New-York tribune., 1909-05-25
TOURING CAR A TORCH
OCCUPANTS ENVELOPED
BY FLAMES.
Broadzcay CrO5cd Sees Crash Er-
pIOde Gas0Iene Tanh-Shoe Nan
and His Wife Rescued.

Before crowd of several thousand persons,
French touring car, the property of Mrs. John
Il. Hanan. wife of shoe manufacturer. burst
into flames last night, at Broadway and 41st
street. The gasolene tank had exploded. after
being struck by another touring car. Mr. and
Mrs Hanan who were in the tonneau of the
machine were assisted TO the street as the
flames roared about them. narrowly escaping
being scorched. a fire alarm summoned half
dozen engines. a water tower and Chief Croker,
and all traffic was blocked for more than twenty
minutes
The Hanan machine going south on
Broadway. carrying the owner and his wife TO
the Lambs gambo. at the Metropolitan opera
House Just it reached Broadway and ffst
street # was brought to a halt by traffic po-
ceman Broadway jammed with motor
vehicles at that hour. the majority of which
were discharging their passengers at the opera
house
While the Hansn automobile awaiting its
turn TO drive to the entrance Of the Metropo
tan a red touring car. bearing the No. 3l,3i3,
y. Y. sped down Broadway and crashed into
Mrs Hanan's machine. With the noise of the
impact there binding fash and a loud re
port. The force OF the crash had torn Jagged
hole in Mrs. Hanan's car. the rear lamp being
driven into the tank. Dense clouds of black
smoke ana tongues OF BaSOient HdiHt iOSt liNO
the air almost enveoping the machine.
While a great crowd Of people wedged them
selves about the flaming automobile, Captain
Mccullough and Lieutenant Sackett, Of the
traffic squad. took charge of affairs. Mccullough
ran down the street, giving orders to the other
machines TO clear the way lest they should take
FIRE In the mix-up the car which had done the
damage backed away with the rest and disap-
peared with it's lone occupant. the chauffeur. A
stream of ignited gasolene had run under a sur
face car which had come 10 stop right beside
the flaming automobile Before the could
catch fire it was sent on its way with its excited
occupants. The chauffeur Of the Hanan ma
chine J. W Madison. who lives the Grand
Union Hotel, was standing with one foot on
the running board at the time Of the impact.
He glanced up just before the two machines
struck and had barely time 10 leap backward
and escape injury before the crash came.
The touring car by this time was torch ON
wheels and the peril of Hanan and his wife
every moment becoming more acute. At this
juncture. Pstroman Flood Of the traffic squad.
fought his way through the crowd to the Hanan
machine. He could see the imprisoned couple
in the tonneau who in spite OF their danger,
maintained an appearance of calmness that
the admiration OF the crowd At Floods bidding.
Mr.. Hanan jumped from the car. and then the
policeman reached inside. to where Mrs. Hanan
still sat. and half carried her 10 the sidewalk.
In doing this Flood was slightly scorched by the
flames He was loudly cheered by the thousands
in the street.
As soon as Mr.. and Mrs. Hanan had been
rescued from their automobile they made their
way quietly into the opera house. Inside the
lobby Mr.. Hanan stopped and beckoned TO Flood.
who ran 10 his side While group OF men and
women surrounded the shoe manufacturer and
~. ri 70 ,a,l. na
policeman for his rescue Of Mrs. Hanan.
Through the hole in the tank OF the Hanan
machine a stream Of burning gasoiene pour
ing to the street and thence into the cutters.
tracing a flaming pathway and creating a panic
among the pedestrians Seeing the imminent
danger that threatened ali the empty automo-
biles standing at the curb. should the running
fire trail catch them and ignite their gasolene
tanks the police started TO work 10 get them
out of the danger zone In this they
sisted by bystanders. three and four men putting
their shoulders to the wheels and showing the
cars TO point OF safety
While the Hanan machine still burning
fercely Captain Mccullough and Lieutenant
sackett formed batterng and showed the
big around into West list street. Having
thus removed the wrecked from the main
line of traffic they returned TO Broadway and
warned all other vehicles to turn east into Sixth
avenue. Broadway resembled prairie village
on fire for a few minutes Everywhere there
a whirring of wheels and a stamping Of
feet that drowned all other sounds.
Patroman Hoke, Of the Tenderloin station.
had turned in alarm of fire, and within
few minutes the crush and confusion added
to by the changing of bells and the snorting of
fire engines. Prominent in the mass OF vehicles
Of every description there appeared a lofty
water tower, called out by the alarm. Also to
the scene came Chief Croker. who had
"streaked" up from his headquarters in his red
The chief had had his appetite whetted
for big fire and when he that a lone
tomoble had caused all the excitement his en-
thusiasm received d setback.
The fire engines soon put out the last gm-
mering sparks the Hanan automobile The
loss placed at about 81, 800 by the firemen.
An alarm sent out for the arrest Of the
chauffeur driving the automobile bearing the
No 81 ,313. n. Y.
BIG RAID IN CHINATOWN.