A Con Edison spokesman, Rich Mullieri, said that yesterday's record was likely to be broken today.

The Con Edison spokesman, asked last night about the 1986 city policy, said he had never heard of it.

Michael Clendenin, a Con Edison spokesman, put the time of the eruption at 10 a.m.

Mr. Gitten, the Con Edison spokesman, said he believed that such procedures were already in effect.

All the employees named in the charges have left the company or been suspended, a Con Edison spokesman said.

A Con Edison spokesman conceded that there might be additional instances of steam-pipe explosions in company records.

A Con Edison spokesman offered only a limited response to questions about the problems with the Queens network in recent years.

Things were looking good, Michael Spall, a Con Edison spokesman, said.

Bruce Wittmer, a Con Edison spokesman, said the utility was investigating the cause.

A Con Edison spokesman said, "treat any lines on the ground as though they are alive."