A crowd has gathered on a cloudy day to observe what is going on at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Everyone was unable to take their gaze away from the scene unfolding in front of them. They all wanted to see the murky waters recede as the authorities drained the river. What had been lurking in the canal’s waters all this time? They discovered things about the canal after two centuries that they had not anticipated in the least. What did they find down there, exactly?
They Were Astounded By What The Water Revealed After Draining A 200-Year-Old Parisian Canal
It Was Time To Drain It
As the murky waters receded, the authorities took a look at them. It’s not every day that you discover the secrets of the ocean’s depths. As the building’s floor became visible, residents learned about a new part of the city’s history. Let’s say none of them expected to come across what they did.
It Was Time To Drain It
An Important Source Of Water
The canal is 4.5 kilometers in length. It was completed after Napoleon Bonaparte gave his approval to the project. This canal was built primarily to provide safe drinking water to Paris’s 550,000 residents. However, he was well aware that the population would almost certainly continue to grow in the future.
An Important Source Of Water
A Lot More To It Than That
Furthermore, he hoped that having access to clean water would help control the city’s health issues. Back then, there were numerous reports of cholera and dysentery. The Canal Saint-Martin covers the city for nearly three miles. It also delivered food and building materials to Parisians all over the city at the time.
A Lot More To It Than That
Its Fascinating History
Two canals were built with the same purpose in the decades that followed. The Canal Saint-Denis and the Canal de l’Ourcq were being built by authorities. The latter was 3.4 meters wide and 108 kilometers long. It ran from Port-Aux-Perches to the Bassin de la Villette, where it joined the Canal Saint-Martin. It’s best if you remember that they’re all a few hundreds of years old.
Its Fascinating History
During The French Revolution
The Canal Saint-Martin is the most well-known of the three. From the Bassin de l’Arsenal to the Place de la Bastille, it ran beneath the ground. Many people are familiar with the latter as pivotal events during the French Revolution, from 1789 to 1799. This was the scene of an unexpected attack on the prison. As you can see, it has a long and fruitful history. It was for this reason that people were eager to see what lay beneath the surface.
During The French Revolution
What The Canals Are Like Now
The canal is now a popular spot for both locals and tourists. Young Parisians frequently congregate on the banks of the Seine and in the nearby cafes. Tourists, on the other hand, prefer to photograph landmarks and bridges. Why, then, did the authorities decide to drain the water from it in the first place?
What The Canals Are Like Now
All The Weird Things At The Bottom
The canal has certainly seen a lot of changes in its two centuries of existence. Every ten to fifteen years, authorities attempt to empty it. They’d get rid of everything that had accumulated at the bottom. This was not, however, a routine clean-up. What was it about this time that was so different?
All The Weird Things At The Bottom
The Draining Procedure
Paris, also known as the City of Light, hides many big secrets. The murky waters of this canal obscured some of them. What lay beneath their beloved Canal Saint-Martin piqued the interest of Parisians. The draining operation was being observed from afar. What would they find if they went there?
The Draining Procedure
Waste From The First World War
The canal was drained for the first time in 2001. They were able to remove over 40 tons of waste from the water at the time. Bullets, bombshells, and gold pennies from the First World War were among the fascinating finds. Not only that, but they also discovered a car from the same period. It’s been a long time since that happened. What else might they come across in the water?
Waste From The First World War
How Much It Cost Them
The massive task of draining the canal began. It would take three months to remove approximately 3 million cubic feet of water. Although the city had to spend more than $10 million on this, it was necessary. The crowd was eager to find out what had been hidden in the canal all this time…
How Much It Cost Them
People Gathered To Look
They had drained the canal’s remaining water on January 7. After 15 years, the waterway’s secrets were finally being revealed. The bridges attracted people from all walks of life. They wanted to look into what the authorities had discovered. Everyone was dying of curiosity.
People Gathered To Look
A Surreal Moment
It had to have been a huge occasion. After all, it’s not every day that you get to see the Canal Saint-Martin without any water. People couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. The sight of the canal’s bottom was surreal. They were all curious about what was on the canal’s floor.
