New-York tribune., 1902-01-28
THREE PLATOON DELAYS
1T TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO GET 2S
POLICEMEN TO THE SCENE.

The explosion caused two sensations at Police
Headquarters. One attended the excitement ane
general hasty bustling in getting policemen ts
the scene of the accident The other came
afterward. when the summing up of what hae
been done made Then there was a com
ment about the three platoon system. when Il
was found that il had taken over an hour tc
get 2S5 policemen on the scene, by securing al
precincts of Manhattan. four precincts of The
Bronx and doubling pests in precincts near the
accident. while at the Tarrant fire 600 police
men were on the spot in hour and half
No one in authority would talk of this. but the
police throughout the department discussed it
among themselves
Chief Inspector Cortrieht was talking to Com
missioner Partridge WHEN the news of the
plosion reached Headquarters. He sat down at
the Commissioners desk ani telephOned orders
and he and the Commissioner than talked to-
gether for some time, sending orders every once
in a while. Inspectors Harley and Thompson,
whose inspection districts NEE It Park-ave.
were at once sent to the scene. but Thompson
withdrawn later. An order for all ambu-
lances was sent out. and all the police surgeons
were ordered to the scene
The reserves of the five precincts adjoining
the scene of the accident were ordered out. but
they found much trouble in handling the crowds
because of the width of Forty-second-st. and
Park-ave. The reserves of four more precincts
were then called out. but there were so few OF
them and they proved so inadequate for the
work devOlving them that Inspector Cort-
right sent an order to every precinct in Manhat-
tan to get all reserves to the scene at once
This brought out only 165 men. Another call
for the reserves of the Highbridge. Alexander
ave. Morrisania and fremont stations, In The
Bronx added twentyseven men, making total
of 1876 men.
There were still too few. Commissioner Par
fridge then had all the posts Of the precincts
in the vicinity of the accident doubled and the
relieved men sent TO the scene. This sent eighty.
nine more men. making grand total of 2s5.
This the first time since the three platoon
system went into effect that il was necessary
to get policemen to a certain spot in hurry
Nine hundred men in Manhattan alone it was
said, had been hurried to the scene of the Tar
rant explosion in an hour and half. In the old
system one-fourth of the force of a precinct
was always on duty, while under the present
system only one-ninth is on duty
An attempt was made to get some one in au-
thority to talk of this phase of the police con-
nection with the explosion, but none could be
seen except Inspector Cortright and he refused
to have anything to say about it,
AS soon as Borough Commissioner of Pub
lie Works Livingston heard of the explosion he
ordered inspectors and engineers of the bureaus
OF Highways and Sewers to the scene, to report
TO him what damage had been done to the city
property in the care of these departments The
report was that no damage of consequence was
apparent. John H. Bull. engineer of the De-
partment of Water Supply. Gas and Electricity.
also sent men TO the scene of the accident, and
soon followed them himself.
Several inspectors of the Buildings Depart
ment. under the personal directions of Superin-
tendent Bonner, visited the scene of the ex-
plosion late in the afternoon and investigated
the condition of the buildings. So far as could
be learned last night. the only thing they did
was to direct Mr.. Jacques, of the Murray Hill
Hotel, not to allow any part of the northeast
corner OF the hotel 10 be used.