Geyser of Steam Erupts From Street

A spectacular geyser of hot white vapor shot into the air above Pennsylvania Avenue near the Mall yesterday after an apparent failure in an underground steam line.

One witness said the roaring, hissing jet rose as high as 30 feet above the street near the Newseum and the National Gallery of Art about 5:30 p.m. as passersby stared.

"This is something," said Hirut Tsigie, an employee of the art gallery.

Underground lines at the site provide steam to three nearby federal buildings, including the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse and the Department of Labor, according to Michael McGill, a spokesman for the General Services Administration.

He said authorities suspected that the escape of steam from a manhole stemmed from the failure of a bypass hose being used to permit repairs.

The steam rushed up just before rain pelted down, on a day that offered an unexpected glimpse of thermodynamics in action. Almost an inch of rain fell at Dulles International Airport. Electricity was knocked out at one point to about 9,400 Washington area homes and businesses.

In a further disruption to the systems that support Washington life, a 16-inch-diameter water main broke in the 7900 block of Piney Branch Road in the Takoma Park area.