The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-14
Water Main to North Topeka Is
Broken.
Second Pier of Street Railway
Bridge Goes Out.
WORK LIKE TROJANS.
Efforts Being Made to Repair
the Damage.
City Railway Is Transferring
North Side Passengers.


street railway bridge broke this morn
ing at 1920 when the bridge went out
at the north end. and it will be 3 days
until a temporary main can be laid
across the Melan bridge. Water is now
completely shut Off from North Topeka.
To make matters worse. test was
made this morning of the old fire
steamer, which is held for just such
emergencies, and it was found that the
steamer is utterly useless. It is Is years
of age. and is badly worn. Besides that.
it is probably clogged up with salt due
to pumping brine out of the cellar of
the Wolff packing house last week.
An effort is being made to temporarily
repair the steamer SO that it can be
taken to North Topeka to protect that
part of town to some extent
Meantime, orders have been issued by
Chief Wilmarth for the chemical engine
from headquarters to respond to all
alarms from North Topeka Special
vigilance will be exercised by every
member of the fire department. and
Chief Wilmarth enjoins the people of
North Topeka to be extraordinarily
careful not to start fires.
1t was about 1920 this morning when
the second pier at the street car bridge
gave way, allowing the water main to
break. The first pier went out Satur-
day night, allowing the bridge to sag
about a foot. The railway company
had before that ceased to use the bridge.
When the second pier gave way this
morning the bridge dropped three feet.
and the water pipe was unable to sus-
tain its own weight and broke in two
The accident this morning occurred
while the workmen of the company were
trying to strengthen the break of Satur-
day night. 1t was pier that went out
Saturday, and pier went this morning.
The piers are numbered from the north
side of the river. The piling fell over
sidewise and the track sank about three
feet. The Sth pier did not fall complete
ly down. and was partially supporting
the track The woodwork was then
within three feet of the water, and
would not allow the passage of a drift
of any depth. When the pier began to
over it, but they stood not on the cere-
mony OF their going to other portions
of the structure.
The water company announced at 2
o'clock this afternoon that temporary
repairs had been commenced on the
main across the railway bridge, and
that unless unforeseen accidents happen
ed, they would be able to give 'domes-
tic pressure" on the North Topeka,
mains this evening This would be of
very little service in fighting a fire.
Manager O'Neill, of the water COM
pany, called on the city engineer and
mayor this morning for the purpose OF
securing permission to put main
temporarily. The question was referred
to the city attorney.
Manager Patten of the Street Railway
company, said this morning in explain
ing the cause of the disaster to the
Street Railway company's bridge:
THE river has been cutting deep
channel on the north side of the stream.
1t has not only washed clear through
the sand, but through what we call the
bed of the river, and down to the bed
rock to which the piles are driven.
When it washed down under the piles,
they Of course went out. We will make
repairs as rapidly as possible but it will
be several weeks until cars will be run
ming to North Topeka"
| Officials of the road have gone to
Kansas City to try to purchase tfmbers
to rebuild the bridge. 1t may take two
weeks to get the timbers, and when
everything is on the ground it will take
a. week more to make the repairs.
Meantime the street railway is issu-
ing transfers to it's passengers at the
ends of the bridge and allowing them
to walk across and take car at the
other end. There are two cars in North
Topeka to handle the business, and the
| trolley wires are still in working order.
| The work of repairs the bridge
/ cannot be commenced until the water
goes down.
| 1t seems likely that when the water
| does down it will have made a new
| channel along the north bank, but this
| is by no means certain
| Chief Wilmarth Is putting forth great
| efforts to protect North Topeka from fire
| in this emergency. He said today:
1.-The reason the old steamer is out Of
| order is simply because it is Is years
| old. When we had it down to the Wolff
| packing house last week it did not work
| very well. but did much better than
nothing. In pumping down there we
[ were obliged to pump a great deal oil
brine, and I believe that the valves
must have become clogged- This morn
\ ing we took it to the cistern on West
| Seventh street and found that it would
not pump at ALL
I'VE will take the pump heads off this
afternoon, and get into the valves. II
we can get it into working order, we
will take it to North Topeka tonight.
Otherwise, we will take 1t to some local
machine shop for repairs. If the city
council authorizes US, we will if neces-
| sary, send the engine to the factory to
be rebuilt"
The mains of the gas company broke
this morning when the water mains
broke, but the gas company will prob
ably be able to serve the North To-
peka customers as usual. The break
was not bad enough to entirely cut of
the supply, but the pipes are leaking
badly.