New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-14

A convincing illustration OF how Ta-nrnany
,an debauch civic government is furnished by
NE Water Department OF this city whenever
The bursting OF a water main puts II TO the test
On each such occasion the "shut-ofs" gangs. as
they are called. display the grossest sort OF in
competence. After learning that a pipe has
broken ana is flooding the street, they usually
lst an hour or so go by before deigning 20 take
. look al the "waterspout" and even after they
70 come they almost always let the food con-
t,nue for many hours more. Frequently they
seem utterly ignorant where the water gates
are by which they might soon check the torrent
IN one instance recently they had TO be directed
70 the right gate by an intelligent workman out
sde the Water Department
When q great three-foot water pipe broke IN
yh-sve, sust south Of 84th-st. the other cay
me thoroughfare became a river which swirled
and splashed for five hours before the gate
which controlled the leak was shut. In thet
nrns ceilers we're flooded and property destroyed
for which the city will he sued 70 the amount
n $4,000. The antics OF the "shut-ofr gangs
at this time were truly characteristic OF the
morale Of the Water Department since ram
MANY las got control OF IL. The break was frst
noticed about O'Clock IN the evening on Fri
ssv January 8. Ten minutes later, when the
street had become seethins torrent, Martin
Raur,ily, 6 policeman Of the West 34th-st sta
lion. called up his station house. which Informed
the -shut-off" gangs shop in West 97th-st' near
p,b-sve. Yet no member OF the Water Depart
rnsn- took even so much as a look al the hood
until On hour and a quarter had passed by.
DID NOT KNOW WHERE GATES WERE.
When the water men ala come riding in
-s-a. .Sar
they glanced at the expanse Of eddying waters
the Gordon Of police ana the surgins crowd Of
roectators and then drove away again. Yet they
were not going 70 the controlling gate 10 check
the food. but to hnd some one who knew where
the gate was. None of them had the least idea
where II was situated. Another hour went by
.,s another representative OF the Water De-
ra-tn,eut hove In sight. He was John OConnen
v4o described himself as a floating" Water
repartuent inspector. He was at the head OF a
hair dozen men dressed IN rubber suits and
eovipped with great bar wTenches. oConneh
+ool< q good look at the food and then decided
- s-on il. But 3ust as his men were about TO
Ger ~ work he disappeared in the crowd ana
wasn't seen again for an hour. II was not until
after midnight that the water was turned on
Jl,sr the same Incompetence was shown by
the Water Department last August when there
was Z. break in p main near the site OF the new
Police HEADQUARTERS. az Centre and Grand SITS.
on August . az 7.35 2. n. Sergeant Hottie or
the Mulberry-st. station. learned Of the bursted
ripe ana warned the Water Department He
emphasized the need Of all possible speed as the
break was endargering the tenement houses
near by Yet the water was not turned off until
. A. n OF August g. and by this time seventy
feet OF the three-foot retaining wall around the
excavation for the Police Headquarters building
had fallen into the hole. The oriice caused by
the deluge was 20 feet long. 20 feet wide and IS
feet deep
Yet Water Department inspector had e1-
anlined the main only a few hours before II
broke and had declared that II was "au right