New-York tribune., 1912-01-13
Flames Start at Highest Point
of Structure from Short Cir
cult During the Night
Rush Hour.
18TH ST. STATION 0N FIRE
Passengers Crowd Through Win
dows and Make Their Way
Along Slippery Tracks to
Points of Safety-Dclay
of Forty Minutes.

During the rush hour last evening the
north and south bound tracks OF the
Ninth avenue elevated road, from llOtn
street nOrthward to the tcrmlhaI at
1J5th street. were blocked for forty min
utes. while passengers on stalled Trains
between stations swarmed from the
cars and took their lives in their hands
as they threaded their way along the
loftv structure 10 the stations. Ihis Is
one Of the highest points OF the eieValed
structure. The tic.--t agents coh'ihueu
to do a land office business IN seillhS
tickets, the would-be passengers oeins
crowded on the platforms until no moro
could be huddled there.
The occasion Of the delay and crowdihg
was short circuit on the motor car OF
uorthbound Ninth avenue train, as II
was passing the 116th street station IN
Eighth avenue simultaneously with the
short circuit. tongues Of blue flame shot
from beneath the floor of the first car
and licked their way up the sides.
James Stanley, motorman OF the tram,
found his booth in flames, and was torceu
out OF it. He tried to calm the passen-
gers. but mis- efforts were not OF nuch
avail The fire spread quickly through
the first car, anG then caught the dry
woodwork Of the island station platform,
naring up like bayfield, aiire.
In q moment the flames, famed by a
GALE which was blowing across the lofty
structure ignited the roof Of the plat
form and ate their way across ana set
fire TO the roof of the second car OF
southbound local train, which was then
discharging it's passengers. Among these
was Detective Brennicke, Of the West
l2Jth street station. He ran over ana
assisted the train guards in getting tho
Passengers off the burning car
BY this time it looked as though tho
entire station platform would be con-
sumad. Brennicke told the station mas
ter 20 telephone Tor assistance. ana Ia
trolmen Michaelson and Foley ran up
the stairs from the street and helped
pull some of the passengers through ti'e
windows. 1t is estimated that the TWO
trains held more than five hundred pas
sangcrs. and these, with others already
waiting on the PLATFORM made II dah-
gerous 10 all concerned.
soon after rhe start Of the fire WORD
was telcphonCd 70 the night dispatcher
m the 155th street station OF the line and
the power was cut off. Before this tho
tIremen were powcrless to fight TN" IRE.
They could not reach the flames from inc
street because OF the height OF the road
and scaling ladders were too unWleldy III
the gale 70 be Of any use.
The fire on the platform and in the two
cars was finally eXtinguished after the
fremen had dragged their hose up inc
narrow steps to the station. The water
froze almost as soon as il left the nozzle
Of the hose.
The sight of the roaring fire many RECT
above the street attracted several thou-
sand persons. who grouped themselves
in the street below and impeded traihc'
The reserves from the West 10th street
station were called upon tC maintain or
der.
So fierce was the heat Of the fire from
the burning station that many windows
of apartment houses on either side OF
the elevated road were cracked. The
persons living in these houses FASTENED
20 the street.
A. D. Smith, superintendent OF the
Ninth avenue division Of the road, VINO
was at the fire, estimated the damage
TO the cars at about $4,000. Mr.. Smith
said there were no passengers in the
Ninth avenue train. The police report
flatly contradicts him.