An errant lacrosse ball knocked off a hallway water sprinkler head on the second floor of the Lodge late Sunday night, starting a massive flood.
The damages incurred from the flooding may exceed $5,000 in value, said Woody Eckels, residential operations director.
College Proctor Robert McEwen said a student has confessed to throwing the ball but he would not release the name.
McEwen called the incident an accident.
Eckels said the accident occurred when several students were playing lacrosse in the hallway around 11:30 Sunday night, during which time the ball broke the sprinkler head, setting off the building's fire alarm and causing several hundred gallons of water to flood much of the building.
About 30 rooms, most of them on the second floor, were soaked by the water set off by the sprinklers, Eckels said.
He said the damage totals will not be known for some time, but estimated the total to be between $2,000 and $5,000. "Mostly right now it's labor costs," Eckels said.
Crews were brought in Monday night to vacuum up the water, which spewed from the sprinkler at a rate of almost 40 gallons per minute for almost 10 minutes, according to Eckels.
"It was raining outside my door," said Rebecca Appel '96, who lives near the broken sprinkler. "It was like a deluge from the sky."
The broken sprinkler located in the center of the second floor automatically set off the building's fire alarm. Safety and Security Officers arrived on the scene first.
The Hanover Fire Department and the Police Department also responded.
The sprinkler continued to run until a College troubleshooter arrived. In the meantime, Safety and Security officers went around the dorm rooms covering student's belongings with plastic as the water rained down.
"It caused quite a flood in the building," McEwen said. "Water damage can be horrendous."
Some of the water seeped through the second floor to the first floor or seeped between the walls.
Several second floor residents described watching the water as it came under their door and slowly made its way across the room. But the majority of the residents were standing outside because of the fire alarm.
Appel said she was one of the only residents that stayed in the room, because she knew there was no fire. But that did not spare her the wrath of a fireman who was not pleased that she stayed inside.
The water was very dirty, because it had been sitting in the pipes for years, according to another Lodge resident who lives near the break.
Gregory Obenshain '96, who lives on the first floor beneath the sprinkler head, had water seeping through the ceiling into his room. "There was a steady drip," he said. Some of his books were "totally wrecked."
However, while he was outside during the fire alarm, Safety and Security officers covered his computer with plastic. He said the whole experience was "sort of annoying."
Facility Operations and Management workers spent much of yesterday shampooing carpets in the hallways and in rooms, according to Eckels, who said the cleanup is going well.
"It went pretty smoothly," he said. "Students were very, very cooperative."
Accidents such as this are not unheard of, although they are rare.
"This has happened in the past," McEwen said. Eckels said "We've been pretty lucky with our sprinkler systems."
By yesterday afternoon the Lodge was drying out. Dehumidifiers were running, and the only signs of the previous night's flood were wet carpets throughout much of the building and wet or missing ceiling tiles adjacent to the break and on the first floor directly beneath the break.
"They were very efficient" cleaning up, Appel said.
An accident report will be submitted to the Dean of the College's office, which, in conjunction with the Office of Residential Life, will determine if disciplinary action is necessary.
