FIRE HYDRANT BURSTS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 19

FIRE HYDRANT BURSTS

50ft Geyser In Street

An unexpected diversion tor Marshland road residents occurred yesterday afternoon, when a fire opposite Shirley Lodge Motels burst and sprayed a jet of water 50ft high over nearby houses and lawns. The unusual fountain could be seen cascading tor at least a mile down the road. The hydrant is believed to have burst when struck by a car. The artificial geyser quickly attracted a crowd of children, who watched as a grader was driven over it to prevent damage to power Lines and private gardens. Anxious road construction workers drained the flooded road by cutting a trench through the footpath to a creek 100 yards away. Water-main shut-off valves had been covered by shingle, and it was some time before they could be found. When the first one was turned off the pressure decreased, the grader was removed, and the geyser subsided to 25 City Council waterworks men spent an hour searching for the other valve. An engineer using a mine detector found it just after fl p.m. At 7 p.m. there was only a trickle one foot high. By 8 pm. the damage had been repaired and several thousand gallons of water had been channelled off the road.