A Surreal Moment
The Living Things In The Water
The workers had to drain the canal until only 50 cm of water remained. They waded through the canal, searching for the items and living “things” that had taken up residence there. Around five tons of carp, trout, and bream were caught by the working crew! They then relocated the fish to better breeding grounds. Before relocating the fish, they carefully weighed and identified it. Even though the new location would not be ideal for them, it was still preferable to the alternative.
The Living Things In The Water
People Threw Garbage Into The Water
Various common objects found their way into the water’s depths. Among other things, there were bicycles. They turned out to be from the city’s Vélib car-sharing system. Around 14,500 bikes were added to the city’s streets as part of the program in 2007. Regrettably, they ended up in strange places.
People Threw Garbage Into The Water
The Most Bizarre Findings
More items surfaced as the drainage process progressed. At the bottom of the canal, there were mopeds, bicycles, and wheelie bins! There was a toilet down there as well. It was critical to recovering it because it had clearly contributed to the canal’s murkiness. Its presence there was thought to be amusing. This was not, however, the only unexpected find down there. They also discovered larger objects at the bottom.
The Most Bizarre Findings
How They Must Have Gotten There
Marc, a witness, told The Guardian, “It’s like some weird submarine treasure.” He added, “I can’t believe the quantity of Vélibs there. I guess they were stolen and thrown in afterward. It’s bizarre.” Furthermore, bicycles were not the only strange objects that found their way to the bottom.
How They Must Have Gotten There
Paris Is Filthy
An onlooker called Bernard said, “That’s Paris for you.” “It’s filthy,” he added. It appears to have gotten worse in recent years. He was also present when the well was first drained. “The last time, I don’t remember seeing so much rubbish in it,” he shared. “I despair. The youth are using it as a dustbin.”
Paris Is Filthy
Even Weirder Than The Bikes
Wait until you hear that they also recovered a pair of motorcycles from down there if you thought bicycles were strange. Who knows how those things came to be there? We’re hoping that someone will come forward and tell us the story behind them. From there, things only got weirder and weirder.
Even Weirder Than The Bikes
So Much Trash
Of course, they didn’t find only alive creatures and strange things down there. Some items were expected to be discovered. Shopping bags, traffic cones, and glass bottles are all examples. These findings didn’t seem to pique anyone’s interest. Everyone was eager to discuss the unusual items!
So Much Trash
A Random Office Chair
For starters, none of them knew how an office chair ended up there. The witnesses were skeptical of the discovery. Is it possible that an office worker took this to the 10th arrondissement? The theory may appear absurd to you, but it made us smile just thinking about it.
A Random Office Chair
There Was A Suitcase
It’s a lot of fun to come up with theories about how these things got there. Another interesting item emerged from beneath the murkiness as they continued to drain the water. They came across a rather revolting suitcase at the canal’s bottom. Is it there because it was thrown there?
There Was A Suitcase
A Traffic Cone
Another strange item that has people scratching their heads is this one. This traffic cone had no choice but to be retrieved from the canal’s base by a crew member. Who could have placed it there? We’re betting on a vandal who felt compelled to dispose of the evidence as soon as possible.
A Traffic Cone
A True Shopping Destination
On the Canal Saint-Martin’s floor, there’s also a shopping trolley. This piqued people’s interest in the story. After loading their bags into the car, did a shopper accidentally push it into the canal? In any case, we can deduce from this that Paris is an excellent shopping destination.
A True Shopping Destination
Save The Fish
Workers continued to drain the water from the Canal Saint-Martin until only 20 inches of water remained. They had to get the fish to safety first. The cleanup crew spent three days in the water catching carp, trout, and bream. They captured the creatures and relocated them to a different section of the river.
Save The Fish
Swimming There Might Be Possible
Even though seeing all the trash in the canal was disheartening, there is still hope. The discoveries brought attention to the city’s littering problem. Authorities used the opportunity to talk about the situation. “If everyone mucks in and avoids throwing anything into the water,” said Celia Blauel when she spoke to the MailOnline, “we might be able to swim in the canal in a few years.” She’s the deputy mayor.
