The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-10
CAR BARN FIRE SCARES JAIL.
CELL DOORS OF WEST SIDE COURT
PRISON OPENED.
Forty of MIR yreelands Cars, valued
at $4,000 Apiece. We're Burned
Couldn't Get 'Em Out-Tire Alarm
Hung Late-Water Pressure Very Low.

Couldn't Get 'Em Out-Fire Alarm
hung Late-Water Pressure Very Low.
A scare in the West Side police court
Jail where there we're siSty-hve prisoners,
was one Of the features Of a stif Are in the
Ninth avenue and Fifty-fourth street car
barns Of the New York City Railway last
night The fire was hottest right next
to the prison, which adjoin the barns on
the east Sixteen women were in cells
on the upper floors where the flames flashed
up at them. Although in no great danger,
they became terror stricken, except Helen
Gates, the bad check girl who is an
indiTerentist.
Two negresses let out screams that could
! be heard above the roar Of the fire in the
street. Matron Kelly tried to keep the
I woman quiet and then opened the cells
| OF two or three and let them out
Some others began pounding on the cell
/ doors with their heads and the matron
I was getting uneasy when Detective Ser
geants Peabody and Boyle came to her aid.
Warden Skelly had the men downstairs
} well Under control when the detectives
/ jumped into the prison. The women we're
! making such fuss that the detectives told
Matron Kelly to let them all into the corr-
dors. When they found that they were in
no danger they went back to their cells,
Matron Kelly leaving the doors Unattached.
Helen Gates never turned hair Pulling
her white sweater around her neck, she
said.
This is easy I'ye seen places as warm
as this but hope don't get TO any warmer
The fire started in ma chine shop where
oil and insulated wire we're stored The
building, a two story shed extending from
Ninth avenue three-quar tiers hnck to
Eighth was stored with cars The flames
were through the roof when the firemen
arrived There was n 6tory that tho fire
got great Roadway because the railroad
men tried to put 1t out themselves.
Defective insulation On enc Of the cars
Is said 70 have started the fire There
are lot Of tenements in the neighborhood
and the people jnmmed The streets so mucn
that the fremcn had trouble getting the
machines through Then came the reserves
from no West Forty-st ycnh street station,
and for a few minutes the policemen dubbed
right and left to clear the streets. The
escort of young woman was being famed
when she stopped tho policeman with
Nelson mold on his neck
Tho water pressure was low. Two on
gines. buckled sucoeeded in forcing only
feeble stream through one line Of hose
Chief Croker, who arrived C. he second
alarm. said.
Il believe that story Of the delay in send
ing in the alarm. The men from the houses
near here say that they could see the blaze
when they got the tirst alarm. Then the water
I prtssune-was bad Ihadto send three EN- ines
horno Hacnf,qa tbara vvaa M vrotar 10 thar,
Who IS TO blame for that2 | don't know
The streets handicapped US and the police
management was bad | had trouble in
getting through the crowd when got here
Low water pressure, bad police service
and snow clogged streets fOm tough
combination.
BDrolgl Inspe1tor Brooks, who took
charge OF the police him self said that he
didn't sac any trouble with the police
/ WAS at Headquarters when the alarms
were sounded he said -and / sent 100
m,a here from different precincts. Then
l hustled up hero on the subway and every
thing was in cool shape We had three
patrol wagons 10 take the prisoners from
the jail If necessary 80 can't sre that
there was anything wrong.
When be had the fire under control after
TWO ICuFH tlN~le, Nniel NTOkeT Sali that
about forty cars had been burned. Presi-
dent II. II Vrecland who got to the fire
soon after 1t started. said that the cars.
including electrical equipment, cost about
$4,000 apiece. Chief Croker estimated the
entire damage at between $4,000 and
500 900. A machine for drying sand was
one Of the things destroyed.
An effort was made 10 get some Of the
cars out of the building, but an excited
young man, who got hold of one of tho
cars, ran a car into a turntable instead of
on a switch and that blocked whatever
chance there was Of getting out string Of
other cars. Besides, the hose lines that
were hitched to the elevated structure
in Ninth avenue were not high enough to
let the cars get through.
fhe Ninth avenue line kept running all
through the fire The only line stopped
was the Ninth avenue surface line. The
Columbus avenue cars we're sent straight
up Broadway and switched through Fifty
ninth street.
Mr. Nreeland said that he didn't know
how the fire started, or the damage. Neither
had he heard tina; there had been delay
Al.