New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-16
Subway PASSENGERS
GET MANY A Fright
Unusual Number of Mishaps
Causes Alarm and Demon
allies Service.
ACCIDENTS TO CAR GEAR
Dense Smoke, Due to Short
Circuiting, in One Case
Nearly Leads to
Panic.

Traffic in the subway was demoralized
yesterday through a series of Interrupt
,ions Of the service due 20 mishaps to
ear gear and the short circuiting that
followed.
The Interruptions occurred when the
afternoon traffic was heaviest, and in
consequence the delays, slow movement
of trains and II one instance the smoke
from one Of the short circuited trains
rsused considerable apprehension and
nervousness among the thousands of
passengers.
Although the alarm caused by the sue
ceeding delays dfd not verge upon panic,
lhere were some tense moments, par
ticularly in the mishap at 2:1S p. m.
when the shoe beam on one OF the cars
of a southbound Lenox avenue local was
tho-f circuited near 18th street. and the
fourth and last of the series, when the
breaking Of a. shoe on q southbound
Brooklyn express at 18th street at 4:22
T. m. caused an accumulation of smoke
which drove passengers from the for
ward cars.
The delays threw the schedule out,
and the periods covered by the neces-
ssrv repairs caused blocks OF sometimes
fen and fifteen minutes duration. The
fact that the subway crowds were not
on their way TO or from business, as on
weekday, lessened the tension
Train Hands Conquer Fire.
The interruption at 4:222 p. IN. was the
most serious one Train hands, assisted
bv station employees. used a fire extin-
suisher upon the first car when the ex-
press came 10 d standstill in the 18th
street station. as the short circuiting
had ignited some of the oil and packing
and loose waste near the trucks. 1t was
this smoke from the smouldering waste
and oil that forced passengers into the
rear cars.
The breakage Of car gear, although
trivial in each instance. required me-
ehanical treatment, but two Of them &C
Cured near repair stations of the under
ground. and in these cases the delays
we're not so long. Thus, when an air
brake on a southbound express caused
trouble at the 18th street station at
24e p. m. the interruption was only of
several minutes duration. for operatives
from the repair shop there made short
work Of the hitch in the mechanism.
The same was true when almost at the
same time the coupling between the fifth
and sixth cars of a southbound express
snappead near the Goth street station.
The employees of the subway felt the
strain Of the succeeding mishaps, and
they were kept on the jump until after
8 o'clock.
Subway Superintendent Talks.
Superintendent Merritt of the subway
division Of the Interborough explained
last evening that there was no particular
reason for the unusual number Of inter
ruptions That they occurred within a
period Of three hours was merely a mat
TEL Of coincidence, he said
Following each halt in the service
many stations became congested, and
scarcely We're they cleared Of passengers
by return 10 something like the normal
when another break would occur An
official Of the company gave out the list
Of Interruptions as follows:
Al 2:lS y. m. at 18th street, shoe
beam on car of Lenox avenue local,
south bound. short circuited- Delay Of
several minutes.
At 90 .. m. air brake trouble on
southbound express at 18th street; delay
short
At 4:222 r. m. short circuit caused by
shoe on car Of southbound Brooklyn ex-
press at 14th street. causing short cir
cut; delay Of several minutes