The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-04-04
This Afteronon Man on
Whose Property Main Was
Dynamited Was Blamed
for Destruction of Main.
BUSINESS IN CITY
Is MUCH AFFECTED
Men Thrown Out of
Employment Today-Mem-
bers of Repair Gang Work
ed Throughout the Night.
[BULLETIN1

An affidavit charging Alfred
c. Underhill with /. maliciously
and mischievously injuring and
causing to be injured the water
main which conducts the city's
water supply from the water
works pumping station to the
city of Richmond, thus COM
pletely stopping the supply of
water to the city, was filed at
police headquarters this after
noon by Chief of Police Gormon
and Prosecuting Attorney Keller.
He was ordered arrested and
brought before the police court
at the session tomorrow morn
ing.
About noon today Richmond's
water supply was resumed after
the city had been without this
service since 5 o'clock yesterday
afternoon and, in consequence,
without any fire protection. The
city was cut off from its water
supply by the alleged careless
blasting of stump in a field a
half mile east of Hawkins pond.
The blasting was done by Perry
Blackburn, who was employed
by Alfred Underhill, who owns
the property, which he has been
clearing for some time.
The blasting which demolished
a large section of the only water
main running into the city from
the pumping station, two and a
half miles northeast of Rich
mond, was done within a few
feet of the main and within fif-
ty feet of where the last break
occurred. eighteen years ago.
The authorities are making a
rigid investigation of the affair.
Statement by Dill.
81 do not believe the water
main was dynamited maliciously,
but it most certainly was a case
of gross carelessness," stated
Howard Dill, superintendent of
the water works company, to-
day.
When asked if it was true that
Underhill had had trouble with
the company and had made
threats against it, Mr.. Dill said
that some time ago, Underhill
had informed him that he ex-
pected to derive some benefit if
the proposed second main was
laid through his field and that if
he did not get satisfaction the
company would pay for IT," Mr..
Dill said he did not know wheth-
er 'Underhill made this remark
in jest or in earnest. "Underhill
was shown that the company had
a right of way through his field
for the main now down, granted
by the man who owned the prop
erty before Underhill secured it,
added Mr.. Dill. "and he has not
molested it and has not attempt
ed to keep our inspectors off his
field, but he has bothered us in
other ways considerably"
Mr.. Dill learned today that one
of the posts in the UnderhiIl
field, marking the site of the
main, had been taken down sew
eral months ago and he said he
found this post today at least
two hundred feet from the main.
II intend TO keep this post. 1t
may be a clue to something in
teresting," Mr.. Dill said.
Water Safe to Drink.
The water works company,
just before the water was turned
on, requested the newspapers to
inform the public that for time
the water would be very cloudy
but that it would not be injur-
ious, this statement being con-
firmed by the health officer.
1t is difficult to estimate the
total amount of the losses in
CURED by the people of Rich