CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Water Main Break Causes Cave-In

A water main break in San Francisco’s Forest Hill neighborhood, just west of Twin Peaks, spilled thousands of gallons of water and caused a large street cave-in. “We lost a couple of hundred thousand gallons,” estimated Marty Lieberman, manager of the San Francisco Water Department’s distribution division. “We don’t know what caused it. It could have been damaged in the (Oct. 17) earthquake. Who knows? But we’ve had other breaks in this area and don’t know why.” With water pouring down Laguna Honda Boulevard for more than two hours, auto, bus and underground trolley traffic was disrupted. The cave-in on Laguna Honda, where it meets Dewey Boulevard, stretched for about 150 feet and was about 25 feet wide at some spots. Municipal Railway underground trolley traffic through the Forest Hill station was stopped for a short time but then resumed officials reported.