Boulevard
a Saint Michel. Radatlng from these prin'
Il cipal arteries are labyrinth Of branches
d connecting also with a main basin be-
d meath the Place dc Ia Concorde. whence
L collectors generaux conduct the water &c
@ n point few miles down the river. Within
the conduits Of the main arteries are also