“Coffins by boat?” you ask. Yes, Avenue Ledru-Rollin saw just that during the Great Flood of 1910.
Hello everyone. I am your guide. We are about to explore Avenue Ledru-Rollin. It is more than just a street. It is a window into Parisian resilience.
Imagine the year is 1910. Paris is submerged. The Seine has burst its banks. Water fills the streets. Avenue Ledru-Rollin is not spared. It transforms into a canal. The water is one to two meters deep.
Getting around becomes a challenge. A man offers transport by truck. He charges ten centimes per trip. People find amusement in crossing the “stinking mass” of water. Disaster strikes. The ground gives way. The horse falls through. A gas pipe breaks. Darkness descends. Panic erupts. Thieves seize the chance. They steal liquor from a wine merchant.
But that is not the most bizarre story. The flood disrupts everything. Even death. Funeral processions take a surreal turn. The deceased Mme. L… could not have a normal passage. Her body resided at number 85 Avenue Ledru-Rollin. A boat becomes the hearse. Four police officers act as pallbearers. They transport the coffin. They deliver her to a distant hearse. Its wheels are submerged. Three other funerals take place by boat that morning.
Residents are trapped. Thousands leave their homes. Hundreds remain. They await rescue. Food becomes scarce. A local commissioner steps in. He requisitions bread from bakers. He distributes it by boat. Avenue Ledru-Rollin’s “islanders” get their provisions.
Amidst the chaos, tragedy continues. A man falls under a pontoon. This happens at the corner of Rue Ledru-Rollin and Rue de Charenton. He drowns. His name was Georges Husson. He was a thirty-three-year-old cabinetmaker.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. A resident at number 22, Mr. Louis Colin, fires a revolver. He shoots it into the night. It is a call for help. He wants a boat to take him to dry land.
Avenue Ledru-Rollin faced a crisis. It revealed both the absurd and the admirable.
Today, Avenue Ledru-Rollin is a normal Parisian street. Yet its past whispers tales of a city under siege. It is a reminder of Parisian fortitude. The avenue was named in 1879. It honored Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin. He was a lawyer and politician. He championed universal suffrage.
The Avenue Ledru-Rollin stretches about 1.5 kilometers. It connects the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Town Hall of the 11th arrondissement. The avenue is lined with trees.
Next time you pass by, remember the flood. Remember the boats. Remember the resourcefulness and the tragedies. Avenue Ledru-Rollin is a testament to Paris’s enduring spirit.