The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-01-29
Mystery OF a Town Pump.

The students and the faculty of Yale
and the town born" of the city are
puzzled over the conduct of the old
town pump on the historic green, writes
a New Haven correspondent of the
New York S1en, which fer some time
has been emitting hot water out of its
Temple street spout, and pure cold wa
ter as usual out of its Church street
nozzle, and so far there has been no
satisfactory explanation of the phenom-
enOn.
The New Haven town pump is famous
principally for the quality of the water
and for the number of times il has been
stolen by skylarking students. 1t stands
fifty yards from the college campus, on
the lower corner of the green, aud is a
tai aud ponderous wooden structure
OF the seventeenth century, with two
handles, two SpOuts, and two iron
drinking cups. The city does not re-
place it with a modern style iron pump
because these freeze up in winter and
are too cumbersome for the students 10
lug away. And so New Haven people
reach up for the long hickory pump
brakes, by the thousands in summer
and by the hundreds in winter. Some
of the old business men OF the place al
WAYS stop there to drink on their way
down town from dinner.
Originally the site Of the pump was
a cold and limpid spring, fringed with
a ders, and in the center of The nine
squares orig g.na!iy laid out. The alder
grove was Il famous trySting-place, and
existed for years. The spring was wall
ed up in two sect 'OnS, and the pump
was set about the time y ale college was
located here. The students have been
stealing it semi-oecasionally ever
since.
Prof. Daniel G. Eaton, of Ya,e, was
at a loss to account for the aqueous
freak OF the old pump. Never before
| in his recollection had there been any
J such complaint. He was loath to be-
| lievc the story of his old friend at first.
/ but stepping up 10 thu shackly Temple
street brake he applied his right hand
tu it with vigor, while with his left he
extended the iron tankard under the
nozzle. A stream of Iepid water shot
! into the cup, smoking with heat in the
| col air. 1t was nauseatingfy warm,
and strongly impregnate with miner
| ais. Then the pro eSSor went around
/ to the Church street side and yapked
/ at the brake Here he procured cup
u ice-cold water sparkling il the sun
| i.ht.
Il cant account for the phenome-
non," said he. Il do not think, how
ever that it may be attributed TO any
volcanic or subterranean action"
The professor indicated tn hot and
cold springs side by side were not TO be
looked for in this part of the country.
At mes the Temple street spout
Yields water that is so hot as to be
scalding. Both streams come from the
same source, though the spring is divi
| dcd by wall from the bottom. Why
the water should be hot is mystery.
But why such u marked difference
should exist in the samples drawn from
the same well through two pumps sci
over it is a much greater one. There
is a theory that the water may be heat
ed from one OF the Chai e! street steam
heat pipes, but this is h If blocl
awav A leak in the pipe might caus,
the heat, but this is held TO be improbabl,
and the town fathers will be asked t,
dig mp the well 10 ste what is thu
matter.