Welcome to my strange alternative world of wargaming with toy soldiers: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books (HG Wells, Little wars)
Saturday, 31 January 2015
London Flusher
A 'flusher' in London is one of the people hired to unblock London sewer systems by, um, descending into the depths.
This wonderful photo apparently shows the gear used by a flusher in the Twentieth Century. Eat your heart out, steampunkers.
I once had a job maintaining sewerage pumps. Once one got clogged with kitchen fat, and we had to get someone in to unblock the pipe. He turns up, clad in t-shirt, shorts and trainers, opened the manhole, jumped right in and went to work!
All that protection, and he's not wearing gloves?
ReplyDeleteGloves are for nancy boys.
DeleteI bet he has his sandwiches in his pocket too!
ReplyDeleteAnd a pork pie.
DeleteCheck out the Davy lamp - I guess methane explosions were a thing...
ReplyDeleteI noticed that. A manhole cover blew off without warning recently in a UK city. A toddler was damn lucky to be unhurt.
DeleteReminds me of one of the EM4 Scavengers.
ReplyDeleteExactly what I thought! I have the mini of this photograph!
DeleteEM4 are Copplestone sculps, are they not.
DeleteIndeed
DeleteOne of my favourite sculptors.
DeleteI immediately caught the "no gloves" policy too! :)
ReplyDeleteHis glove could be in his pocket with his pork pie and sandwiches.
DeleteI once had a job maintaining sewerage pumps. Once one got clogged with kitchen fat, and we had to get someone in to unblock the pipe. He turns up, clad in t-shirt, shorts and trainers, opened the manhole, jumped right in and went to work!
ReplyDeleteEwwwwwwwwwww!
Deletewhat a shit job. Wonder if it paid well.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean paid? It still exists. I suspect the job pays very well these days.
Delete