The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-11
MADISON AVENUE FLOODED
BIG WATER MAIN BREAKS AT
FORTY EIG HTH STREET.

York Central Tracks Covered with Water
Damage $50. oOO-Break Duo to . Blast
or the Metropolitan Traction Company.
by an explosion OF n blast in a trench under
the tracks OF tho Metropolitan Traction Com.
pany at Fcrty.eighth street and Madison ave-
nue. at 9 O'Clock on Saturday night, the big AZ.
inch water main was broken, and for four hours
water. flowing at the rate OF 100000 gallons
an no ar, spouted up out OF the trench, over
flow cd the streets. flooded cellars, and damaged
property to the estimated extent OF 10000.
The main which was broken is called the main
supply pipe. 1t runs along the east side of the
avenue. from Twenty.third street to Ninety
sixth street. The break occurred at a point
under the roadbed Of the avenue, equidistant
from the sorth and south sides OF Forty.eighth
street. After the explosion OF tho blast had
cracked the pipe. the water. flowing in such vol.
ume Through the broken main. forced out a
piece of pipe where the crack occurred, five feet
!op < and two feet wide in the widest part.
When the Metropolitan Traction Company re-
ceived permission to lay an electrical conduit
along Madison avenue. William c. Whitney, as
the representative of the company, was told
that n new sewer would have to be laid along
tho avenue before tho conduit was put in, SO
that the Public Works Department would not
he put to the great trouble and expense and tho
public TO tho inconvenience OF tearing up tho
street after the tracks had been put down. Mr..
Whitney, for tho Traction Company. according
20 tho statement made yesterday by Howard
Payson Wilds, Deputy Superintendent of Pub
Tic Works, agreed to bear one.third OF the ex-
pcnsc OF laying tho sewer, il the contract should
BE awarded to his own contractor, SO that he
might be sure that tho work would be done as
rapidly as possible.
Accordingly. the contract was let to Patrick
Casey, Mr.. Whitney's man. Casey's bid was
E74,995. the next lowest bidder being +. A.
McQuadc, whose bid was SHE, 3s+. Casey be-
gan work on July 2s. Several weeks after that
MIR. Whitney complained to the Department of
Public Works that Casey was working so slowly
that the work Of laying the conduit was greatly
retarded. The department told Mr.. Whitney
that so long as Casey fulfilled the terms of his
contract the department could do nothing for
Mr.. Whitney.
Thercupon. according TO Mr.. wilds. Whitney
gave Casey 100000 TO turn over his contract to
T. f. Crimniins. Casey agreed. and the work
of completing the sewer. as well as the lay
ing of the conduit, was turned over to Mr..
Crimmins on Sept. 10. The work has progressed
southwark as far as Forty-eighth street. Ere
quen.ly the contractor has found it necessary.
in order to get rid OF great boulders in the path
o. the sewer. 10 break them up with powder.
One of these boulders was found on Saturday
at the Intersection OF Forty.eighth street and
Madison avenue. The boulder lay near the big
water main. but the main was not near enough.
it was supposed, to DO damaged by the breaking
up Of the rock by explosion. Three other mains.
smaller than the supply pipe. and a gas main
also lay near the boulder.
A hole was drilled in the rock. and. after the
majority OF the men had knocked off work at 0
O'Clock on Saturday night. tho hole was filed
-,,L - a NJ ---~r ,.-. I-,,l
enough to be heard several blocks distant, and,
according TO tho statements of the inmates of
the houses in tho vicinity of Madison avenue
and Forty-eighth street, the conclusion was
great enough to shake the furniture in the
houses.
The position of the rock was such that only a
little OF the water main was exposed. No i'll ef-
fects of tho explosion could be detected immc-
diately afterward. so the workmen went home.
The night Waterman of the Traction Company,
one of those stationed at intervals along the
lines OF all the roads Of the company now in the
process Of construction. went on duty. The
night patrol OF the police on both sides of the
avenue passed up and down and did not notice
About 1880 o'clock yesterday morning the
Waterman noticed a little patch OF mud near
where the rock had. been exploded. but he
thought nothing Of 1t. Three-quarters OF, an
den Niagara was pouring It's waters over a hid.
den falls in the vicinity OF the intersection of
Central substation Who was at the southwest
corner, OF Madison avenue and Forty-eighth
What the devils that !" he asked the watch.
man;
reply. DANCED II II don't sound to me as II a
VOLCANO was goin' off. fe'd better DO tellin' yer
on the cause of the disturbance there was an
npheaval of stones and earth. and following
1 peare Sp a slsst Column 81 a PF o} Massr. f Sisser rh srSu aRi
than two barrels, q policeman who saw y said.
ana sPouting to the height Of ten or fifteen
Ieet;, In Il moment a flood OF water was rushing
In al directions. Once 1t found an outlet. the
water seemed to pour up out of the ground In
grea er volume and to spout higher every
II took some time for the policeman and
upheaval., Both had been covered with q shower
Tart and STONES. and the watchman had been
Policeman pofHensai realized Mhsa hat h. w a sas aGiG main IL t baa bur rhe
healizlRg this. he knew that the thing to do was
70 telephone to the nearest station OF the Water
and First avenue.
Hustling to the nearest telephone to DO found
suPerIntendent Rfiliism McGih al the other
very explicit in informing Mr.. McGili as to the
c cSsTIa Of tol ile Mr. Grf MeG, Ris iaIS PSim the be-! Ppl be PI&St
down. But Mr.. McGiii had just returned from
broo hu street. and Madison avenue, That
ss1 nnf 2 Of a blast SGT of BY men
suited only in blowing on a cap, and Mr..
n MGiGs!u thought that, possibly. the break the
Esyen that i must be near the Traction Com
PAN 5 racks, was of a similar nature. A moro
serious break had Just been reported at Eighty
stath street and Third avenue. and MI. McGfl
lhGuSHt u best to have q look at that frst.
IN doing his duty as he saw II, the division
nuperiatendeni didn't reach the scene OF the
stTlOub IRE Ak nf NIL until ahnnf Q.Qn A NJ
Ealuao!e time b d been lost, with water hood
an hour. ~
When Mr; McGill and his men reached the
oSehe OF the break 1t was impossible. on account
vi the uood Of water, to locate even approx
mateay the pipe which had been broken. There
T. u tMC gates at the junction OF the two streets.
t"nlGh the water, from pipes other than the
SLS main may be shut of. These gates were
Hosed, 1ut still the water kept coming up. Then
mt, MGlI!l knew that the break had occurred
Ia; m,"' ng main. The only way the water from
"a ,nhIb be shut OF was from the reservoir in
n nor,I Ltrk where it gets Its supply on the
fTnn,'" tHI az the Forty second street reservoir.
nun Nnlth IT il SuDulied nn the anuth Mas.