Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-01
LEFT THE CITY WITHOUT WATER.
Serious Condition Caused by Break.
ing of Main Yesterday.


Say, boss, your faces dirty"
Rather an unusual salutation, but it was
not infrequsntly heard on the early down
town cars yesterday morning.
1t was not that cleanliness was esteemed
less desirable by the Omaha citizen, but that
he had chosen the lesser of two evils. If he
had arisen in the early morning before the
darkness had entirely broken, it was his own
fault If his morning additions were not per-
formed with the usual faithfulness, but he
who turned over for another nap sinned away
his day of grace and unless his thoughtful
wife had preserved a fortunate supply of
water the night before, he was compelled to
forego his morning bath altogether, or con-
tent himself with having his face and hands
in a muddy sediment that oozed flthily
through the pipes and reared miniature clay
banks in the kitchen sink.
The big thirty-six inch supply main that
connects the water works at Florence with
the city burst at a point on Twenty-fourth
street, just north of Lake, shortly before Z
o'clock and it was thought it would
take a day to repair it. The
water was at once shut off and
for the next three hours the city was en-
tirely without a water supply. In the mean
time the reserve reservoir had been tapped
and Captain Reynolds came down and started
the two pumps al the old lizard street pump
ing station. The mains were gradually filled
again and before noon there was a ~satisfac-
tory pressure IN most parts of the city.
According to Superintendent Hunt Of the
water works company the break was a re-
suit Of the extensive Improvements that have
been in progress in the down town district.
While so many new mains are being put in
a large amount of air obtains access to the
pipes. Then when the water is turned on
the air is forced down the mains until 1t
reaches an obstruction and then 1t comes
back with a concussion that Is very danger
GUS to the pipes. Half a dozen breaks have
occurred during the past week or two, but
the damage has been quickly repaired and no
great inconvenience experienced. The six
teen-inch main on Ninth street broke the
other day and partially affected the supply
in the lower part Of the city for several
hours.
The cross-town cars could not get past
the break, SO they stopped at Lake street
and a stub carried the passengers from
Ohio street to the north end. The rush of
water from the big main had ripped up the
cedar blocks as though a steam plough had
torn through them, and the damage TO the
street was considerable. The water filled
the cutters and overlooked the sidewalks, but
1t was carried away rapidly enough to save
the buildings along the street from damage.
II there had baen a fire of any proportions
In the city between 7 and 10 o'clock yesterday
morning the situation would have been
serious. There would not have been a drop
of water except where the river could be
reached by the engines. and the city would
have had to depend upon three chemicals
and good luck for preservation. City En-
gineer Rosewater and Fire Chief Redell have
always declared that the policy of compelling
the city to depend upon a single supply
main for its water supply was highly dan
gerous. and the idea of a duplicate main
was favorably considered by the special
investigation of the water problem last