Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-03-21
STRANGE
INCIDENT,
Water Nearly all Drawn from City
Hall Boilers Last Night.
WOUl d HAVE SPOILEDBOILER
In Short Time. Special Police Officer
Watched the Building all Night
Who Opened the Valves!
WOUl HAVE SPOILEDBOILER

Some little excitement was caused
among our city officials and other inter-
estrl parties last night by the announce
mrnt that some unkn WIN person had
opened three radiator pipes in the gal
lrry of the new opera house and that
the water was nearly all ont of the two
50 horsepower boilers that heat the city
! hall.
Yesterday forenoon City Engineer
Curricr was making a tour of inspection
in the city hall and cautioned Janitor
Charles Thompson about keeping Ger.
tain return pipes closed, as several of
the radiators had been disconnected to
facilitate the laying of floors. They
went through tine dressing rooms and
saw that the pipes there were all shut
off
Mr. Thompson returned from dinner
about - 10 and noticed water coming
down through the ceiling of the room at
The fal1h' + e' d of the posloilirr corri
dor. Going up into the dressing rooms
he found Il radiator pipe wide open and
water pouring out. He shut it off and
then went through the whole building,
finding all the other pipes shut off.
Work ceases on the city hall at five
o'clock. and Mr.. Thompson went to his
supper Just as the other help was quit
ling work, leaving a good head of steam
on the boilers for drying out purposes.
a little after six o'clock George Rrough,
IA mason employed on the building, who
NJ;
down to the poStoilice to post II letter.
AS he passed the city hall he thought
he heard someone inside. From the
poStoffire he went to a book store on
North Main street antl from thence
home.
AS he was walking along Prospect
street near the building 40 heard noise
like the cracking Of ysasnpipes in the
top Story, CHANGING up some warm
water struck him in the face. He i'm
media ely ran TO Mr.. Thompson's house
near the bridge ON Prospect street, and
told him that something was the matter
u, The city hall MIR. Thompson imme-
liately ran to the boiler room. Glanc-
iny at the water gage he was startl' d
to see that it was empty. Turning the
lowest safety cock he GOT nothing but
steam. thus learning that tho water was
very low in the boilers.
He was in rather ticklish position,
expecting that the boiler would blow
up every minute, but he attended right
to business, letting cold air ON top Of the
fire and shutting the steam away from
The radiators. Is soon AS the boilers
.ot cooled off enough ne filled them up
agaln. He and MIR. Brough then went
to the gallery where they found three
radiator pipes open and the floor soaked.
Mr.. Thompson shut them off and then
went and notified City Engineer Currier.
Mayor Gordon and others, who inime-
datrly went to the building.
They could not solve the mystery of
how the valves came to he opened, and
not liking The looks of affairs the Mayor
instructed special officer Perry TO re-
main in the building during the nigh.
There was no more trouble and the my
terry is still unSolvrd. Ono thing is
sure. Some one must have opened
those valves with the intention of blow
ing UP, or else burning up the new
boilers. The question is ''Nh no did il?''
| The doors were locked, but still it
would have been an easy matter for
someone to enter through some one of
the windows, which are simply covered
with canvas.