Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-09-27

and an Iron Fence wrecked-The Water
Found Outlet without Entailing Any
Great Loss to Private Property.
A million gallons of water escaped
through break in The east bank Of
| the Rodney street reservoir Friday night
4 and flowed by devious ways into the
"A Brandywine and Christiana Rivers.
With resistless force, the water tore
through the reservoir wall, carried a
little brick house into the street and
demolished it, wrecked several YARDS
of the iron fence suri ounding the
basin, cut through asphalt sheets on
tine sidewalk and made river Of
Rodney street Damages to the basin
and streets will quickly he repaired.
Fortunately The torrent found outlet
without entailipg any great loss to
private property.
The Rodney street reservoir was
built about 80 years ago, ard it has
capacity Of ], 500, 600 gallons in its two
compartments. The dividing wall is
PARALLEL with Eighth street ard is
seven feet high, whereas the main wall
is about Is feet high. At 3 o'clock Fri
day evening, the reservoir was full and
at that time there was no warning of
any trouble. About three hours later,
persons in The ne ghborhood heard n
roar like the unloading of many tons
OF coal, which grew louder as the
water broke through the bank and
rushed down Rodney street. The break
occurred in the north basin less than
half way up. eating through the brick
wall and puddlers clay and 30 feet of
earth that terraced the side. On this
terrace was little brick house con-
tanning the stop apparatus; it fell be-
fore the tide of water and was wrecked,
its roof being thrown upon the bank
on the east side Of Rodney street. The
supply piIe and two cleaning pipes are
connected with the reservoir near the
break and it is supposed that defect
in one OF these pipes permitted the
water to leak into the bank and under
mine IL. The hole apparently started
below the street level, and grew larger
extending towards the top of the wall
until space possibly eight feet wide
by ten feet high was made.
At its highest the water was prob
nbly four ieet in Rodney street. For
tunately the east bank was high and
held the torrent within bounds direct
ing it towards Pennsylvania avenue
y At Ninth street, muon of the water
4 spread out upon an open lot, but there
n we're great volumes of it still raging
N when Tenth street was reached The
4 stable OF Frederic Pyle on Rodney
street between Ninth and Tenth was
flooded and Saturday morning mud and
stones were being taken from it. The
collar Of Mr.. Pyle's residence, No. 903
Broome street, was also flooded.
8 From Tenth and Rodney the water
ran down Rodney and across an open
lot to Pennsylvania avenue. and down
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al&vania avenue, and further down Tenth
passed franklin and other streets.
M When the forward waves of the flood
freaohed Pennsylvania and Delaware
Avnues 1t caused lot of surprise To
persons who encountered it. The sur
4 prise was succeeded by alarm, for the
Residents did not know how high the
~ alter might rise and some OF them
Nook precautions tow ards seeking upper
hoors il the flood became much greater.
Water Commissioner Alfred Belts
was standing on Delaware avenue
..when he saw the water coming dowr
he thoroughfare. He rushed to th'
drug store at Tenth and Adams streets
Ind notified Water Department off
cials. Mr.. Belts was wet almost Il
BIS knees. A man and woman who
asswere walking in Rodney street wher
rom being washed away. They reached
higher ground. A man on bicycl,
vent racing down Delaware avenue
ahead Of the torrent. The Rev. W. h
Lewis of Rodney street Presbyterian
Church was on Broome street, nea
HPennsylvania avenue. He avoided tht
Hood by climbing on fence.
The roar of the torrent and the flov
OF water soon caused great deal o
Excitement through that section o
town and the citizens began f1ocking I,
the reservoir. 1t was so dark tina
seeipg was not altogether satisfactory
Those who risked wet feet by approach
3ing near the break saw cave liz
iopening through which the water wa
still rushing into Rodney street. Polio
lpfficers remained on duty at the reser
s1lfsoir until the excitement died down.
# The water from the reservoir ex
fended down Delaware avenue to Yves
etreet; it flowed upon the sidewalk
las far down as Madison.
% Chief Engineer Joseph A. Bond @
the Water Depar tment was at the basi
VA a short time after the break and surer
intended the situation Waterman job
bStannard reported to him, he havin
Ebeen one of the first on the scene. MI
'Bond directed workmen to turn th
NNBtops TO cut oil the southern basin froI
the northern and thus prevent tn
supply of water ins the former fror
running into the latter and theme
escaEing through the break. The etor
on the western side Of the reservoi
were easily turned, but those on tn
eastern side were right in the cavit
1rade by the break. William Jones {
No. s3l Clayton street went into th
faging torrent and found the stops an
fphut them off. Thus about five fec
V{of water was saved in the south basir
Wprders were given to pump into it G
% to have as large supply as possib
for that district. Fearing a waite
famine, many persons Friday night TOO
inc precaution to fill tubs and otht
vessels with water.
Among those who inspected I'll
break was Leonard Ihorp Of No. lO(
Monroe street. In the darkness,
nade misstep and fell down the il
lined wall into the basin. A ror
ttached to clothes prop was throw
p him and he was rescued by Jam,
Brown and Oiceis Heron, Bowma
Ind Cornish.
The effect of the rush of water
pen Saturday in the gaping opening
he reservoir wall, in the washed OF
reet beds, in the thin line OF debr
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