Flood Costs Seen at $15,000-$25,000

Estimates of the damage incurred from last Thursday's watermain break near Canaday Hall's construction site range from $15,000 to $25,000, Eugene Arcand Jr., business administrator of Buildings and Grounds' utility division, said yesterday.

Damages occurred when coupling broke Thursday night, causing flooding in the steam tunnels, Widener Library and the underpass near the Science Center.

Arcand said that the Barkan Construction Company, contractor for Canaday Hall, the new dormitory under construction in the North Yard, was to blame for the coupling's breaking. He said Barkan's insurance would pay for the damages.

A spokesman for the company declined to comment on Arcand's statements.

Arcand said each steam meter in the tunnels will cost between $1000 and $2000 to replace if damages to them are irreparable. It is still too early to ascertain how many meters are damaged, he said.

Arcand also said flooding left layers of sediment on the steam tunnels' floors which will cost approximately $2000 to remove.

Cambridge Steam

The flooding also damaged motor works at the Cambridge Steam Company, Arcand said. The company, which supplies steam to Harvard, has not yet determined the extent of the damages.

Water backed up in drain pipes caused two inches of flooding in Widener Library's basement Thursday night, but Frank Lamentea, assistant business manager of Harvard College Library, said only minimal damage was done, costing approximately $500 to repair.

He said cartons of pamphlets, binding supplies and some recent book acquisitions were waterlogged but that nothing irreplacable was lost. He also said one Widener elevator is still out of service due to the flood.

The flood also caused telephone breakdowns in parts of the University due to damp cables. By Friday morning all service had been restored.

The watermain break caused no damage to the Canaday construction site, Arcand said.

Arcand said no electrical damage occurred because Canaday Hall's transformers were not in place. He said that the watermain break was reported at 6 p.m. Thursday by a staff engineer. The flood was brought under control within the next half hour. He said exact estimates of the damage would not be ready until next week.