Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-05
SPECTACULAR BREAK
 IN wAyeR MAIN.
Thames Square Flooded With Stream
 frem Dix Inch Pipe-Geyssr ~ Water That Shot 25 Feet Into the Air

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 For nearly an hour late Monday afternoon a geyser burst a six inch water main in Thames square. deluGed the square with a stream of water that shot more than 26 feet into the air against the front of the P. J, oe0on- nor building on the corner of West Main and Thames streets. flooded the saloon on the main floor of the build ing, as well as two adjoining cellars. and even sent water into tue apart msnts of MT, o'Connor. on the second floor. where there were from two te three inches of water fin the parior and hallway and other rooms.
 It was the largest and most speetac- ular break in the history of the depart ment in years and occurred in what is lined pipe now in the city water sys- ter. Up to the time of the break Supt- J. J. Corkery had not supposed there was any of the old cement lined pipe left in the system. It was laid 70 years ago. When the water had been shuf of 1t was found that the break was In a 10-foot section of the old cement lined pipe, which was connected at each end with s-iHeh iron pipe
 John Quinn and Patrick Brennan. who were standing on the. corner when the break occurred. said that the ground seemed to rise like blister and then the cap of a shuton was blown off and the sheet of water shot into the air. Mr. Quinn went to warn the West Side Chemical company from coming down that way, while Mir Brennan telephoned to the water de- partment from Rathbone's drug store
 The break happened about 5 o'clock and the force of the water shot dirt and stones into the air and quickly hoiiowed out hole in the street about Is feet square. The doorway of the saloon of Owsiak & Mieacz in the O'Connor building was directly in line with the stream that shattered the glass in the door with yolley of that were carried by the water weigh ing several pounds.
 The deiuge poured into the saloon through the door and the water was a of the bar. The cellar of the meat market of T. MeMahon on West Main steret was flooded by water that pour ed in through the sidewalk grating and the cellar under the saloon of Jehn H. Bowman in the adjoining building was also flooded with damage to a stock of tobacco kept there. The asphalt side walk in front of the Bowman place was undermined and sank in later in the afternoon.
 water department responded to the call for help and with several helpers snut off the several gates that had to be reached to check the deluge-
 This took some time, as the burst main was fed from the big Is inch main that comes in from Stony Brook reservoir. To cut the break out com pletely 1t was necessary to shut on a gate at Washington square and then another one at Asylum street, where the 20 inch main reduces to l6 inches
 This was done after the burst sec tion had also been cut out by shut ting off gates in Thames street ana in Thames square, the last named be- ing a tie with the 12 inch main whicn also goes through this street As ah tn eservices and hydrants are on the IF inch main in West Main street, the shutting off of the Is inch main did not deprive that section of water. The only section that did not have water because of the break was small sec tion of Thames street
 shut off, Superintendent Corksry had the repair work started The water was bailed out of the hole torn in the ground and men were set at work digging up the old cement lined Pipe of which ten feet were found. This was replaced by six inch iron pipe with a gate in it. As soon as the gate was nut in, the water could be turned on again on Thames street The northern end of the cement lined pipe connected with an iron elbow to whien the new iron pipe was run and the work was finished at an early hour this morning. The water department men did some fast work in the repair line and had the system back to nor nal conditions at tn earliest possieie moment.
 While the big stream of water was shooting into the air, a big crowd col lected, requiring the services of Po- licemen Henderson. Smith and Mc- Fadden to keep them within safe hounds and handle the teams that had to pass through the square while the water was shooting into the air:
 At the suggestion of Fire Comnts- sioner Thomas H. Beokley the police cleared the crowd off the veranda above the Francis store as the oom- missioner thought the crowd there might increase to more than the struc- ture would hold.
 The hole torn fin the street was within a few feet of the trolley tracks and tine stream of water, shot across them so that no cars on the Mont vile line could pass for half an hour, but the track was not undermined
 The water ran eastward along the sidewalk and street to the bridge over the Central Vermont tracks and pour ed off the bridge like a cascade, de- scending onto the railroad tracks and from there flowing into the fantic river
 It also poured down the runway to
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