Swimming There Might Be Possible
It Was An Expensive Process
No one would have realized how serious the problem was if the waterway had not been drained. The truth is that the canal area is regarded as prime real estate. The Parisians had to pay a high price for it. Only real estate properties located along with the arrondissement command prices as high as $9,000. They had no idea these things were lying so close to their homes, we’re sure.
It Was An Expensive Process
Why The Area Is Expensive
The waterway has always looked lush and aesthetically pleasing, contributing to the property’s high cost. It has, in fact, served as an inspiration to several artists. Street art can be found on the bank’s walls, and the bank has a large multimedia space dedicated to works of art.
Why The Area Is Expensive
It Took Two Decades
All three canals were dug across the length of Paris over the course of two decades. They make up a total of more than 80 miles when combined. The most well-known of the three is the Canal Saint-Martin. It runs for 68 miles and connects the Seine River and the Canal de l’Ourcq.
It Took Two Decades
Both Tourists And Parisians
Since its inception, the Canal Saint-Martin has attracted both Parisians and tourists. It has always been a place with a unique allure. They’re all looked at the badges. They could also navigate through all of the locks and road bridges along the way.
Both Tourists And Parisians
The Amazing Nightlife
If you’re familiar with Paris, you’re probably aware that the Canal Saint-Martin area has a vibrant nightlife scene. The district, which was once quiet, would attract a large number of young people. Many people assumed that this would only result in more waste in the canal. They discovered if this was the case in 2016.
The Amazing Nightlife
The Route
The canal runs from the Seine’s Bassin de l’Arsenal to below La Bastille. The latter is the location of a prison that was destroyed during the French Revolution. It then emerges near the Place de la République before ascending to the Bassin de la Villette in the north. It meets the Canal de l’Ourcq there.
The Route
Strange Things In The Water
What was the object that sparked your interest the most? They discovered chairs, shopping carts, suitcases, trash cans, toilets, bicycles, and motorcycles at the bottom, just in case you forgot. A vintage stereo was also on the floor, in addition to the previously mentioned items. You never know what you’ll find when you go there.
Strange Things In The Water
Way Too Many Bottles And Cans
They discovered a lot of cans and bottles while draining the water out of the Canal Saint-Martin. Do you have any idea how many there were? We have our doubts that you correctly answered the question. They found hundreds of thousands of these things down there, after all.
Way Too Many Bottles And Cans
How Long It Is
The Canal Saint-Martin, which runs through the heart of the capital, is three miles long. It runs through the 10th arrondissement, which is best known for being a fashion-forward neighborhood. The area has recently gained popularity for its nightlife and tourist attractions. It’s a must-see on your next visit to the City of Lights!
How Long It Is
More Interesting Finds
As crowds were gathered by the canal to get a good look at what was going on, more and more items were being unearthed and found in the depths of the murky water. The canal gets drained and cleaned once every 10-15 years, giving the public plenty of time to toss, lose, and drop all kinds of peculiar items in the water. Here we can see an old-school stereo sunken on the muddy ground. We can’t help but wonder how it ended up there in the first place.
More Interesting Finds
Crowds Gathering
It’s no surprise that the locals would be curious about the draining and cleaning process – who wouldn’t be? As workers went on with their process, onlookers gathered around the canal, watching the whole thing slowly happen. Maybe Parisians wanted to see if they would find a long-lost item in the mix? Perhaps they were simply looking for a relaxing form of entertainment that included spending time outdoors? We know we would love to watch such a thing.
Crowds Gathering
Vintage Items
Despite the fact that this process is done rather often, considering how old the canal is, vintage items can still be found during the cleaning, such as this camera. It’s baffling to think about how these items ended up at the bottom of the canal in the first place, especially since they’re older than the time the canal was last cleaned. For all we know, people drop things in the canal often – intentionally or not. Somehow, there are always items found that date further back than people expected.
Vintage Items
Sentimental Discoveries
As 90,000 cubic meters of water is drained from the canal, more and more items pop up and are discovered. You’d expect old and dirty items to be found, which they were. However, there were other, more surprising, things that were found too. Like this stuffed animal, for instance. It looks to be rather new, unlike all the other things we’ve seen up until this point. This photo is fascinating to look at – the contrast between the almost clean stuffed animal and the grimy motorcycle beneath it is almost chilling.
