New-York tribune., 1908-05-08
STORM CHECKS TRAFFIC
EVEN SUBWAY TIED UP.
Trouble Wrought By Hind and
Uater-ROats BlOzCn 17Cdy.

DrenChed by the heaviest rainfall recorded ny
the local weather bureau in five years. Ne"
York suffered nearly much from wind ana
water yesterday as if foot Of snow had iallen
subway traffic was blocked for more than two
hours because of damage caused by water 10
the block signal system under the East R1VeT
and the New York Central trains running
through the cut at 16tst street were badly
hampered by floods. Trolley service in Brook
1vn and Jersey city maintained with dith-
Guilty and traffic over lines in Main street. New
ark was blocked for several hours Most or
the trouble from foods was caused by over
flowing sewers and the city department emer-
gency corps was on duty until late hour last
night.
Staten Island gripped by the storm. and
telephone and telegraph service was drowned
out shortly after o'clock in the afternoon
Communication with Manhattan became i'm
! possible. and in the outlying sections electric
light wires were blown down by the gale. leav-
ing large areas in darkness. Washouts along
the routes of several trolley lines tied those
roads and commuters were compelled to tramp
through the downpour pay high prices for
carriages.
BOATS WASHED AWAY.
Small boats their moorings along the east
shore of the island were washed away in fleets,
and vessels anchored in the bay off Stapleton
and Clifton had difficulty in keeping from being
driven ashore in the storm. Crops being raised
in New York City's farm borough were ruined
There were innumerable stops at and between
stations all along the subway route. and there
were many complaints when the guards Of trains
at stations refused to permit half stif1ed passen
gers to alight. although they remained at the
platforms in many cases for twenty minutes.
Nearly ali of the express trains hour
LATE and when the service began to assume its
its normal condition 7.0 O'Clock there were
several speed records broken by motormen who
tried to regain lost time in the under river tun
mel.
Possibly the greatest suffering caused by the
storm was among the passengers on the various
railroads running to Brooklyn. A minute or two
after > o'clock the block signal system I'm the
subway tube under the East River became dis
arranged by the water. which leaked into the
shafts and trains bearing thousands to Brook
Ivn were stopped by the automatic brake trips
with jerk. For twenty minutes all service was
AT standstiIl. All of the block signal lights
settled down to danger" and conductors hus
tied up and down the tracks to learn what
trouble was ahead. The passengers in many
trains were alarmed by the sudden stop under
the river and the long wait only served To IN
crease their excitement
Men we're rushed to the stations atong the
route where emergency push button system
for the operation of trains had been installed.
and the trains at sneii's pace until
they felt their way into the station Borough
Hall Brooklyn. Some of the trains took an
hour to run from the Brooklyn Bridge station
TO Borough Hall. and several women passengers
were so faint that they had to be assisted TO the
upper air
WHISTLES ALARM PASSENGERS.
IN conjunction with the push button system.
the motor1nen of the trains used their whistles
had left he and tba
sharp blasts caused much concern among the
passengers.
Hundreds of persons crowded into the subway
ALI along the route from 96th street Manhattan.
to the Atlantic and FlatbUsh avenue terminal
in Brooklyn. and there many loud COM
plants against the subway management. When
the block became complete. soon after = O'Clock
ropes were strung across the entrances 10 the
stations at Fulton and Wall streets and at
Bowling Green the passengers warned that
service had been suspended. Block tickets good
for use within twenty-four hours were issued
to passengers at the Brooklyn stations who de-
manded their fare back. and the nanagement
rushed a corps of emergency men to every point
where trouble might be expected. Special de-
tails of police sent TO the downtown sta
tions to keep order.
Service over the Brooklyn and Williamsburg
bridges was taxed to the limit because of the
heavy rain, which prevented hundreds from
walking their homes.
All traffic by rail In the vicinity of New York
was impeded by wet rails and in the suburbs
trees were blown down across the tracks OF sew
eral roads. and wrecking crews were on the
jump all day
The New York Centrars freight tracks ex-
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