The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-06
SHORT CIRCUIT JAMS SUBWAY
THIRD RAIL on NORTHROUND
EXPRESS TRACK BURNED OUT.

EXPRESS TRACK BURNED OFT.
Thh Waa &C TIM ngtlge q Result
mroOslyn Tralns slepped for ElalS an
Ilaur ana TFame. LEGAL and ENprcaa,
CtaNled Along tiss LOeal Traeks
The imps Of electricity put the subway
out Of business for an hour yesterday in
the busiest part Of the day and orimped
the temper Of thousands OF people who
had 10 daWdle on platforms until the
power doctors had diagnosed tho COM
plant and revived the patient.
Trafao uaa humming briskly when
there was a blue green fash that sprang
Ia the subway roof Just above the north
bound platform At the Brooklyn Bridge
station. With the dash went a noise
like that a tugbOat makes when she
exhausts steam and clouds Of black
smoke lifted and rose through the gratinga
near the Brooklyn Bridge kiosbs.
The passengers Of West Farms express
which was taking on nOrthbOund travellers
a. the bFidge wasted no time backtracking
and running for the open air They were
joined BY almost everybody else who
happened TO be on the platform. The
upward rush collidod with hundreds Of
people who had seen the smoke pouring
from the gFatinRl and were intent on
hndlng cat II the subway was burning up.
The polics nhspherdsd people out and
allowed no more 70 enter.
SOmethinR had caused a short circuit
from the contact rail Of the nOrthbOund
express track about ten feet above the
end % the uptown platform. u may
have been . plsOs Of steel OF iron dropped
irom the platform Og there may have
been a defect In tho Insulation. bat what
ever Il was. trouble developed. A. soon
a. the signal men In their elevated cOops
heard the savage hiss and saw the blue
gFesn geyasr they pulled the emergency
levers Which shut 81 power from Bowling
Green 20 the Brooklyn Bridge and north
ward 90 FOnrtosnth street Trains
stopped dead and a mile or more Of the
tube was a. black a. a cellar.
A repair crew located the short circuit
AZ once and then the local trains were
cut IN by telephone. The blowout didn't
affect the classification Of the local
tracks, but local trains moved slugEishlv
Tor the next hour. The shOlt circ''it
had melted the nanRes of the third rail
on the northbound express track for two
feet OF more and had destroyed the
schair- Of the rail. Il was a mean job
for the repair crew and Il took time
u was i2.t3 =. N. when the trouble
occurred. and for thirty minutes M
express trains moved between -Four
tasnth street and Bowling Green. The
locals kept crawling. but ~ many u
them had piled up that they made show
headway. Supt. Merritt ordered south |
bound eXprcpses switched INTO the local
tack az q point just above the short |
Circait and nOrthbOund expresses were |
shunied over TO the local track through |
ENitCh4 a short distance south OF the |
bridge platform. 10 for more than an |
hour the local nOrthbOund track was
handling all the uptown 'raiiic and trains
were p0king along 90 close together that |
passengers could step from the front |
car 81 ono into the rear car 81 another |
TIE Overloading q the lOcals aud the |
time u TOOK 10 switch the e1preAeea around |
the dead express track az the bridge |
made subway travel unpleasant. 10 took |
one local train fifty-five minutes 10 run |
from tho GRAND Central station 10 the |
nINUMlNn NTl0NHs ~ NfMMlHN n lew !
rods. stopped again and finally brought |
up az the Brooklyn Bridge station with |
itn pa0sengers iumpy frOm NERVOUSNESS.
There wma q halt hour IN which hFOOk- /
lyn was cast "a from the world. - far /
hR the subway was concerned. Brook !
lyn eGpnaauea were halted on the other |
side ~ Borough Hall aud told 20 wait |
for urdarn. The station az Borough |
Hall was iammed ami finally the ticket |
SELLERS refused money. The police stopped |
people az the entrances until the signal |
came that the road was cl-ar Broad |
way line trains making q start a. south |
Ferry were held back even longer
Az the Fourteenth street station. the |
Grand Central station. seventy second |
ssrest. Ninety-sixth and other double !
platforms up the line crowds massed /
until Il was necessary 10 discontinue /
the selling Of Jackets.
Thirty minutes after the short circuit /
inE the repair gang thought they had |
the damaged third rail hxed up and the I
foreman gave the signal 10 turn un power /
The instant the current came there was
another fash almost a. sharp a. the /
first one. They had their work % do al !
over again. They found the ground /
a. q point a little below the original short .
circuit and they had 10 clean out the I
CUncrete chair and lay a new one. AZ |
I 20 the job was cOmpieted and the trains |
began 10 mo We on the express track: I
but Il was nearly two hOurs before the /
system got back 20 schedule.