Sentimental Discoveries
Anger Management
This photo paints a whole picture if you ask us. Truthfully, you can tell an entire story based on it. The muddy chair lying in the opaque water… Moss covering it entirely… It’s rather haunting when you think about it. Again, our minds wander over different possibilities that led to this chair being tossed into the canal in the first place. Could it have been an angry scene? Maybe a tragic accident? There are so many possibilities.
Anger Management
Lengthy Ordeal
As the water slowly gets drained into the River Seine, workers have to spend hours making sure everything goes according to plan. From relocating the fish that ended up in the canal to completely renovating the four double locks of the canal. Of course, any small part that is worn out has to be replaced as well. The entire process would take approximately three months to complete from beginning to end.
Lengthy Ordeal
Team Effort
Seeing as a project such as this one is such a big one, it only makes sense there will be a whole lot of people involved to get it done. As is clear from this photo, dozens, if not more, workers are involved to make sure everything gets done correctly and efficiently. Not to mention, without endangering anyone in the process. While machinery is used for the bulk of the project, individuals also have many tasks that their equipment couldn’t achieve.
Team Effort
Heavy Lifting
It’s a dangerous process to undertake seeing as so many things can go wrong at any given moment. The last time the canal was drained before this one was in 2001. It’s logical to think that such an occasion is exciting since it’s only done every decade or so. The workers have a lot of preparations to do to take on such a massive task. The municipality needs to acquire all the machinery and equipment that will be needed – it’s not simple.
Heavy Lifting
Other Locations
Now that we’ve seen what is found in the Parisian canal every decade or so, it makes sense that other places in the world clean out their water sources and drains periodically. In the UK, many strange things have been found when cleaning out drains and pipes. In fact, some items you’d never expect to be found in such a place. Let’s find out about some of these items that drain cleaning companies have discovered.
Other Locations
Animals
No one is accusing people of purposely harming animals, but one of the most common things to be found in drains? Animals. This doesn’t only apply to the UK, either – it happens all around the world. And not just small animals like cats and dogs – animals like cows and sheep too! Many different animals have been rescued from drains unscathed. In the US, there are stories of alligators supposedly prowling the sewers, but most people see this as a myth.
Animals
Solid Gold
Sewers might be a place designed for waste, but not everything that ends up there is worthless. One famous incident happened in Japan: in 2009, workers at a treatment facility got 5 million yen in gold. They were processing sludge when they came across the precious metal. Thanks to a large number of precision equipment manufacturers in the area, they made use of the metal. They found a total of 1,890 grams of gold per ton of trash!
Solid Gold
Luxury Watches
As a matter of fact, there is more luck in the sewers than we know of. In 2012, a drain technician by the name of Aaron Large found no less than four luxury watches in the drains in England. They weren’t just any watches. They were an 18-carat gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph worth £21,000, with another Rolex and two more luxurious pieces found by him a few days later. Eventually, the owner of one watch was found and the other three were unfortunately fake. Still, Aaron got a reward from his employer for his hard work.
Luxury Watches
Half A Car
When it comes to sewers and drains, it turns out that some blockages are bigger than others. For instance, one of the largest items ever found in London was in 2014 when a drain cleaning company came across half of a Mini car that was discarded. While an impressive feat, this particular issue turned out to cost a total of £70 million to unblock the capital’s sewers that year. We bet whoever put that car there regretted it.
Half A Car
Random Jaw Bones
Understandably, some items found in sewers cannot be identified, no matter how much time people spend examining and studying them. That was the case with the mysterious jaw bone found in a sewer in Canada back in 2009. The bone could have belonged to any one of a number of herbivorous animals. In Canada, bone discoveries aren’t such a shock since the region is known to have a higher-than-average distribution of dinosaur remains. However, finding a bone in a completed tunnel is more unusual.
