New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-14
BROOKLYN BRIDGE FIRE
MAKES 10000 WALK
Immense Crowd Watches Blaze
from City Hall Park Dur
ing Rush Period.
DUE TO A SHORT CIRCUIT
Brilliant Pyrotechnical Display
in Signal Tower When Con-
centrated Power Lines
Flash.

tan terminal OF the Brooklyn Bridge
shortly before 80 p. m yesterday fully
| one hundred and fifty thousand persons
had to walk to Brooklyn. and a few
thousand had TO walk to Manhattan
A hundred thousand persons or more
watched the progress Of the blaze from
City Hall Park during the height Of
the rush period. and those who had
left Brooklyn and were on the ele
waited trains at the time were removed
from the cars with considerable diff
Guilty. while thousands who had started
from the Brooklyn side on trolleys had
to walk the greater part of the distance
across the bridge when the trolley ser
vice was suspended as a result of the
blaze
Between i so p. m. and $40 p. m. a
train d minute leaves the Manhattan
elevated terminal Of the Brooklyn
Bridge. With the rush in full force
about so p m, Brighton Beach
train, with Frank Hellum as motorman,
was starting for the platform where It
was to take on the nine hundred pas
sengers which make up the usual quota
of trains during rush hours
As the train approached the Fifth ave-
nue. platform on the southbound white
line. there was a fash of flame from the
third rail The contact shoe on the
Brighton Beach express had got caught
| under the third rail at switch, and. as
result, a short circuit was established
Immediately there was a fash along
the tracks from the south side Of the
terminal. where the trouble began. up
to the switch tower, where John Walker.
the towerman. was on duty directing
the various trains TO the proper tracks
Short Circuit MeIts Wire.
The short circuit on the third ran
away across the station caused the
pressure to back up into the signal tower
where the power lines were concentrated
and the short circuit esta blished there
melted the wire which led from the
track where the trouble occurred. The
r cited wire fell across the five other
live wires in the tower, and there was
brilliant pyrotechnical display, which
proved decidedly unpleasant and upset
ting 10 the tpWerman He did not know
which way to turn. and when George Gal
lagtan the electrician Of the terminal,
reached the tower a minute after the
first short circuit occurred, the tower
man was so confused that he did not
know what was the best thing to do.
Acting Captain Edward J. Bourke, Of
bridge traffic squad 4. was standing
on the Fifth avenue platform when the
hn COW
explosion in the tower produced by the
transmission of electricity thereto. ne
jumped across the tracks and ran up the
ladder TO the tower. carrying chemical
extinguisher.
w. Little. a motorman, and Harry
Thurber. main tender of the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit. at the Manhattan end Of
the bridge. also climbed the ladder to
the switching tower and aided IN pull
ing out the plugs Of the various switches,
Their work. however, was of little avail,
for the power was still on in fun force
and there was an occasional display OF
electric flames that spread terror among
the thousands below on the platforms
waiting for the various trains
Acting Captain Bourke, seeing that the
extinguisher which he took up TO the.
tower was almost exhausted, climbed
down to get a fresh eXtingutsher. by
this time. all the plugs had been pulled
and the other men had left the tower,
leaving Gala ghan. the electrician, turn
ing on the chemical in the extinguisher-
AS Bourke started TO go back up the
ladder. there was another burst OF cleo
tricitv. and IN the midst OF the pyrotecn-
mic display he beheld Callaghan at MS
post.
Alarmed for Electrician.
The policeman rushed Up the ladder,
md when !. e reached the top no one was
TO be seen in the tower He jumped INTO
the tangle Of burned wires TO try TO
find CaIlaghan, but soon discovered thal
the electrician, VINO was faHllar with
the tower. had made his way out or the
low window at the rear OF the tower
and was safe on the sloping roof OF the
bridge structure.
Denutv Chief Binns and Battalion
Chief sullivan. with the men of the fire
e-arions in the district were on the spot
soon after the alarm was turned in.
They were handicapped Dy the lat lI4hL
The electricity was still turned on. 1t
was out of the question to turn on
streams. as the electric current would
have run up the sheets OF water and
Frustrated the firemen at the hose.
7 p. Burns. the trainmaster at the
terminal telephoned 10 Brooklyn as soon
as The fire started but it was twenty
FIVE minutes before the power was dis
connected so that the firemen could turn
IN streams In the mean time they
used chemicals and chopped away por
tior7s of the woodwork about the tower.
The smoke from the burning tower
s,read throughout the second floor OF
30 train shed, and thousands who had
,,,orded the Pidgewood elevated trains
-, ,.,.re waiting on the platforms for the
1,,,i,on street city line and other trains
,-aesed downstairs, crushing back the
.,,c,,sands who pressed upward TO try
a- home. The reserves from the
-, street station and from Police
4--,.e,,,arters were called out to rein
those of the bridge traffic SQUAD.
=, ,hav had the greatest difficulty in
.,Iling the tens OF thousands who
"a forward and filled City Hall
&c and the approaches to the
+,,iIev cars 10 BROOKLYN ,ver