Paris is a city of bridges.  Twenty-eight bridges span the Seine from one end of Paris to the other. With the exception of the Pont-Neuf, most of them are low bridges, with two or three arches that curve in graceful arcs above the water.

When the Seine flooded, the bridges were submerged up to their solid tops.   Instead of arches, they became dams.

This picture was taken on Sunday, January 23, 1910.  (It can be dated from the snow on the roofs of Notre-Dame and the Morgue, the low building to the right.) The Pont de l'Archeveche, dimly visible on the left, is still open.   This normally rather quiet bridge is choked with traffic; other bridges are already being closed.

Five days later, the Pont de l'Archeveche is submerged to within a foot of the roadway.  Traffic is no longer allowed on the bridge, for fear the river current will simply sweep vehicles or pedestrians away.  The Pont-Neuf is the only bridge in Paris now open; it carries the entire traffic of the central city.

By the Palais d'Orsay, water has reached the quai parapets. Crowds of onlookers watch the river. The Gare d'Orsay, now the Musee d'Orsay, is visible in the background.