College's Number One Boiler Explodes

An explosion from the College's primary boiler on October 26, 1981 forced dining services to resort to paper plates and plastic utensils, and resulted in a rude awakening for students seeking hot showers the following Tuesday morning. Residence halls built before 1964, primarily heated by the central steam supply, also lost heating for Monday evening. A mistiming of the ignition for the boiler's gas mixture resulted in a highly concentrated gas mixture inside the main chamber of the boiler. The ensuing explosion caused no injuries, but students, faculty, and Carlisle residents heard the explosion from up to two blocks from the campus. The damage to the boiler was estimated as costing between $8,000 to $10,000.