The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-17
WALL STREET ITSELF SLUMPS.
STEAM SCARCE TO-DAY ON SUR
TREASURY BLOCK.



mined ~ wsser Main leak. Fails In.
C~ndssnined by water from q leaking
city nsins the street surface in front Of
the new building Of the Trust Company Of
America ut 81 Wall street, between Nassau
and william; subsidized for n stretch Of
about forty tset shortly before 4 O'Clock
yesterday aftsrnoon. The slump broke the
lixtesn inch main Of the New York Steam
~Companyis system and the released steam
blew UP the earth and broken pavement
in great shape. Il rippsd . hole ton feet
long and thrss feet wide in the middle OF
the sumken section Of pavement. Particles
Of Asphalt and psbbles were thrown as
FAR a. Nassau street and clouds OF steam
flled the street. from Nassau TO William.
The breaking OF the steam pipe and the
necessity OF replacing the detective main
will ssriously cripple to-day many Of the
hhildings in the block betwesn Nassau
aud william streets and some OF those
nearer Broadway. The water has been
shut Oh bstwesn Brosdway and william
and the breaking OF the steam pipe will
prevent the running OF elevators in some
buildinp IN the eastern block and leave
the t,nants Of oficss on both aides Of the
street. without steem heat until repairs
IAN be completed. The ub-Traasury, the
.tsssy ONCE and several banks will suffer.
When the blowup came a wstchman
at the Atlantic Building. on ths southwest
corner of william and Wall streets, tele-
nk-naI - cha aAHnoa ~ aha NJ. X~rE
steam Company and the repairing crew
wAs called. George Richardson, district
superintendent for the company, got down
10 Wall street and after much blind cropping
his men managed TO reach the supply cock
at the corner OF Nall n Nassau streets
and hut OF the steam
Six workmen employed by the foundation
company in the basement Of the new trust
company building, in front OF which the
steam pipe broke, emerged from the thirty
foot pit almost suffooated. They had been
down in the sub-cellar when the steam
hurst from the rent in the street above them
and in trying to make their way up the
ladders 10 the street In the binding mist
they had been forced to hang onto a ladder
hetween the first floor and the basement
hscsuse they could not see to make their
way further upward.
The subeidence was directly in front of
the board csuseway used for teams at the
right entrance into the new building.
Within five feet Of the southern edge OF the
chasm in the pavement the cellar and sub
basement Of the building have been dug.
The foundation company which had the
contract for putting in the caissons and
easement OF the building has reinforced
the side ofthe excavation with jointed iron
sheets and there was no cavein OF the
basement.
Afberthe steam company's district super
intendent had shut on the steam District
Foreman S~chiginbock Of the Consolidated
Gas Company COR District Foreman Ma
loney OF the Iie1haDent Of Water supply
csme down wiz lads Of men to shut on
the water and ~ All possible haste was
made in gettin... Sgough the pavement and
down Il the ens pipe in the hole in the
street lest q further subsistence Of the street
should fracture the gas pipe.
The gas pipe was cut and plugged directly
IN front Of the Trust company's building.
When the workmen reached the pipe about
II o'clock last night they found that it. too.
had been cracked and that a new section
would have TO be laid. The cutting and
plugging did not shut on h supply from
Dny occupied building on the block
The foreman from the Department Of
Water Supply found that to cut OF the
water from the single IL inch main run
ming down Wall street at this point he
would have 20 go back to the Broadway
Coner Maloney consequently shut the
gate at Broadway, thus closing the water
supply 10 buildings on both sides Of
Wall street. from Broadway to William
Etreet. This will o trouble Uncle sam.
.tndrew Mason, superintendent Of the
assay Once, said last night that while that
building and the Sub Treasury would suffer
from lack Of steam until the steam pipe
vas replaced both got water from their
v artesian well
At II O'Clock last night when the water
and steam pipes were uncovered by the
workmen Foreman Maloney said that he
Could do nothing toward repairing the
break ut that time and that it would prob
ably be noon to-day before a new section
Of pipe could be put in and the water turned
on again. The foreman for the steam CON-
pany also said nat he could not repair
the break In tho pipes last night and that
the steam would not be on again before
noon.
The interruption Of the water and steam
supply will probably be Z ound to work con-
Tiderable hardship in the otace buildings.
N several OF them which are not equipped
With independent power and heating plants
If their wi elevators win not run and
the Thermometer win give truthful tally OF
weather conditions prevailing in and about
Manhattan. The block on Wall street
between Nassau and william streets will
yIufer the double drought of water and
steam; the one between Broadway and
Nassau will feel the lack Of water only.
On the south side Of Wall street the
buildings arc the Drexel nuilding. on
the southeast corner OF Wall and Broad
~'streets, where are the Offices OF J. p. Nor
gan & Co.; the Mechanics National Bank,
at IS Wall; the Mills Building, IS; the United
htates Trust Company, IS TO ~; and the
Atlantic Building, on the southwest corner
I"f William and Wall. In this latter build
nag are Clark, Dodge 4 Co., the Metro
politan Trust Company, the Atlantic Safe
Deposit Company, H~eidelbaoh, IckeIheimer
Il Co.; N. w. Halsey a Co. and Masten 4
Nichols.