The Blast at the Water Pipe
A reckless explosion near a city water main in Tacoma threatened the reservoir supply, forcing a frantic overnight repair.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A dynamite explosion took place on D Street in Tacoma which could have resulted seriously. It was a violent attempt to clear the street directly over the water mains. It not only got rid of the stump but blew out a section of the water pipe. The water broke through and formed a small pond, flooding the street. If the valves at the reservoir had been turned on for only about three-quarters of a supply, the damage would have been serious. The water was turned off last night and a new section of pipe placed in the break.
“It was a violent attempt to clear the street directly over the water mains. It not only got rid of the stump but blew out a section of the water pipe.”
Infrastructure vulnerability is a perpetual challenge in a growing city. Just as an accidental blast threatened Tacoma's water supply in 1887, modern Seattle continues to grapple with the fragility of its aging underground networks beneath rapidly developing neighborhoods.
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