Law Dorm Room Flooded by Water From Pipe Crack

A room on the top floor of a Law School dormitory was badly flooded Wednesday night when hot water seeped through a crack in a new radiator installed by contractors this summer.

William L. Bruce '46, vice dean of the Law School, said yesterday that the contractors will have to pay for any damage. "Since the radiators were inspected, we suspect this was an isolated case. However if the same thing continues to happen, the contractor will be out of a lot of money," Bruce said.

Joyce Rechtschaffen, the occupant of the Ames Hall room, said that none of her personal property was damaged but that the wall-to-wall carpeting was soaked.

Bruce said that two parts of the heating pipe in Rechtschaffen's room were improperly sealed.

Bruce said that during the summer, plumbing contractors installed additional hot-water radiation in Rechtschaffen's room and others that tended to be uncomfortably cool.

Water leakage from a heating pipe was also reported last week by another law school student in a different dormitory.

Helen Garten said that although the carpeting in her Story Hall room was slightly damaged, the leak was relatively minor.