New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-24
LOCAL. MISCELLANY.
THE BURSTING OF A WATER MAIN.
AN ACCIDENT THAI FLOODED MANI 0
" FIFTH AVENUE.

~
AN ACCIDENT THAI FLOODED MANY cEINA'''
FIFTH AVENUE
cho-tlv after midnight Yesterday morninig, l po
iiceman who was patrolling DIS po, ha d;rectiop of
heard an unusual noise coming from alo , 10
Central park which he thought az nfsI sonpd fol
ING of an approaching storm. ~ I III aaLe and the
lowed snch AZ n The avenue 10 learn the cause
~ The distnTbapce At Fifty-hith-st. NC q
avenue covered with NAM Midway between Fifty
ns and Fifty-sixth-sts. he saw that the avenue
was cavug in and that the WAFER ra Id hnrst The
from The main Croton pipe, which haa puIs'. tho
honses in the noighborhood were all DARK. as tno
neonle were in bed and the water as IL raSueu HUM
The pipe forced its way into the ceilaIs N;.oo, N
The policeman promptly went to the NineteenIn
Precinct Police Station and reported the iacis.
Foreman Keegan of the Department. OF fuoic
Works telegraPEed for IN the nope .n' was
done For some time no answer was received from
Keecan and Captain Mount sent another telegIaln
TO him asking him to make haste as the,o ,h wee
danger of the avenue caving in for two OF tnrco
blocks messenger was also sent 10 Tue losG ?,t
to tell the watchman there about the accIue tIy
The watchman however: si mao Of the dial which
registers the flow of water, and haq sta,,ou oo ~
discover where the pipe had burst. TIC VIZ to %
the scene when he met the messenger, anu 'nou t
brraJ hack 10 the reservoir and shut of the water
In tIIe meantime water from the main hau IloMcd t
into nearly all the cellars OF gG noHsgs an and Ffty
sixth-sts In some of the houses the water was Soy
eral feet deep and articles that had been stoie i
them floating about Inc people 't tbs a fer
houses were awakened 10y the rushing ol tnS Ma.J'
into the cellars and some of them became alaIut
thinking that burglars were at work. Se,' thnI
were sent into the cellars at an early hour oIs my
were unable TO work effectively. ADout d cloch
several policemen and fremen went INTO each nous
and removed the plugs from the drain-traps why.
lead To the sewer. 1t was not an easy TASK W u.
this MS there was so much water Ill the cellars 'n
the drain traps could not be found. Inc pIok NJ
main was forty-eght inches i'll diameter anu ~ ~
break was discovered about two feet DacK vi ln'
Joint in the section in front OF No 'o In ~
occupied by J. A. G.. Gray. For more thah ZoV leo ,
the street was torn mp, so that Vehlcits soniu no
pass In some places the earth had SetIleu Ne
large holes A portion of the roadway IN rily ~
seyenth-st east of the avenue caved IN, anu vi,
street had to be closed. On that corner Is ALL
lot owned by Robert Bonner, which soon iilleo
with wafer. L boroo n,
The police estimated the damage to eacn mouse - a. a.
about 5000 all the houses from NO IO2 10 NJ y,
III were flooded DIR. HalPs church. whcr stan y
and us were damaged. The names OF tue I Tob
pants of the houses are Harrison DulkeT' a - -
Wolf Edward Kemp Louis L. l4Orlllaru' =; n
GRAY A. b. Wood Woodbury. Languon' Mls' -
Jones and ii. j. Goodwin. 49, huo,,o,
Workmen began yesterday TO repair the uIoH nj
pipe. but little progress was made IL VII po IN
be two or three days, If not longer Delo!S aH'
avenue Is passable, as large amount OF er'h W II
have to be carried to fill up the great hoies.
At the Department of Public Works IL was sai'
that the break was caused by the settling OF th'
earth over large sewer built Inst year. This sewer
which ran parallel with the main, was very laIH'
one and owing to the springs III the ground IN .hl
twenty feet This caused large excavation TO y,
made and the filling over the sewer shrunk so 1u 1
90 To cause the water main TO denect toWhu lh
sewer This FASTENED the break.