The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-09
SUBWAY BLOCKED 10 HOURS.
ACT OF GOD, rs THE OFFICE BOYS
EXPLANATION.
rbc marlborough Has Its Thumb over Its
shoulder at the Rapid Transit Com.
mission, Which Points IN Accusing
FINGER ut the Degnon Contracting Co.

shoulder NJ tne Kappa transit GOnls
mission, Which Points m Accusing
ringer at the Desnon Contracting Co.
The rush Of water and things that
.nlashed down from the skies and sewers
~ form a subway food north Of the Worth
s,reet station on Tuesday evening was
sopped up yesterday morning about 9
o'clock, thus ending q ten hour tieup OF
the subway trains. Thu first trains began
IN move shortly after 9 o'clock. The
scbedule did not get its regular stride,
however, until almost noon.
Early morning passengers who entered
the trains with the expectation OF having
a combination shoot the chutes boat ride
,ust before arriving at the bridge station
we're disappointed. The all night pumping
souad, under the direction of Supt. Merritt,
had left nothing on the roadsed but a
coating Of mud and waterlogged splinters.
But one Of the first passengers Of the morn
ing. with a nose for news, said that between
the Astor place and Worth street stations
he had counted eleven distinct varieties of
smells, not TO mention the long list of sub
smells, through which the trains passed
too quickly to permit one to list them.
Later in the morning all these varieties
merged into one grand effect OF something
burning, but before The middle of the after
noon tnis had almost disappeared, leaving
only the usual all the year round smell.
I'm the forenoon there was a noticeable
ten.ency in various offices that have to do
with the subway to shift the resi- onsibility.
The InterUorough offices thought it should
be Tut W to the ia Iiu Transit l commission,
because the water wouldn't have rea chez
the tracks il the commission had not or. cred
the cnangeS ana excavations tnat caused
the uamage. The Rapid transit Commits
sion Office said this was PARTLY true, but Put
it up to the Degnon Contra citing Company
for not covering the excavation on Tuesday
night. At tho Deguon c5mkany's offices !,
at 90 Wall street, tommy Mauuen, the oInoe
boy, It calveI reporters, but refuseI to be
Interviewed for public ton. He old say,
however, that he thought the ra in had
something TO co with the food.
Inc crews that haI to ste to the twelve
sta lied trains between the bridge and Four
teenth street spent a night they will re-
member. FUN os sneezeI away all night
like the last quart of water running out Of
q bathtub. steam rose from the dirty
express tracks rscsd big chunks of smells
that ran Gown everybody In the tub with
out warning. Sometimes a northbound
smell woul try to wilcoatalong on the south
louni tracks, and when two OF these smells
heavily lcaaed,. came together, Also
the crews were hungry.
Wives and daughters OF the trainmen SAT
at home awaiting their return a%nxiously.
When they did not come home at midnight
the m of the families began to make
inquiries from the company, with the re-
suit that within a short time the wives began
to gather about the entrances to the stations
downtown and stood around waiting for
news from the depths as miners wives
gather at the head Of a shaft after an &C
cident. Many Of them brought baskets
Of luncheon for the imprisoned, and these
were more than welcome.
had hurried up from Asbury Park INC had
looked over the situation yesterday he
said the impression that there would be q
repetition Of the food during any heavy
rainstorm was u~nfounded.
THE excavations that were the immediate
will have to be kept open for about three
weeks longer, but In the meantime the
tieup will not be repeated unless We have
another cloudburst. Terrific downpours
like that Of Tuesday evening don't come
often enough to cause worry on hat score.
This system Of ventilation which the
Rapid Transit Commission devised for US
a going to cost 81, $50, 900. We have been
delayed in the work by the non-arrival
of the fans, but we are confident that we
present we are footing the bills for the
work of ventilation, although it is a question
whether the city or the marlborough COM
pany should stand the expense. Naturally
we disclaim all responsibility for the flood,
because we are merely running the road that
punch holes in the subway walls through
which the water enters it is up to us to go
ahead and punch EN- We have to obey
orders, but we shall try our best to prevent
another food
George H. Pegram, the chief engineer
Of the marlborough company, echoed
Mr.. Hedley's statement that the company
could not be blamed when 1t was merely
obeying the orders Of the Rapid Transit
Commission.
As the Degnon Contracting Company
built that part OF the SUBWAY cont continued ibe
portion of the line we could not think Of
any firm better fitted to do the work on the
ventilating plant, They are the people
who are 10Y digging the tunnels under the
East River and are very well known and
responsible. We took 1t for granted that
they would take every preoaution to guard
against a block Of traffic, n that they
were not able to do 80 op Tuesday night
We believe to be merely another instance
Of the impossibility Of foreseetng every
trouble
~ the downpour had occurred in the
daytime" said Alfred Craven, deputy
chief engineer OF the rand Transit Com
mission, doubtless the Degnon company
would have been able to stop the flow OF
water, because they would then have had a
great many workmen at their disposal.
But the few men on hand after dusk found
the job beyond them. There are several
points along the subway where the road
bed Is below the level Of the sewers be-
sides this place where the flood occurred,
but ! do not thinS that at n other point
could the same accident happen.
Al Franklin and Lafayette streets, where
the Degnons are putting in the midstation
exhaust fans, according to the plans OF
Chief Engineer Rice. fou streets slope
down t. the edges OF the excavation, which
Is at the lowest point OF the interesting
streets. All the rain that got into these
four streets had to rush, Of course, straight
for the opening. II the workmen could
have anticipated the %cloudburst they would
certainly have plugged up the holes leading
INTO the subway to make them at least
temporarily watertight. We made the
plans, but it was up to the marlborough
company to see that they were carried
out so that traffic would not be interrupted
Yesterday afternoon the trains were
running as il nothing had happened. The
hood caused almost no damage to the road
bed, but some Of the electrical apparatus
feeded ov%erhauling after the water a
been coaxed away. just the faintest odor,
ash beans were being fried on a celluloid
Stove, vas all that remained OF the trouble