The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-12
SUBWAY FLOODED BY A
 BREAK IN WATER MAIN
NIAGARA OF oRoToS WATER CAUSES Loss ESTIMATED
 AT $10O, GOO.

Whole Block Just Below Grand Central
 station Inundated and Section of
 Park Avenue Caves In-Motors Burn
 Out in Subway Cars and Heavy Ex-
 plosiOns FoIIoW--Liyes of Many Pas-
 sengers ndangercd-AccidentaI Ap-
 Dearance of Man Results in Stopping
 of Cataract Which Flowed for Four
 Hours.
 New York, June 11.-A break in the 4S-fnch high pressure water main in Park avenue. about 15O feet south of 42d street, to-day resulted in the food ing of the block just below the Grand Central station. the street car tunnel and the subway, the stoppage of traffic in the subway for many hours, ser1osu damage to the underground road and great danger to many passengers.
 Incidentally in resulted in the caving in of Park avenue over an area of twenty feet by eight from which ran cracks that meant danger to adjacent buildings. if by the accidentally ap- pearance on the scene of man not connected with the water department. the terrific Niagara of Croton had not been stopped.
 The Watchman of the Belmont hotel, in course of erection at 42d street and Park avenue, soon aftetr o'clock this afternoon noticed water triclxling be- tween the paving blocks near the en- trance of the Fourth Avenue tunnel through which the surface cars run. AL most immediately there came sound as thought of the discharge of some heavy explosive underground and a moment later the water ghshed forth in a cataract, pouring into 42d street, which in the immediate vicinity, soon was covered to a depth of two inches. Part of the stream ran down into the surface car tunnel. Pedestrians near the Grand Central station ran in every direction from what threatened to be a serious flood and several were caught by the waters but none was seriously hurt.
 Some of the water poured into the seven story basement of the Belmont hotel and fearing danger to the founda- tions of this enormous structure, the engineer on duty put on a heavy pres sure of steam and got all the big pumps to work.
 Down through the slots of the electric road and through the supposed water proof roof of the subway the water first tickied and then came in a deeluge.
 The motornen first noticed that their trains got over the slippery tracks with some difficulty but there appeared to be no real danger
 While the cataract flowed, officials and Workmen of the water department joined in vain search for the source of trouble. The department men admitted that they had no chart of the water supply system and that they did not know what was the matter.
 Finally the rising water in the sub- way made connection between the third rail and the other rails, short t-circuiting the electric current and this was at tende dby a series of explosions, which endangered the lives of those who were in the cars.
 About two hours after the break a northbound train was stopped at Thir- ty-second street and then moved inter- mittently The air was pungent with the smoke of burning insulation and bright flashes from wheels and rails were continuous. The passengers in fear, shut the car windows tight and I ..a for relief. The train finally got to within a block of the 42d street station and then came to a final stop, when the passengers got out and waded through the water to the station They carefully avoided the third rail and no- body was injured. Their faces were ! smudged from the flashing of burning of wire and installations and their clothing was bedraggled and limp, but they made no complaint. That they got out of the tunnel alive seemed to them 1 to be enough.
 | Gradually the entire service south of | 72d street and to 14th street was shut off. For a time trains ran up town to 14th street and north of 72d street. Later l this service was also discontinued. Nt1AlO1 M Vldllo5Ol lICuiSy yOl ItlG lIU6E- borough Rapid Transit company arriv- ed at 42d street shortly after o'clock and after trying in vain to communi- cate by tetlephone with Water Com
 missioner Oakley and other officials, made efforts to get Mayor Mcclellan himself. Meantime the representatives of the water department were making frantic though futile efforts to cut off 1 the big water main, the flow from which every moment was becoming more dangerous.
 | Finally after the flood had continued | for four hours and a half, Frank Me- | Clusky, foreman for a construction company who had supervision of the I installation of the mains in Park ave- nue, pointed out gate at Third ave- nue and 42d street which, on being closed shut off the torrent. | After that the water in the streets ran down the sewers. Down in the sub- way the flood had done much damage, and traffic was not resumed until after midnight. A hundred men were set to work tamping down ballast in the sub way and in the Fourth avenue tunnel