New-York tribune., 1907-04-09
FIRE CAPTAIN KILLED.
Car Barns Burn-Many Men Hurt
Under Failing Walls.

Following TIE fire which killed Captain John
Ryan OF Engine Company 50 in the car barns
and power house Of the New York City Rail-
road Company at Lenox avenue and l46th ana
147th streets early yesterday morning. the car
service above 125th street was crippled 70
some extent. More than three hundred and fifty
cars new for the most part. were destroyed.
which made necessary the use OF open cars
on some uptown lines. a condition none TOO
pleasant in the bleak air. The total loss will
amount close to 81 .OOOOOO. The wrecked build
ing covered the greater part of square block
Captain Ryan was killed when the west wall
Of the building fell. burying half dozen hre-
men with him. The list OF dead ana more
seriously injured follows:
THE DEAD
RYAN Captain John hftyhve years Oid' No i0S East
THE INJURED.
CANNON. Janes. trenty-eght years old. No 225
East I3eth street; employed by road Our1iS anu
FRANcIs Thomas nineteen years old No 500 West
vavso9 Ms Nsrv thirty Years old No. 1eo West
l47th street overcome by smoSs srs old assistant
foreman Engine Company 50. No 4S4 West West hd lStth
street: contusions and decorations OF entire oooy'
sxoRsR anthony tuen,ysiK years old. car inspectors
sYMEs william. twenty-nine years old. fireman;
ss6oE aRsi3' company o. o'''''''
Chief Croker and Battalion Chief Stone spent
the afternoon at the fire trying to discover what
had caused It. Several men were there. too.
from the Buildings Department, 10 pull down
some OF the tottering walls. The pit house.
where the ESQ cars were stored, is a total loss.
About $50 feet of the car barn proper In Lenox
avenue was unburned While the big converter
house escaped. 81 was found necessary 10 shut
Down the motors. and supply the lines drawing
power from that station from the power houses
at ssth street and 5Oth street This current,
spread out over so great a territory. necessarily
was considerably weakened, and there were long
delays in the evening rush hour because of it,
The fire started about ]: 80 o'clock. plough
coming into contact with some defective insula-
ton is supposed TO have caused II. Battalion
Chief Larkin who responded on the first alarm
went into the electrical department with ian
tern He stepped too close 10 big switch. and
g second later he was thrown into a heap
against a tangled mass OF wires. Power was
shut off instantly. Il was two or three minutes
he says that his rubber coat and boots insulated
him little against the 750 volts that struck hiln
The crew OF EngiEe so were stationed in
narrow alev which separated the barns from
q row of iathOuses. They were supported by
the crews of Engines IS and 10 On the fourth
floor Of the burning building great guam
tity OF oils, paint and Varnish. When the fire
reached the paint room there was roar ana
crash as two explosions. barely as many sec
onds apart sent the west wall topping into the
alley, burying half dozen men. As II fell the
floors all collap psed down TO the pit room. II was
feared that all OF the men were dead, and under
the eyes Of Croker and Fire Commissioner Lam
tr-- the smoke eaters burrowed into the blaZ-
ing hot mass before the dust Of its fall had
settled Fifteen minutes work and they found
the mangled body of Captain Ryan.