New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-16
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
BURSTING OF A CRoToN MAIN.

BURSTING OF A CROION MAIN
ACCIDENT CAUSED BY BLAsrINe--A NUMBER OF
CELLARS NEAR FIFTY-sEVENTH-sT. AND THIRD
AVE. FLooDED-THE LOSSES.
WOrkmen have been engaged for two weeks
N Tbrdave near Fftyseventh-st, in digging a connee'
lion leading from the main sewer in Thirdave. to the
cellar Of No 940 which is occupied by P. Waltheimer
as toy store There 10 much rock in that neghborhood
and that has rendered II necessary to blast great deal
An excavation eight ten feet deep had been made so
that the tweve-neh CrOtOn water main was exposed
blast was prepared in the rock two feet
below the pipe yesterday morning. The pow
der was arranged, the fuse lighted, and the workmen
had withdrawn few feet The explosion occurred with
much more force than had been expected. When the
workmen approached the excavation they saw water
rapidly filing 1t. That the main was broken was very
evident Word was the police station in Fifty
rst-st Thence in haste messenger started Tor the
house Of ]. D. Kegan, at NO 24O West IhlryIOurthst
the inspector for that district in whose possession
was the kew TO the water gates above and below the
Meanwhile the water rapidly filed the excavation
which perhaps fifteen feet long ana six or eight
wide. Thence poured through the opening int0 the
cellar OF No 040. small torrent also rushed down
the gutter The eulyert too small TO receive It, and
it backed up into Fify-sxth-s In fifteen minutes the
inches Of the top There the water made its way in both
lars OF Nos 93s. 936 and 934 on the south and Nos
942 and ga on the north. Tue usmayed oeeu
eonld bu, the water gained upon them In the build
ings Immediately Adjoining No 9aO theIe were SIX OF
~
Finally at o'clock the inspector arrived and shut on
the water above and below Fiftyseventhst There was
still work the flooded prOpretOrs to do however,
and they pumped and bailed all day. About o'clock
last evening their cellars empted large force
OF immediately began 20 repair the damaged water
main. A hole inches by Is was found on the under
side Of the iron pipe Evidently large piece OF rock
had been blown against it. By IL O'Clock new section
OF pipe had been inserted, and the water turned on
again.
Tue damage was generally upon stock stored away
The party wall however, between Nos 9Ss and $40 is
badly bulged toward the south by the great weight OF
water in No. $40. Several barrels OF refuse matter
standing against IL in No. 93S braced IL up
The wall incines fifteen inches from the perpen-
dicular. Apparently nothing except the barrels
keep about twenty feet Of IL from giving way entirely
II to be nspeed the morning by the Building De-
partInent. The estimated losses are as follows:
No og4 bakery G. @ ....... $500
No ora paint sbon n a. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
No ms Ice cream hi xon ,,.,....,...., 90
No. $40. toy store, r. Waheimer. l590
No. 0i2, dry goods MOnhemer Bros IOOO
No g44 dry goods Freund 4 CO................ 900
Total...... .................. 81, $50
The these damaged goods is against fire.
Whether the insurance companies the city, the sewer
contractor the Of the buildings Is responsible
for the losses by water what the pr0preOrs want 70
find out.