New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-30
Passengers and Flremen
Imperilled - Several
Badly Hurt.
SURFACE CAR AND 81"
ACCIDENTS FOLLOW
Girls Trampled When Short Cir
cult Starts Blaze Five
Taken - Hospital.


ing at 1870 o'clock, and service was not
fully resumed until 1887. after passen-
gers and hremen had ZEE. put In peril
Of their lives. Terri, loss Of life
would have resulted. IN the opinion Of
Fire Department officials, had he aeei-
dent occurred during even the slackest
period Of the daytime.
Three boroughs we're q eeted by this
accident, and elevated and surface lines
we're iRmmed. The Third Rv. VI"
working at its fullest capacity, had 9
FIRE and q tie-up that injured several
persons and Inconvenience thousands
Of others. The 145th st. erosstown line
Of the Union Railway Company had q
crash, in which q dozen persons were
hurt sorC seriously.
In the subway, after the IRE had
been put out, John Lenhi6eu, Of l6l
I'd st., member Of the wreeking crew
stumbled against the third rail and was
instantly killed
No enc knows why william Bayne,
- the controller Of a shuttle train
bound from 145th st. ana Lenox sv. 70
96th st., passed q signal and crashed
into a work train that had come from
The Bronx, with two fat cars loaded
with papers and other refuse.
A Sash followed the collision, piles
Of newspapers were ignited, and the
subway began 70 fill With smoke, A
northbound Bronx Park local came up
within 100 feet of the accident, the
power was turned off, and the passen-
gerj, having seen the flames, started
rush In the dark for the rear.
Robert B. Groat, Of 2076 Edewall av.,
and Claude Lanning, of 494 East 176th
st., led the way with torches made Of
newspapers. They say the trainmen
refused to lend lanterns, nd even tried
TO stop the passengers from leaving
the train.
Clouds Of smoke enveloped the fugi-
tives as they staggered through the
darkness. Fortunately there was not
q woman on the train. Meanwhile the
half dozen people on the shuttle train
had fed back over the ties to the l4bth
st, station.
A dozen men on the work train ran
TO safety, and five track walkers waited
only to carry out one Of their number
who had been seriously hurt. This
man, Frank Williams, Of 2517 Seventh
av., was standing at the side of the
track to let the work train pass and
was pinned against the wall of tho
subway when the crash came He was
taken 10 Harlem Hospital with a
fractured skull and internal injuries.
An alarm Of FIRE brought Battalion
Chief Weber, who turned in a second
and a third alarm. Chief Kenlon came
up from a downtown fire and took
charge.
He sent line Of hose into the sub
way, but IL was too short, and the fire.
men were unable to get near the blaze.
They succeeded, however, in driving
the smoke before them until other
lines could be laid. 1t was not until
after 7 o'clock that the fire was under
control
The men worked under the greatest
difficulties, and an improvised hospital
at the 146th st. station was kept busy
treating fremen who had been over
come underground. Relays we're used
in keeping the smoke at bay, but even
Chief kenlon and his aid Charles Ran
kin, had to come up for air. Captain
Crowley, of Engine ~, was unconscious
for some time. Three ambulances,
their surgeons and three department
surgeons composed the staff and equip
ment of the hospital.
NO damage was done to the subway
itself, though eighteen inches of water
was pumped out, and only the shells
OF the cars of the shuttle and work
trains remained
Fire Commissioner Adamson said
later that only a matter of few hours
stood between the narrow escapes Of
the few who we're using the subway
when the accident happened and the
terrible loss OF life that would un-
doubtedly have resulted later i'm the
day.
Steps should be taken by the Pub
Tic Service Commission" he added, "to
guard against disasters by smoke in
the subway. While the iTemen might
be able to conHne flames, it is next to
impossible under present conditions 10
clear subway Of smoke.
"Chief Kenlon and ] entered the sub
way at l45th st. and ordered venti-
lators opened, but they were insufficient
10 afford perceptible relief. The smoke
travelled all the way down TO 125th
St, where il came out Of the kiosk as
from the funnel of a steamer"
On the other side Of the fire the
smoke penetrated under the Harlem
River TO the Mott av. station, and
traces were found even at 149th ST.
With the ventilators open, smoke filled
the streets near the subway, and Har-
lem Hospital, LenON av and l36th st.,
took extraordinary precautions TO pre-
vent panic. All the shades were drawn
and every nurse was summoned TO duty
to be prepared for emergency.
Milo r. Maltbic, acting chairman OF
the Public Service Commission, said
in a statement: at has been the COM
missions ain 20 make the subway fire.
proof and to prevent fires by taking
the proper precautions, rather than to
install water pipes 70 fight fires. This
theory has been carried out to a de-
gree which is not observable in any
other structure within the city, public
or private"
The Interborough's statement told OF
efforts to resume service, saying a FIVE
minute Roadway WAS established in
The Bronx north Of l49th st. and
that the Lenox av. line to l35th st
was opened at $685..
During the morning Third av. Gle.
waited trains ran on Me closest possible
headway compatible with safety. Al
S:26 = defective shoe caused a short
circuit just below the eth st. station
and smoke poured into the cars.
In the rush that followed severa
girls were trampled and some received
slight burns. The guards finally opened
the gates and let all who desired wall
along the structure to the seth st
station. Firemen put up ladders snC
extinguished the flames Doctors from
Flower Hospital attended those in need
of medical aid.
The demands Oh the crosstown SER
vice Of the li5th st. line had more
serious results,
A car had just passed the centre OF
the 149th ST. bridge toward Manhattan
when another crashed into it from be-
hind. The passengers we're piled up on
the floor of the forward car, and Maize