Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-03-30
EXPLOSION
IN SUBWAY.
New York Electric Train Hit
Dynamite Car Underground
Station is Wrecked.
HARD TASK.

NEW YORK, Mafcl oO.-A telIihc
oxnlosion in the rapid transit subway
here. where Il fire ragged for several
bours foIlowed Il collision that wreck
ed the one Hundred and Sixty-seventh
street and Broadway station and tore
away the side of the tunnel for 200
feet to the northward.
An exploring party of tiremen had
got within 400 feet of the fire when the
explosion occurred. In the party were
Timothy Gaynor of engine company 90
and other fremen and Il reporter. All
of them were thrown to the ground
and covered with ashes and sand. AS
soon as they regained their feet they
beat a hasty retreat.
The explosion which wrecked the
hours.
All were caused by d collision 10
feet underground in the subway eXten-
sion at One Hundred and SiXty-eighth
street and Broadway. which set ire TO
the shafting in the tunnel, set on Il lot
of dynamite, which shook the neighbor-
ing section of Washington heights ana
imDeriled the lives of scores of work
men.
An empty train which went too far
past the terminal switch ran into Il nat
car used by the construction gangs. a
box of dynamite cartridges on this car
is supposed to have exploded ut the
shock.
When the collision occurred the cars
were set ablaze by the third rail. and
in a few minutes the tunnel was filled
with smoke and fame. The flames
speedily spread to the yellow pine
stored in the subway at this point and
also reached twenty-five barrels of oil,
which exploded.
Dynamite stored in the subway also
exploded. causing alarm among the
residents of Washington heights, who
came rushing from their homes, and
sending Il hundred Italian workmen in
the subway on Il mad gallop for safety
to one Hundred and Eighty-first
street.
George Fry, Il switchman, was the
/, only person on tie wrecked train, and
his experience will not be soon forgot
ten by him. He was obliged to fight
his way through the flames and smoke
back to One Hundred and ~Fifty-sev-
enth street. His story Of the accident
|, is that when he was letting the train
+ through the shaft from One Hundred
and F~ifty-seventh street he crashed in
to a car ahead. in which there was no
light. Il was not making much speed, y
, said Fry. and was astonished when
f the crash came.
How the car came to be there |
, don't know. There was no light in it,
= and | knew nothing of it until | was
= fired from my seat. It's Il miracle that
| escaped; but. without knowing exact
ly what | was doing, | crawled through
: the car. which filled instantly with
) smoke. Then ! knew what was com
= ing, and | ran from car to car. | was
: blinded with smoke. The whole train
was on fire.
Fortunately no lives were lost. The
/ explosions shook dwelling houses for
: several blocks in every direction, and
: in the immediate neighborhood of One
e Hundred and SiXty-eighth street the
windows We're shattered into atoms,
@ which were shoWered on the sidewalks
f until they looked as if Il fine snow had
fallen.
The firemen said late last night thai
+ nothing could be done by them to eX
0 tinguish the flames, and the fire woulc
{ have TO burn itself out. General Man
s ager Hedley said that. while the fire
was still burning, he was assured tina
no person had been injured, and thu
empty train near the One Hundred an
SiXty-seventh street station was no
much injured by the fire. Superintend
@ ent Fleming said it could not be toll
Il until the fire was out how serious tn
I,% ~ l., ,ct;n,n tod ut GOSn