The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-25
POLICE RESERVES OUT-TEST,
336 RESPOND. MIXING TWO PIT
TOON SYSTEM WIN.
Time. . Hour rs Ninutes-tt the Time of
the subway Explosion on Murra, nm
Only 10l Men Came out IL Three
Hours Under Three Platoon system,

| To compare the workings of the two.
| platoon and the interpolation system
Commissioner Partridge caused thu. re-.
serves of twenty-six Manhattan prccinc, -.
to De called gu; without warning ycste,-
day afternoon. The only stations in THU.
borough not affected We're the Old Slip.
church strer'. city Hall, Brooklyn Bridge,
Grand Central Depot and Central Park
Tie result was pronounced victory for
The two-pla'OOn system, now in use
lie test was arranged TO be mad. a.
| nearly a. possible under tAe conditions.
prevailing at the time of he subway ey-
pioslon in front of the Murray Hin Hotel
ON Jan. -. The same precincts were
called on. Three calls were sent OFT Yes
t"rdny as then. the precincts included
IN each call being the same ON both DAYS
The 'lme between the calls was he same.
The only change made was in the hour
chosen for the beginning Of the test Tn.
Murray Hill explosion occurred lust b,-
fore noon and The first call for reserves
was sent out AT l2O O'Clock The three
platoon system. which was then i'm force
provided that the men should hay. had
their dinner before going on reserve. At
present the men eat after being placed
on reserve.
IL the first call yesterday had been sent
out Just after noon, certain percentage
OF the men ON reserve would have been
away for dinner, and the conditions would
not have been the same as on Jan D.
The Grand Central Palace at Lexington
aNenue and Forty-third street was made
the point of rendezvous Yesterday. Only
four men knew i'll advance what WAS
coming. They were Commissioner Par
fridge, Second Deputy Commissioner Piper.
Senior Inspector Cortright and Serrt
Russell aid 10 Capt. Piper The DENNY
Commissioner sent out the calls in person
telephoning them TO Inspector CortrizhI.
VINO IN turn transmitted them To the police
telegraph bureau
The first call went out M 3O5 oclocL
10 the Iendcrloin, the East Thirty fifth
street and the East Flfty-first street
stations. Four more stations were called
out AT sos O'Clock and all the other nineteen
AT 1923 O'Clock
The first contingent to respond was a
squad of five men from the East Fiftv-frSi
street station. They reached the Grand
central Palace at 3Osl O'Clock or with
Tour minutes of the issuing of the call
After that the men from the nearest sta
lions arrived in squads within few minutes
oil each other, Five of those precincts
used patrol wagons to get their reserves
more quickly to the spot. The men from
the more distant precincts came by street
cars and trains
As soon As they arrived they were shown
UP 10 the main hall in the Grand Central
Palace. The appearance Of 81 many hlua-
coats soon attracted "A crowd, but il was
scattered by sergeant and two patrolmen
placed on guard in front of the building
by Capt. Piper.
The men themselves remained ignorant
10 tllp very la - n n bnt A,
o'clock, or an hour and twenty-five minutes
after the flr-t call, Capt. Piper declared the
test finished. The force then on hand in
Guided sergeant-, IL roundsmen and 3l7
patrolmen, or a total of $50. On Jan 81
u took about three hours to get together
sergeants, 10 roundsmen and 100 patrol
men. or a total of 1871
Before sending them back to their sta
tons Capt. Piper spoke To the men, telling
them that the Commissioner had vi sbad 70
hnd out by experiment how long it would
take TO get them out and how many would
come.
After having received reports from Can't
flper ana Inspector Corright, Col. Par
fridge made the following statement,
ORDERED TIE modification of the reserves
or certain precincts this afternoon for tho
nnrhose OF gaming Information as ia their
efficiency | wautrd to SEQ what portion Of
the reserve would respond 10 an ein.ry.u,v
CA ma also low many would not respond,
ana Va" r"asons why Il il understood. OF
sex, M court or ah."nt on leave and il i
a"o und"rstood that one or two men will
always be retained az the station house for
house duty "
| selected the precincts whose reserves
W'r" Called Tor on Nh" occasion of the sub
way "NplOs sion, because desired to Compar r.
~" results as obtained in january last Under
"" thi""- platoon system with those oh
tanned to-day under the tWo-platoon system
II" calls were sent ont without any previous
warning TO the precincts
II -"ems To me. -ail Cant Piper aft or
his return TO Police Hoaduiarters las,
night, that the two-platoou system il the
one hat the property owners and the ci,i-
IeIS IN general most prefer
While Col Partridge would rot say so. /,
was generally understood about head
quarters that his arrangement Of an OK.
F"rlnent like this ~ tho present time wa, |
directly connected with the work Of tho |
MAYORS commission TO suggest reform.
In the department and that II was mean, ia |
u" used IN ar argument against the other
two pmmissiOnors, ey- District Attorney
Pnilb1 and former Police Conmis-iorar
Andrews. who are though to favor aro,l ar
trial of the three platoon system. Col Par
ridges opposition TO that system Is |
expected TO be more decided since TN. |
of Yesterday 4
" was also rimorei about headdJiar,nrs
la-l night TINT hereafter similar tcsts. b,,
under difci 8 ditions, will bc made
every two or three months.