Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-01-08
WATER DEPARTMENT OPERATED
FOR But A SINGLE HOUR
YESTERDAY.
CITY WAS IN DARKNESS
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT SHUT
DOWN LAST NIGHT FOR
LACK OF WATER.
BACK TO NORMAL TODAY
Officials say the Full Water Service
VII Probably BE Resumed
This Morning.

Unable to secure water from tho
city mains. the plant Of the Tulsa
Corporation was shut down at
o'clock last night and for over two
hours the city was in almost tota
darkness, while business Of all kinds
was at a standsti,l. Street cars were
unable to run. At the city water
works pumping station various city
officials directed the efforts OF O
large force of men, who had beer
trying constantly for "a hours to cut
through the almost solid Ice OF the
Arkansas river and forcing running
water into the intake pipe. Theii
efforts were un, valllng, however.
Melted Cakes of Ice. 4
After melting n thousand cakes OF
ice the electric light plant manag-
ed to run during the day but soon
after the heavy night demand for
power began the supply began tc
dwlndle faster and faster until at
O'Clock the engines came to a stand
still Manager Paul Galloway i'm
medately made arrangements to Sc
cure temporary supply of water
from the refinery of the Texas com
pany south Of the city. Through the
courtesy Of the Frisco railroad three
tank cars of water arrived at the
plant of the Tulsa Corporation at
o'clock. Pipes were laid from the
tank cars to the boiler plant and the
fires were again started. At $40
o'clock every electric light In the city
went on again and the prospects were
good for a continuous service until
today, Mt least, when It is hoped the
water department Will be In a posi-
ton to furnish an abundant supply OF
water through the city mains.
Water OF All Day.
The water situation became criti-
cal Yesterday. The water around the
intake pipe at the pump station was
frozen solid and workmen were fore
ed to dig q channel through the ice
for a quarter of a mile. to connect
with the small undercurrent. Hun
dreds of bottles OF spring water were
sold during the day. being used In
many instances for washing dishes
or running boilers. Mayor Frank M
Wooden and other city officials have
been at the waterworks plant CON
stantly since Monday night At 10
o'clock last night they succeeded in
connecting up two of the new wells
z mile north Of the station, with the
flow line that was recently completed
These wells would have been in op-
Grafton months ago had II not been
for the failure of the contractor to
complete stand pipe that was to
furnish n gravity pressure for the
water. Last night the centrifugal
pumps in two of the wells were start
ed pumping the water into the man
holes Of the flow line, which convey
ed the water to the main pumping
station, from where II was turned
into the city mains. A small amount
OF water was secured from the intake
pipe in the river. The pressure was
maintained for an hour when the
plant was forced TO again shut down.
The water pipes and especially the
service lines at many homes had froz-
en- and bursted. making It impossible
for the water to enter them after II
had been turned into the mains,
Mayor Wooden expressed the hope
at midnight that the water would be
turned on again at o'clock this
morning and run without further