Random Jaw Bones
Toy Soldiers
As the saying goes, “Life imitates art”. In Scotland, workers found themselves living almost a real-life Toy Story. This group of workers was processing sewage back in 2010 and was able to retrieve an entire platoon of toy soldiers. After cleaning off the toys, they were mounted on a plaque and put on display on the office wall for several years. While this story wasn’t a happy ending for the child who lost the toys, we’re sure it made the workers’ day!
Toy Soldiers
A Teletubby
On a similar note, here is a drain discovery made by engineers that will make millennials all around the world feel nostalgic. Everyone knows that Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po do not live anywhere remotely similar to a sewer. However, this red Teletubby Po is very far from his home. Just like the revelation with the toy soldiers, it’s unknown whether these toys were flushed down the pipes accidentally or if someone did so on purpose.
A Teletubby
False Teeth
While finding false teeth is rather common in sewers and drains, it’s still unknown just how so many sets of dentures end up in sewers so often. What’s more, one utility provider started a service trying to find the owners of all the dentures found. Any false teeth that are recovered from Severn Trent’s sewers will now have their photos online. This way, whoever lost them will be able to find them and contact the company to retrieve them.
False Teeth
Cows
Of all the animals found in sewers and drains, cows are the most baffling in our opinions. One cow was found in a sewer in China after its farmer spent four days searching for it. The only reason it was found was that the farmer heard a strange mooing noise from beneath the village. When the manhole cover was lifted off, the missing cow poked its head up. It was promptly rescued, but no one knows how it got there in the first place.
Cows
Graffiti Art
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, under the streets, there is a network of sewers and subterranean water networks. What people might not be aware of is that there is a whole collection of abstract graffiti art done by Zezão – a local street artist. When he had been going through a dark time in his life during the early ’90s, he took to the underground to use painting as a form of therapy. His art reflected the area he worked, representing a water source.
Graffiti Art
Snakes
Humans in general are most vulnerable when in the bathroom. As soon as you sit down, it’s most likely something will catch you off guard. Whether it be the phone ringing or the doorbell ringing, it’s unexpected. One thing hardly anyone would expect is finding a fully grown snake inside their toilet. Yes, that has happened to people. One woman in Australia discovered a carpet python in her toilet!
Snakes
A Sofa
In Nottingham, a man by the name of Barrie Green climbed down a manhole and found himself standing on a full-sized sofa. The Severn Trent Water employee realized the piece of furniture obviously couldn’t have been flushed down a toilet. It must have been shoved down the manhole – with quite some effort, of course. It’s still unknown as to how this was done and how it didn’t cause any blocked drains either.
A Sofa
Worms
Among the strange and gross things discovered in drains, this just might be one of the most horrifying. A disturbing video surfaced online that confused everyone who saw it. People were initially convinced that it was some kind of alien creature. However, it’s been explained. It turns out that it was a colony of pulsating sewer worms. The North Carolina sewer was thought to be the site of a mindblowing discovery, only for it to be worms instead. Disappointing, to say the least.
Worms
A Diamond
One person tells a story where they cut out a drum trap from an old house in Detroit. He heard something rattling inside it, so he threw it by a dumpster and was going to cut it open later in the day. It was a few days before he remembered it and put it in his van. About a year later, he had been cleaning up his van when he came across it again. By this point, it had dried up and he couldn’t hear the rattling noise anymore. Out of curiosity, he cut it open and found what he thought was a crystal for a chandelier. Nope. It turned out to be a 4.6-carat heart-shaped diamond! He used the money for new equipment and a trip to Disney World with the family.
A Diamond
Fatberg
In 2017, a 15-ton fatberg was found in the sewage system in London. If you’re wondering just what a fatberg is, let us explain: a fatberg is what happens when things like diapers, wet wipes, and other hard-to-flush items are flushed down the toilet. They all get swept into the sewers while getting covered in grime and fat, turning into a huge rotting mass that could cause massive blockages. The London fatberg was over 250 meters (820 ft) long!
Fatberg
An Electric Razor
There are many reasons a toilet can get clogged, right? We all know that. When this plumber fed his snake down the drain to figure out the source of the clog, the whole toilet began vibrating. Not what you’d expect working a job like that. It turns out that the homeowner’s cat knocked an electric razor into the toilet. The plumber’s snake happened to hit the power switch, turning it on and creating the vibrating toilet.
