Thursday, January 13, 2000
Main break floods Cleveland streets
Downtown a mess; schools close today
BY JOHN AFFLECK
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — A large water main broke Wednesday evening, turning an intersection into a fountain and pouring 25 million gallons of water through some of the city's busiest downtown streets.
People in the area taking in all of downtown and several adjacent neighborhoods were told to boil drinking water for 24 hours, and all Cleveland public and parochial schools will be closed today.
The break occurred along East Ninth Street, which runs between two of the city's best-known landmarks, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Jacobs Field.
A section of East Ninth will have to be removed so that repairs can be made. Mayor Michael R. White estimated that could take five days. The pipe was buried 6 feet underground.
Mr. White said the 36-inch water main was installed in 1913.
City officials were not sure what caused the break.
The main broke about 5:45 p.m. Three cars were stuck in the water, which was up to 2 feet deep. Motorists were able to leave their cars safely.
Zale Kesler, a businessman from Dallas, said he was shocked by the amount of water flowing down the street. He was unable to get to his hotel, the Hampton Inn, which was one of the closest buildings to the break.
“I didn't know the lake (Lake Erie) came in this close,” he joked. “I've never seen anything like this. I need a boat.”
It took about three hours for workers to bring the break under control. As the water receded, it left a muddy mess along East Ninth Street.
Most of the buildings near the break had electric power and running water by late Wednesday, but the Superior Building, an office building near the break site, remained without power because of basement flooding.
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