The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-14
DITCHED WITH HIS ENGINE
FIREMAN PINNED IN 4 FIFTH AVE-
NUE. EXCAVATION.

Three Horses In the Ditch, Too-No Lanterns
to show That tho Cross street wna Not
PassabIe-Driver. strapped TO Iais Scat,
Fire engine No. / left It's house at 1876 West
Twenty-ninth street at 11:40 o'clock last even.
Ing to answer an alarm Of fire runR from the
box at Fourth avenue and Thirty-third street.
Tho engine is q heavy one. drawn by three big
horses.
Thomas Kelly, tho driver, was strapped to his
seat, and John Mccartney, tho foreman, and
Thomas McCabe, the engineer, were standing on
the step behind tho flrobox. Kelly sent the
horses at q gallop through Twenty.ninth street
to Broadway, and up broadway TO Thirtieth
street, whore he turned east to keep on the
asphalt.
The middle of Fifth avenue is torn up for a
block on each side of Thirtieth street for tho
new water mains, and the ditch extends so far
beyond tho street lines on each side that the
roadway left was too narrow to allow the pluns-
Ing horses and rocking engine to pass.
The distractions to tho roadway were not In
dictated by danger signals. and Kelly did not see
that his engine could not get through until he
was within a few feet Of the avenue. When he
measured tho width of tho street with his eye
and saw no had no chance he glanced
to the north and south. The heaps Of
dirt on the sides OF the ditch take up 30 much
room that there ia little moro than q carriage
way beside each sidewalk Of tho avenue. But
Kelly saw hat his only chance was to turn tho
horses north into the path on the west side Of
the avenue.
! AS tho horses reached tho western curb Of tho
avenue Kolly guided them to tho left, intending
TO have them run up q couple OF blocks. to a
place where they could go across town. Tho
Il. IL - -.-l "a tl.A Nha,r
could not turn sharply enough, and tho
engine. swinging after them. slipped q couple Of
feet to the east. Then the rear wheel on the Off
side caught in a projecting Belgian block, and
the engine tipped over to the right.
felt IT dragged Dng sr, shs horsei sb wi1h , / for three Of Ts fSTs
across the avenue. and they struck 4 where It
and broke through 1t and into the ditch; The
lurch that they gave to tho engine sent 1t into
Mccartney and McCabe had time to jump and
saved Themselves. Kelly, strapped to his scat.
9 gIsi sG mot x. hsy csS 5gbmP Ssi T Svsn ,h had .t De a 6f ab a,e eS:
One Of the horses went on Its sido when it
struck the bottom of the ditch. The others re-
manned standing with their heads to the north.
The tender Of the engine was close behind. but
work Of extricating Kelly by attaching q hoist.
ing rope OF a derrick on the edges OF the ditch to
They lifted it a little. Kelly was conscious.
Ho asked them not to move the engine again. as
1t pressed harder on him. The hoist rope was
finally attached to the forward wheels. Two
nremcn climbed into the ditch and began to
file through the rods holding the seat which i'm.
prisoned Kelly.
When they had the rods nearly cut the derrick
was set at work and tho engines front wheels
were lifted a little. As they were the firemen at
work. on the seat snapped the rods and Kelly
was lifted out.
An ambulance was waiting to take him to the
New York Hospital. As he was carried to 1t he
spoke to Battalion Chief Walsh, who was in
command of the wrcckcrs.
Il don't think I'm much hurt" was what he
said.
A crowd that filed the avenue and side streets
had gathered, and when Kelly was lifted out he
got three cheers FOR his grit.
As the ambulance carried him away the Fire
Departments wrecking wagon arrived, and the
work OF rescuing the horses was begun.
The horses were all got out at l 80 A. NJ. None
OF them was much hurt.
Tho fire was on the frat floor OF the three
story brick tenement at 4S5 Third avenue In
apartments occupied by John Baker. The dam
age was slight.