An Electric Razor
A Live Civil War Cannon Shell
A lot of city sewer systems tend to rely on old mains where antique odds and ends can be found randomly. While on an excavation in Vicksburg, Mississippi, plumbers found a live Civil War cannon shell! It was most likely left behind after the city was bombed back in 1863. They ended up having to call in specialists from the army to remove the shell as it posed a serious hazard to them all.
A Live Civil War Cannon Shell
Miniature Liquor Bottles
A business in California found itself in a bit of trouble. It had a backed-up sewer main. The sinks and toilets in every one of their bathrooms were overflowing as a result. Plumbers were quickly called to the scene to help solve the problem and clean out the drain. Apparently, an employee was bringing in miniature bottles of liquor, drinking at work, and flushing the empty bottles down the toilet to hide the evidence. Yikes.
Miniature Liquor Bottles
$12,000 in Quarters
No, we didn’t make a mistake with the number of zeros in the number. In a customer’s home, their gravity line happened to be backed up. So they did what any person would do in the same situation: they called a plumber. When the plumber came and inspected the drain, he found a huge amount of quarters blocking the pipes. He spent all day fishing them out. By the end of the operation, he had filled up two 5-gallon buckets with quarters. To this day, no one knows where all this money came from.
$12,000 In Quarters
Smartphones
Who on earth would be flushing down a smartphone? They can cost over $500 a pop! Of course, that’s a cheaper smartphone. Nowadays, phones can cost as much as $1,000. It turns out that a whole bunch of smartphones was found in a drain. Most of them were broken. Instead of disposing of the electronics properly, these people decided to be lazy and flush them down the toilet instead. They probably didn’t realize doing so would end up costing them a lot more money. Just recycle your old electronics.
Smartphones
Toy Dinosaur
Kids are difficult to keep track of, it’s no secret. This is especially true when you’re a parent who also needs to maintain a whole house and stay on top of chores. Maybe that’s why one sneaky child managed to throw his toy dinosaur down the toilet. The catch was that this particular toy was not an ordinary dinosaur – it was a foam toy that expanded in water. As you’ve probably guessed by this point, the toy caused a clog once it reached the pipes. When the plumber got it out, it was twice its original size.
Toy Dinosaur
Clothes
What would you normally do when you have old clothes you no longer want or have a need for? Maybe donate them? Recycle them? One man decided to flush his briefs down the toilet when he was done with them. No one knows why he suddenly decided to get rid of 14 pairs of underwear at once. Not to mention, why he chose to wear those same briefs again after the plumber recovered them from the drain.
Clothes
A Badger
Plumbing mishaps and strange stories can happen anywhere. In Scotland, plumbers came across a badger in the sewer line during a routine drain cleaning. Luckily, the animal made a full recovery after it was rescued. As we already know, plenty of other live animals have been found in drains and sewers all around the world, including cows, alligators, and even snakes. That isn’t all, however, there were more animals to be found in such an odd place.
A Badger
Newborn Baby
In Australia, a newborn baby was able to survive for five days in a storm drain. The seven-day-old boy was found at the bottom of a 9-foot pipe that was covered with a 440-pound concrete slab. He was still wrapped in his hospital blanket. Considering the temperatures in the area were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, his survival was nothing short of amazing. A man found the baby after hearing strange noises in the storm drain and called the police.
Newborn Baby
Puppies
We don’t know how awful a person must be in order to dispose of puppies in a sewer. Maybe these pups were simply overeager and curious? Whatever the case is, a police officer in Florida happened to hear a dog barking when driving along. He saw no dogs, however, and decided to follow the sound. He ended up in a sewer drain where three pitbull puppies were peeking out from under the sewer gate. Quickly, the cop called animal services. Eventually, the fire department had to move the sewer grate.
Puppies
Construction Of The Canal
The canal’s construction began in 1802, on the orders of Napoleon I, the French emperor. Paris had a population of around 550,000 people at the time. That number did not appear to be going down any time soon. Napoleon believed that the waterway would bring fresh water to the city and improve the residents’ health.
Construction Of The Canal