WATER MAIN BURSTS
QUEEN STREET SPECTACLE SHOP VERANDAH SUFFERS MALICIOUS FIRE ALARM The foot of Queen Street resembled a scene of thermal activity last night when a water main burst and sent up a column of water which rivalled the famous Pohutu Geyser at its best. Without warning, shortly after 8.30 the main burst at a hydrant near the kerb outside the premises occupied by J. W. Coleman, tobacconist, and McKeown's cake shop. The water carried away two verandah lights' and two sheets of corrugated iron, and at times rose from 50ft. to 60ft. in the air. Two motor-cars were pushed to safety. The break occurred as a result of the high pressure being turned on when the Central Fire Station received a call from an alarm box at the corner of Queen Street and Fort Street. Four engines—two from the central station and one from each of the Ponsonbv and Parnell stations —responded to the alarm which proved to have been maliciously given. The fault in the hydrant was repaired after tb«; water in the main had been turned oil at Customs Street. The contents of the shops near by were reported to be undamaged.
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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23359, 30 May 1939, Page 8
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196WATER MAIN BURSTS New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23359, 30 May 1939, Page 8
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