The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-30
FIRE RACED DEEP IN SUBWAY.
THIRD RAIL THUNDER AND
LIGHTNING FOLLOW COLLISION.

station at l08th ~. and q Cars burn
Up-HOpeless Task for the FIremen.
Two FIRE engines struggled all day yos-
terday with an appended slCysoTaper FIRE
in the subway. The timbering and shor-
ing Of the iesth street and Broadway sta
ton. now in process OF construction, to-
gether with five empty wooden cans, were
all burning 10 feet below the ground, and
the smoke and flames were running up
the shaft, where the elevators Of the finished
station will be, just like a fire in an oil
well. The fremen couldn't get a hose
UP the subway tunnel from the l57th street
station because Of the choking smoke, and
there il no inverted water tower Ia the
New York Fire Department The best
they could do was 10 turn water down the
shaft by two iO0-foot lines Of hose and let
the fire burn. Two fremen overcome by
smoke make up the list Of injuries.
Motor Switchman George Frey started
at II o'clock in the forenoon to switch a
train Of five empty wooden cans in the
space between the l57th street station, now
the running terminus Of the Broadway line,
and the i8sth street station, which was in
process Of being finished. The excavation
work in this new station Is done and the
firoproof walls are in, but through all the
200 feet of it, length il is a tangle Of shor-
ing timbers for the use of the brick and
tile workers who are putting on the finish
ing touches. There were also some piles
OF loose timber on the station platform and
several kegs Of oil.
Frey miscalculated his distance He
ran beyond the end of the switch and into
the station area. A handcaT, operated by
Italian workmen, was coming down the
track. The Italians saw the approaching
train and jumped. Frey saw the handcar
and reversed, too late. The train lifted the
steel handcar and threw il across the tracks
il touched the third rail and the feed cable
~ it fell
The handcar melted like butter and there
was a sharp explosion. The confinement Of
the air made the explosion a heavy one
for a short circuit It struck passengers
on the platforms three stations down the
line like slap in the face, II rushed up
the shaft, tearing of timbers from the
top scafolding and shaking the windows
Of the houses near by.
The snoring timbers caught Are at once.
Frey and the Italians, who stood between
the fire and the exit to the 18TH street
station, rushed TO the bulkhesd dividing
the burning station from the unfinished
lsIst street station. They tore through
the tunnel, yelling to the workmen along the
line TO get out. Eighty men joined in the
stampede toward Fort George. A fore
man and a crew Of workmen were dropping
in the workmen's elevator in the l6sth
street shaft when the explosion hit them
from below. Fortunately, the running
gear Of the elevator was not hurt. The
engineer put on power and reeled them
70 the surface.
In two minutes the fire had reached a
key Of oil. It went up with dull explosion,
and a column Of black smoke began to
roll up the shaft. Another smoke cloud
rolled down the subway tunnel, driving
passengers from the 18TH street station.
The widest rumors began to fly through
Harlem The subway had been blown
up by dynamite; 100 workmen were down
there shut up like miners in a burning
mine; q runaway train had done it, Three |
fire engines were at the top OF the shaft
pop, sending out more puts Of black smoke.
Battalion Chief Terpenny took charge, and
began to work out the toughest problem
which ever came the way Of the New York |
Fire Department.
from the location Of the fire, almost too far |
TO stretch a line Of hose yet IL seemed the !
only way. Four fremen volunteered TO |
run q car down the line and scout. Just |
as they struck the thickest Of the smoke, |
the power was turned OF, and there they |
stuck. II was getting hotter and more |
chol<y every moment; and they left the car |
and started back afoot. George Voltz |
and Thomas Ryan Of Engine IS were over |
come by smoke, and bad 20 be dragged |
out by the other two men, who barely /
made it TO the fresh air. II was plain that |
no FIRE hose could be brought up In that
direction.
The only other opening was the air shaft.
But the centre Of the fire was south Of the
shaft, and nothing but an appended water
tower could have got at the flames from
I hat vent The firemen did the best they |
could They put distributor which |
scatter the stream, on the ends Of two 100
shaft This saved the shaft timbering.
as well as the wooden bulkhead which outs
on the i8Sth street station from the I'M
finished section to is1st street.
After the hose had been running for a
while, Fireman Gaynor Of Engine o. volun-
teered 10 90 down the tunnel from isist
street to reconnoitre. He managed TO get
a peep in through the bulkhead. He re-
ported that part Of the masonry arch Of
the station had fallen in, that the soadold-
ing was all afire and that the train was
burning merrily The water from the
distributors did not sem 20 be doing any
good. Still IL was the only thing to do; 50
the fremen kept the two streams going and
let the IRE DuTn TeauIlnk ltldl IL COulQ '
not spread beyond the i0Sth street station.
As the men came out OF the entrance at
isist strest. Foremen Dyers and Bedford
checked them on on the pay list, and found
~ one missing. Switohman Frey reported
10 Division Superintendent Merritt, who
removed him TO a safe place and kept him
away from interviews.
WoTkmen, engineers. contractors and
officials united in declaring that there was
no dynamite In the station and that the
explosions heard were only the short cir
cutting and the bursting OF oil kegs. The
station was finished all but the masonry
arches and thing, and there was no more
Use for dynamite there. Explosives on
ihe Broadway branch are kept at the isist
street station
No one can venture TO estimate the loss.
TIE five cans are probably a total wreck
nd all the work Of finishing the station will
have 10 be done over again.
General Manager Frank Hedley OF the
issued the following state
Inent yesterday afternoon:
Motor SwtChman Frey was running up a
1--WE car empty train. When he was about
700 feet from the terminus he ran into push
sar on which were several Italian labOrcrs. !
he train hit the car, threw u OF the track !
nd caused a short circuit between the third
AL and the feed cable. There was the usual
Xplosion OF electricity following n short
,ircut OF a feed cable The ttmbers which
k.fv, 81 hV rh0ra 80, ]