Another water pipe bursts

Fort Scott water distribution supervisor Bill Lemke shovels rocks and dirt into a hole around a water pipe in the middle of National Avenue on Sunday afternoon as city crews worked to repair a leak in a water main underneath the road between First and Second streets. He said he received a call shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday that water had sprung up on roads and sidewalks in the area. Crews installed a three-foot section of new pipe after finding a six or seven-inch gash in the existing pipe. Following installation, the rocks and dirt are tamped down before the hole is patched. Material underneath the road has to be as compact as possible to prevent sinkage on the busy street. Tribune photo/Jason E. Silvers