HYDRANT BURSTS IN WELLINGTON

Southland Times, Issue 23782, 1 April 1939, Page 6

HYDRANT BURSTS IN WELLINGTON

WOMAN SUFFERS FROM SHOCK (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 31. Struck by a powerful gusher of water which shot with a roar 50 feet in the air when a fire hydrant in Manners street, Wellington, burst tonight, Mrs S. F. Brailsford, of Karaka Bay, was hurled from her feet At the expense of a ducking a young man dashed out from the pavement and assisted Mrs Brailsford, who was thoroughly drenched and suffering from shock, into the foyer of the Grand Opera House. Later, she was taken home in a taxi. The gusher continued to play from 6.50 p.m. till 7.35 p.m., entertaining a crowd of several hundreds. With side curtains drawn trams ploughed through the deluge, giving passengers an unusual experience as water thundered heavily on the roofs. The cause of the gusher Ayas a broken bolt in the hydrant which is attached to a 12-inch main. The water burst out under a pressure of 1301 b to the square inch just as Mrs Brailsford was stepping past the hydrant. Fortunately, the iron cover which was hurled into the air did not strike her. FALL FROM LADDER James Stewart, aged 62, of Duke street, a gardener at the Karitane Hunt Hospital, fell 10 or 12 feet from a ladder yesterday when the top portion of it broke off. He fell to a concrete yard and fractured his thigh and elbow and suffered bruises. He was admitted to the Southland Hospital and his condition last night was reported to be satisfactory.