WATER MAIN BURSTS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1927, Page 4

WATER MAIN BURSTS

LONDON' STREETS LIKIO RIVERS. LONDON, February 0. Women walking; down a quiet. London .street last night were suddenly engulfed in a fierce current of water which surged round their waists and were rescued in a tainting condition by policemen and passers-by. This took place in Dnli'ing-road, Hammersmith. W., which was suddenly transformed into a raging torrent by the bursting of a large water main at the junction of the road with Kingstreet—a busy main road running from 15 re lit ford to Hammersmith. A policeman and a garage proprietor waded tune after time into the water to drag screaming women to safety. HOAR OK WATER. Within a few minutes of the bursting of the main at S o’clock, Dallingrnad, which is a street ol houses and shops, was .‘{ft under water. The torrent poured into the ground floors of houses doing great damage. It tilled cellars, flooded a garage, and put an electricity sub-station transformer out of action, throwing a big cinema into darkness. Within liai’f an hour a square quarter of a mile of streets was afleeted by the flood water.

Despite the frantic efforts of workmen rushed to the scene, for two hours the water poured down Dalling-road with such a roar that no other sound could lie heard. PAVING FORMS RAFT.

Within a few minutes of the hurst the whole of the wood-paving surface of Dalling-road had risen and was floating on what was actually a lake. Netir King-street the wooden blocks still remained together and formed a vast raft which moved up and down when anyone walked over it. At one moment the paving stones would rise from the pavement., allowing a trickle of water to escape. At another the roadway oO yards off would suddenly break out. In many parts of King-street the wooden blocks of tin' roadway rose in largo humps, and it was found necessary to divert all traffic save the tramway-ears.

The ever-rushing torrent of water flooded the electricity sub-station, which lies beneath the southern pavcmrnl of King-street opposite Dallingroad, aud which contains two automatically opera!cd transformers. POWER PLANT AFFECTED.

.’some of the power plant which supplies light to the Ulne Hall Cinema, a large picture- theatre only a few yards nwav, was raphliY put out of action and the place was thrown into darkness. Tiy using a private power unit the show was able to continue as usual. Meanwhile the water had risen to within two inches of a level where it would have put out of action the second transformer and thrown the area round the eastern end of King-street into darkness.

A hand-pump was rushed to the scene mid workmen tolled feverishly t-o keep down the level of the water in the power house. A "Daily Mail'’ reporter, while telephoning the news of the flood from a. garage in Dalling-road to Carmelite House, was standing knee deep in water.

At I o’clock this morning the flood had subsided, hut the main road was still obstructed, while a number of electricity company’s employees wore standing bv the iin.h rgrouml substation which had been cleared ol water. •

The burst occurred in a high pressure water main '2\ feet in diameter, which, with four or live other mains, is ah:,tit .'5 feet under the ground.

When the hurst'occurred, the drop of pressure was shown at the Stand-ish-road pumping-station, hut the eitgiiiers had to turn of! several mains before the broken one was located.