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From: "Architexturez." <admin-in@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 13:43:26 +0530
The Wasteland
From: Rose George
Subject: Night Is the Best Time To Visit London's Sewers
Monday, April 24, 2006, at 6:30 AM ET
LONDON—In some of the great cities of Europe—Paris, Vienna, Prague, and
Brussels—tourists bored with life above ground can descend below. All
these cities have sewer museums and tours, and all expose their
underbelly willingly to the curious. But not London, arguably the home
of the most splendid sewer network in Europe. London's 30,000 miles of
sewers don't have enough full-time workers to escort visitors. In 20
years, the number of "flushers"—now known as "wastewater operatives"—has
shrunk from 200 to less than 40. I am privileged, then, to be able to
tag along with an inspection looking for water leaks, on a dark London
street around midnight. Night is the best time to visit sewers, because
the businesses dispelling the most waste are closed, and the flows are
calmer.
The street is quiet, and so are the men, in the manner of small groups
of colleagues used to working together who must suddenly look after an
outsider.
cont'd....
http://www.slate.com/id/2139945/entry/2139950/