New-York tribune., 1901-12-11
MIGHTY FLOOD OVER BIG AREA
BROKEN WATER MAIN MAKES NANGABLE LAKE NEAR
THE PLAZA-PEOPI1E FLOAT ON RATS.


: do in YOUR department." commanded FrieI and
the said they would inform the chief en-
| gineer. No one else from that department had
| arrived by midnight. and the water was then
high ever.
The water had it's greatest flow down Fifty
| hfth-st. 1t made down that street with such
! a rush that it flowed straight over the wall of
| the New-York Central tunnel and down into
the tunnel like little Niagara Falls soon
the water three feet deep around Fifty
/ ffth-st. The railroad officials rushed up TO see
/ what could be done. but the water kept pouring
| in at the rate of hundreds of gallons minute
At midnight there seemed to be TO diminution
in the outflow from the break. Cellars and
easements were being more and more flooded.
! and the complaints of the occupants of houses
were loud and angry. Furnaces. stoves and
ranges had their fires extinguished, and the in
/ habitants of the dwellings, and apartment houses
were in a pitiabe state.
| officials of the Metropolitan Street Railway
| Company had the cars in the block backed close
| " together and the passengers. many cars be-
| ing crowded with theatre goers pass from car
to car till landing place was reached Women
| had to do this as we'll men, 1t was difficult.
| but men stood between the cars helping, and
all made the journey from to car safely
! VOYAGES TO. DRY LAND ON RATS.
The passengers got off the last in each
CoNNAiA'iA A"N
! of the break in quick time, and they lowered
: about driving through and splashing the water
; in competition for fares. They obtained many
Young fellows with soap boxes also stood here
and there selling boxes with which to cross
flooded streets to get into homes. Some men
buiIt rafts and stationed themselves at Fifty
! fifth Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh SITS and
! Madison-ave., and got people across the streets
to and from their homes in that Immediate
rE .o.,-
the west side of Madson-ave. bridges were tenn
! porariIy built of pIanks to cross from dry
spot to another The food extended half
down these streets. flooding all the cellars and
many Easements of handsome houses
People telephoned in some way communi-
Gated with plumbers and soon many had men in
| their cellars pumping water out Up to mid
night there was not much gained by this as the
water was still flowing in almost as fast as il
was pumped out
THE FLOW STOPPED
Assistant Engineer Charles H. Bull. Of the
Department of Water Supply. declared he was
not telephoned for until IL o'clock. when ne
rushed to the He went TO the Central
Park station and ordered the water shut off as
; ouickIy as possible. Before midnight the flow
had been stopped. but for some minutes after
that the flood continued and then abated till it
stopped altogether The sewers began to receive
the food and by 12-30 o'clock the streets We're
wet but only as if by heavy rainstorm-
Commissioner Dalton also hurriet' to the scene
He said he knew of no reason why there should
be such break Engineer Bull was also at
loss 10 explain the break He said he could not
give any reason whatever He said the main
was about forty years old. and was a 4S-lnch
pipe
II. supplies the fire hydrants IN Madlson-aVe-
from Twenty -third-st to Forty-secono-st-r an"
also in MuIberry-st-." he said Ihere Is L
inch main on the same bed for supplying resi-
4,+s of this district with drinking water