Sprinkler Spouts Thayer Flood

Spring showers came a little early for students living in Thayer Hall’s second floor when a sprinkler went off Friday afternoon, flooding the floor with dirty pipe water.

According to Thayer proctor Noah S. Selsby ’95, two students—Charles M. Baakel ’08 and Noah Van Niel ’08—were playing with a football in the hallway and accidentally hit the sprinkler, breaking it and setting it off.

Baakel and Niel, both Thayer residents, declined to comment until the situation was fully resolved, although Niel said he was “terribly sorry for any inconvenience.”

According to students on-hand, the water coming from the sprinkler had an odor and was full of black and brown sediment.

“It smells earthy,” Thayer resident Nicole K. Efron ’08 said.

“Water sits in the sprinkler system for years,” Selsby explained. “It’s good that it’s there, but over the years it gets old and stinky.”

According to Merle Bicknell, assistant director for Faculty of Arts and Sciences physical resources, the coloration results from oxidation of black seal pipes and poses no health problems.

According to Bicknell, water was shut down quickly so that only residual water came out of the sprinkler, and damage was limited to ceiling tiles.

The water “didn’t go into the rooms because we blocked it with towels and stuff,” Selsby said.

According to Bicknell, the alarm first went off when the ball hit the sprinkler, and the second alarm went off automatically due to the increase in the amount of water coming through the sprinkler system.

At least some Thayer residents, who had to evacuate the dorm briefly on Friday, found a positive way to spin the ordeal.

“There’s nothing like shared drama to cement the bonds of friendship,” said Edward Y. Lee ’08, another Thayer resident.

Students were able to return to their rooms—even if they might have been smelly—later in the day.

Selsby also took the opportunity to offer a piece of advice.

“Don’t play ball indoors,” he told The Crimson. “I can’t stress this enough.”

—Anne E. Bensson contributed to the writing of this story.