The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-31
FATAL CAVE,N AFTER FIRE.
SUBWAY moor BURIES FIREMAN
CLOSE CALL ron FIVE.
Party Under chief Terpenny were InVes'
tigating Damage at resin street
RtatIOn-ROOfs and walls Total
Wreck-Fiye Cars Burned TO Ashes.

tiEating Damage at lOsth street
atation-RoOfs and walls Total
Wreck-Ftye Cars Burned 10 Ashes.
samuel Lilly, fireman Of Engine IS.
was killed yesterday morning IN tho
fosth street subway station, whore hre
had been raging for nearly twenty-four
hours. He was buried beneath a mass
Of rock and brick which fell from the roof
IA be was investigating the damage done
by the fire. Five other hremen, including
Battalion Chief Terpenny, who were with
Lilly, narrowly escaped being caught In
the same manner.
The fire had pretty we'll burned itself out
by early yesterday morning. At o'clock
Terpenny decided that II was time 10 vent
ure down into the tunnel. Smoke had
oeased coming up through tho SHAFT near
i0sth street and Broadway, but air heated
10 An almost unbearabe degree continued
20 rush up.
Terpenny, with Firemen Lilly OF Engine
Ss, Williams Of Engine 90, Cayanagh OF
Engine o., Mulligan OF Engine 50 and Hesing
Of Engine %, went down the shaft. In the
meantime reporter Of THE Sun had reached
the burned station by walking down the
subway from lsist street. He met the fire.
men just as they alighted from the cage at
the bottom Of the shaft.
The party began their investigation
toward the southern end OF the station.
Just as they started they met work.
man who had made his way up from the
18th street station. He was exhausted
from the heat and rom scrambing over
debris and he warned the hremen that
the walls were falling.
sOh, guess wen take a chance said
one Of the party.
The fremen had Just passed the end Of
the station going south when part OF
the brick roof and a mass Of rocks and
earth fell. Lilly, who was slightly in adj
vance, was almost completely buried.
When the dust cleared away nothing but
the arms Of the buried fremen could be
SEEM One Of his companions shouted
10 Terpenny
'Chief. Chief Lilly Is pinchedl'
Chief Terpenny took one glance at the
heap Of debris, under which Lilly was
buried. Then he covered his face with
his hand and the men could see tears
oodng out between his fingers.
Il was more than an hour before Llly's
body could be extricated and taken TO the
surface. He was AZ years old and had been
at 4e7 West l65th street. His wife died
recently, leaving him three young children
10 look after. Janet and Sammy, the
younger children, were attending Public
School 169, which Is the nearest building
10 the shaft where the fire occurred. Father
Doran Of the Church Of St. Rose OF Lima
went to the school and broke the news TO
the children that their father was killed.
The children will get 81 900 from the Fire
mems Insurance Association, $500 from the
Firemen's Benevolent Association and
pension Of $751; a month.
The damage TO the subway station and
It's approaches Is greater than was at first
believed. Practically nothing Of the work
remains. The station platforms are
wreck. Yesterday they were simply
mass Of concrete, glow wing like hot lava,
In them were fssures big enough for
man to fall into.
Every bit Of the brick work In the station
had fallen, along with rocks and soil above
II. There was constant danger Of falling
rocks. The marble arches at either end
Of the station had cTumbled and fallen.
The ties along the track were burned out
and In some places buried feet deep beneath
the bricks and rocks.
What remained Of the seven car train
which ran into a hand car and started the
fire by causing short circuit, was still
in the station Five Of the cars WOO den
ones were completely burned away with
the exception OF the metal trucks. The
two metal sheathed cars, the first and third
In the train withstood the flames TO a great
extent. The wheels Of the hand car were
angling over the front platform OF the
foremost car.
The ERE didn't interfere with the work
on the subway north Of the station. Some
sections, up 10 1slst street, are nearly com
pleted.
It was said yesterday that the work Of
rebuilding the station would probably
take five OF six months. After the roofs
have been shored up and rebuilt the tunnel
may be opened without waiting for the
station to Be rebuilt. =
The burned station Is almost directly
In front Of the entrance TO the American
League baseball park. The contractors
were making efforts to open the station
before the base bau season opened.