Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-19
Hiqh-Passure Main Throws
Geyser High in Air.
BUILDING FRONT WASHED
Dynamoss in Cellar Are Put Out of
Business.
STOP RUNNING
Tenants. Walking /, to Eighteenth
Story This Observation-Disclosures
and Engineer Ride. on Lid.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, January 19-There has
never been so much watering done in
Wall street before, except. possibly, at
big fire, as there was last night when
geyser shot suddenly out Of the street
and deluged the front of the eighteen
story Office building of the Manhattan
Trust Company, Wall and Nassau streets.
The subtreasury. directly opposite. and
fine Hanover National Bank. next door.
were neglected in the operations Of the
geyser.
The worst effect OF the flood was the
damage done to the dynamos in the sub
cellar OF the Manhattan Trust Company
building, which were temporarily derang
ed so that the elevators could not be run
this morning. Tenants. especially those
occupying offices the eighteenth floor.
made the acquaintance of the stairs.
HYdrant Left Turned On.
The trouble-that is to say, the geyser-
arose from a concealed fire hydrant be-
meath the pavement. A lid covers four
main. in which there is high pres
sure.
The hvdrant was inspected yesterday.
In testing the valve. it IS supposed. some
one left it turned on.
The caps on the openings held the water
back for a good many hours. Last night
about IL o'clock one Of them yielded to
the strain. The lid offered no obstruc-
ton, and a column Of water leaped into
the air
The streams struck the front of the
building at height Of forty feet. but
fortunately did not enter window. The
water began to pour down into the cellar
and subcellar and brought out the night
engineer. Henry Erickson in hurry.
The first thing he did was to ask the
assistance of Patrolman Mallon of the
John street station. The NEXT step was
not so obvious.
Ride on Iron Lid.
The engineer and policeman put their
heads together and decided 1t would be
good idea to put something over the
hole. Then they caught sight OF the
lid.
1t was exactly what they were looking
for. There was nothing to be done ex-
cept to place II firmly over the orifice
and sit on It.
They picked up the lid with confidence.
and. each taking one side. drew close to
the spout. Then the question arose
whether to slide the cover over the hole
as low as possible to the ground or to
cut in higher up and drop with 1t.
The latter course seemed the better. At
a signal given by Erickson 1t was carried
out successfully-so far as getting the
cover over the hole was concerned.
But the cover refused to stay In place.
1t went up in the air like a skyrocket,
taking the engineer and policeman as
passengers.
One trial was all that the scheme got
When Erickson and Mallon had picked
themselves up and wrung a few gallons of
water from their clothes they decided to
appeal to the wafer department.
Water Department Efficient.
Mallon called up the department. A
crew was sent to the scene The geyser
had been spouting for nearly an hour
before 1t was finally shut off.
In this time more than eighteen inches
of water had accumulated In the SUBJ
cellar of the skyscraper and got at the
dynamos which provide power for light
ing the building and running the eleva-
tors. 1t rose up to the armatures and
fields. making the insulation defective.
The motors will have to he renovated
before they can light the building and
hoist the elevators again
Engines were sent for to pump the wa
ter out of the cellar of the Manhattan
Trust Company building. A little water
had leaked into the cellars of other build
ngs nearby. Until the water was shut
off torrent poured down Nassau and