The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-14
BATTESHIPS WIN CONTEST FIRE PANIC IN BRIDGE RUSH
Continued from First Pags


them from IN. board and stop the rioious
display ~ electric energy sen from
below, n las like men trying To wre-tle
with box of heavy fiTe~o rks prsma-
tuTsly alght Every second there would
he Wv vi fash of blue. stTeakeh with
hvId whlte sparks. then another rush
~ smoke and the following yellow blaze,
which was momentarilV growing larger
Callahan and the men who had Skinned
zap the ladder To help HIM found that their
ehorts we're frnrle~- The fire lay he
tween the Az itChhpard controlling the
-CrossoN err frogs "a the tracks below
and IN" u alls ~ the tower Rubber pack
ING and Insulation were cracking under
the hames
Acting captain Edward J Burke 81 the
bridge squad Of police had hurried over
To the tower ladder with a hand FIRE eN-
tingulsheT when the first fash came
When b" joined the little crew in the
tower he found his eXting;IisheT made
quatr ami he dTopps,i down the ladder IN
get another He left the men wIth the
blue flames playing about their heads
and hands. and jusr the minute that the
acting captain stuIcA the ConCourse there
vas a part iC,ilarlv heavy series 81 eNplo-
slons followed bv smoke which hid every
one On the hatch above hts head
When RurSe came racing hack With
another eNtinguisher and climbed the
ladder The flames were shooting through
the hole they had cracked m the glass
roof ON srh@ah. and Walker Callahan and
the others had deserted the electric trap
Burke did not know this. howevs r. and he
went NJ hand over hand believing that
he would hnd two Or more men overcome
IN the rubber fumes. When he had salts
fed himself that every one was out Of he
switch tower Burke dropped down 10 the
pavement pretty we'll ChOk eel up with the
nausenus fumes " the burning insulation.
rrainma-ter J u Burns had Jumped
To- a teleph one lust as soon as he saw thar
there was serious business Ia the switch
tower and he had ordered the power
house IN Brooklyn To shut M the cur
rent which was playing so much havoc.
There was some DELAY IN executing this
order although the Il II T officials aid
afterward that the current had heeu shut
M just ~ soon a. report ~ the accident
had reached the power hou-" 40 least.
there was sufficient interval between the
first display of pyTotsChnicS and the shut
ting OF 10 the power from the hlri rails
east " Sands street -tltlnn IN Brooklyn
tn permit ~ every ea~thound tram On the
bridg. reaching and passing the Brook
iyn terminal before hetng blocked 10y "a
dead rat
Policeman Schslp 81 Bridge Squad \
was hsrding the long line ~ brooklynite-
into order when no Saw the spIrt II fame
from the switch tower and heard the
y,.ll- ~ the electrician. Tn" policeman
breasted his way through m" damned
channel of the stairway down IN tho police
booth At the street entrance ~ the termi-
nal building to send IN an alarm Tor the
engines He found q stout elderly woman
waiting at the door II the booth with a
crying child IN her arms
Policeman. SAID she Here - \ lost
little gIrl and CIV" her over 20 Won
Yep. Just a. soon 40 | vs sent IN the
alarm said Schelp. all on' 1T breath
with excitement and IN" struggle through
the crowd
No. not after anything AID the
motherlv parrru a. -ns blocked IN" on
trance To- the police booth Here's lost
little girl and I hand her over To- YOU. VII"
- the proper person to tak" care " her
NuI don't get through her. gntil Won take
The policeman grabbed the lost little
gar, 10y the middle like gripping -ick
~ -four and with the chlld tucked under
hi- arms he sent IA = call for the hr" 'p-
paratu- Engines ~ and - and Trucks
10 aud IA answered IN record time The
policeman aIsr warned Headquarters
that there was going To IT, something dong
there al the bridge terminal Wh"n ihe
crowd h@gan ~ hack Ip on li~eli. there
was something doing in that I'm" al
ready h. urged
HeadlrarT..r- caught tho 'Ir not and
orders were ~.u' 80 'Iru u.' N" resolves
from th- } Uyaue'h and paN street stations
aud from lraHr \ station und"t IN"
CIV Hail AID Bridge squad Head
quarters a. - seat a fviUg squadron ~
piglu CLOTHES men down =. IN" t"rminal
uu N" r.In ,, cIrrIla'- along ne edges
81 n. cr"Wd and watch for pickprckets
Nh-u the luu aud more reserves AZ
rived a. rho bridge plaza solid blocks 81
J--rpl. vera siftIng down Az IN" star.
wAv- and u'hsT solid blocks were coming
az, from the dpwnrpwn district and across
tliy Hal PARK Iu a heavy cross current
B..i re III. fire apparatus arrived IN" 'wp
s..hwav HlDsks wsr,. "n quilted hv m" It'd"
and no g,ACk II Juz'iIug peppi" had ~
tended down ParN r'w a. far ~ NprIc"
street
III the gatemen and some - m" cor.
dur'urs 4 tho trains stalled alpft had
scattered - the various exits from IN"
tram floor and vsr" passing pu' Transfers
good for a ride across M Hridg" IN ne
surface. lines Immediately there "nsued
an assault IN force IN az ~ the trolley
car and for half an hour thirty pohc"-
mon were busy pulling rat" citizens N
the taIlrpaT'l- ard 'ay'- q N" gTuaninR
surface cars
When n" fremen came. under IN"
direction - Deputy Gh"' Burs and
acting Battalion chef sullivan. they ran
a line ot hose up n'p IN" burniuG shack
on the wall ~ N" tram she'd B'' un'Il
the power was turned IN At IN" brooklyn
feed station they did not dAr" 10 send a
stream INTO ne cracking mass q tiI-lng
wires Current enough - have ihd "E'
every man on tn" noDyie- would hdN"
cha god up the streams " water had they
a me - Wher IN" current was finally
~ Itchsd ~ they soon dpIS"d ~" hau"S
avan though they had 20 rIp open tho
ShaaH box through which IN" wires were
led inward 70 tho switch tower and INTO .
" hich The burning tram ~ InSIlatI"n had
rrppf
After all the thousands had been
-hpo~d from the upper concour-, ~ IN" 4
terminal building onto the trollevz or 2
into the solid line ~ foot pas~~n gers
arrps, the bridge there still remained
plenty ~ work FOR the policemen and
score Of y X I gat.'nen -Four elevated
rams that mad b""n coming westward d
from BROOKLYN ~ IN" tim" the blowing
nut ~ tho fuse had praCipIiated the CON
fusion had been stalled along tho length
n the brIdg" There wer" not many pas
.enR.r- IN these trains hut enough 20
xivo tho policemen and the trainm"n
plenty 10 do m assisting -kItiIsh pas-"n-
gers over N" ptcke'- 10 m" bridge walk
md the roadway On either side 4 'h"
rack " was nearly or hour bs-fci" tho
ast ~ them found himself IN Manhattan.
when the X ] electricians md
several from the Publ" Service Comm
,lon lCOk.Si into the cause ~ the aCcid"r'