The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01
NINE LOCOMOTIVES SCORCHED.
EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN MOTT
HAVEN RAILROAD YARDS.

The Grand Central PuSher . Total Less, but
Directors Pony 8aved-Train Stretches
Hose and Gives Children . Tumble
All n Bronx There 70 Look On.
An explosion in the paint house adjoin-
ing the roundhouse In tho New Haven
Railroad yards at Mott Haven at 7:S0
o'clock last night, started a fire and raised
a commotion in The Bronx. The alarm
whistles in the yards were blown and every
locomotive anywhere near the fire also sent
out its screech, 30 that the people turned
out by thousands. Nine locomotives OF the
eighteen belonging to the New York Cen
trail Railroad that were stored In the round
house were saved, one was destroyed COM
pletely and the others were 30 damaged
that they will have to be laid up for re-
pairs.
The yards extend from 13sth street to
15lst north and south, and from Park ave-
nue. to Mott avenue east and west, a dis
lance of a mile one way and half a mile
the other. They are1hollowed out of rising
ground and the slopes are faced with
masonry to a height Of thirty feet along
Park and Mott avenues and it IL difficult
to secure access to the yards from the street.
n tOlDlb VI IOoltcIS III ITO
heard the explosion and set the whistles
going, Then fifteen employees OF the
yards began to try to save the locomotives.
They had to push each one out Of its stall
to the turning table, then turn the table
and push the locomotive out Of danger,
1t took several minutes to save each engine.
The first locomotive saved was "the pony"
the private locomotive for the officials OF
the road. It's name is Monitor No. %.
That pushed to safety, the others were
tackled one by one. An additional force
Of men, numbering about twenty, ran up
from other parts of the yard and the salvage
work went faster, but by the time nine loco
motives were saved the heat was such that
nothing more could be attempted, and to
the city fremen was left the task of trying
TO prevent the destruction Of those which
remained in the ~roundhouse.
The storage yards have two fire engines
of their own and these got to work promptly.
Three alarms were sent out to the city fire
men. When they arrived they found that
they would have to climb down the high
walls. Ladders were put in position and
the fremen dragged their hose down after
them into the yard. 1t was necessary to
lay hose a long distance from both Park and
Mott avenues and some Of the lines had to
cross a network of as many as 100 tracks.
Shortly after the iremen began to get
water on the flames the Pittsfield Express
of the New Haven railroad came dashing
along. The engineer was within a hundred
yards of a line of hose stretched by Engine
Company No. Al before he saw the red
lights on the track. The heavy smoke
had obscure his vision. He put on the
emergency brakes, but could not stop before
he reached the hose. The cowcatcher
caught it and hauled it taut for fully fifty
feet, 1t did not break n it swept several
hundred boys and girls, who were gathered
along the wall from which the hose de-
pended, to the ground, but non was injured
seriously. After the train came to a stop
it backed up n the hose was hauled back
into position.
The reserves from the fremont, Morris
called out and Inspector McCluskey and
his officers had their hands full. The
bridge across the yards from Mott avenue
to Park avenue at 152d street. became
jammed. The police said that there were
10000 persons on it. The walls on both sides
dreds Of men and boys entered the yards
from the level part at 13Sth street. The
police had to drive these out. The hardest
customers to handle were the Italians
from Frog Hollow. Nearly the entire
population of about 5000 Of that settle
ment turned out and got in the way Of the
police and fremen.
Traffic on the New Haven and the Harlem
division Of the Central railroad was held
up for about fifty minutes. and twenty
trains were delayed.
The locomotive destroyed in the fire was
the one known as the Grand Central Pusher.
1t was a powerful machine and was used for
pushing heavy trains of sleepers and par
lor cars into the Grand Central Station. 1t
was in the end stall of the roundhouse to
the north and could not be reached by the
employees. The entire roof Of the round
house was burned off, and two-thirds of
the structure was destroyed.
General Manager l. A. Mccormick and
General Superintendent Slater Of the EN-
trail, who fastened to the fire, said that the
damage to the roundhouse and locomotives
would be about $780, 900. There was a large
amount Of varnish, paint and oils in the
paint house, and it is thought that the fire
was started by spontaneous combustion.
TRIBITE or C4NARSIE APT