The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-17
FIRE PANIC IN
STALLED TRAIN
BENEATH RIVER
Binding Electric Flashes Add TO
Terror OF Those Penned
in Tunnel Coaches.
ENGULFED IN DARKNESS,
THEY FEAR FOR LIVES
Blaze Due to Short Circuit at
Fulton Street Station Was
Full of Thrills.

NEW YORK, March 17.--Locked in
steel cars under the East River. fifteen
panic-stricken passengers vaSnly tried
to escape from the tube as fire men,
aced the subway early today.
Smoke belched IN upon the tunnel
prisoners and they were held in the
stalled train for thirty five minutes
far beneath the river bed, while the
employees of the subway company
were working to eXtinguish the fire.
Passengers in three other heavily
loaded trains We're also badly fright
ened when smoke entered through the
half-open windows of the cars. These
trains were stalled, one at the entrance
of the tube on the Brooklyn side, one
under the river near the New York side
and a third between Bowling Green and
Wall street.
None of the passengers on the four
stalled trains were allowed to leave the
trains. The panic among both men and
women grew when the smoke continued
swirllng through the big bore from a
fire raging In the Fulton street station
in Manhattan.
Binding flashes of electricity sent the
employees in the station scurrying to
the surface, and the cloud of dense.
binding smoke which began to drift
north and south in the tunnel caused
an instant and prolonged suspension
of traffic The fire started from a
short circuit in the third rail at the
Fulton street station, and within
minute the wooden box which encloses
the rail was in flames.
The grease soaked wood burned
freely and threw off an immense
quantity of smoke. It was not until
the current in the whole system south
of Ninty-sixth street had been shut off
that flrenen who had been summoned
were able to make any progress In their
fight against the fire.
Guards Bar Passengers.
The passengers in the subway train
under the East River made every effort
to leave the stalled train. One man
cried out as a guard smut the gate in
his face:
I'D rather die on the third rail than
drown here like a. rat or suffocate.'
The guard held the door fast and
breathed hard, with is lungs filing
with smoke.
An extra guard on the train slipped
from the front of the first car and
made off with all speed to the Bowling
Green station He was excited when
he ran up to the agent.
There's he'll TO pay under the river
he burst out. "The train is stalled and
the smoke is getting SO bad the pas
sengers are afraid of smothering.''
"Al the powers off, replied the
white-faced agent. Cant help Il now.
Maybe they'll turn on the current soon
and you can get the train through"
In the train nearest the fire the
smoke was even worse than IL was un-
der the river. The passengers were in
no fear of drowning, but they were in
fear of burning. No one seemed to
know where the fire was or how soon
ii would catch the cars, and breathing
was getting more and more difficult
All this while the passengers Turned
and swore and begged to be allowed
TO take chances with the third rail
Then the power was turned on and the
trains made for the nearest station,
where the passengers were allowed to
get to the open.
Power Shut on.
With the turning off Of power from
ANintLy ~SAAAh SLIItl SOllH every lldtH
in that long section of the subway had
come to a standstill at whatever point
il happened to be when the power was
shut off. Above Brooklyn bridge tho
delay was short but below that point,
including the tunnel under the river,
the power rail was dead Tor an hour,
and the hapless passengers in the STALL
ed train under the river spent that
time in darkness and suspense.
Oheying the order from the officers
oi the company, the guards kept the
doors of the cars locked in order 10
prevent the passengers from leaving
the train and hazarding their lives on
the third rail while trying 10 find their
way out Of the tunnel and into the
Bowling Green station Their express
sions OF relief when the lights finally
were flashed on and the trains resumed
their routes showed the alarm they ex-
perienced while kent prisoners in the