New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-21
Passengers in Panic in
Worst Tie-Up in Local
Rapid Transit.
BREAKDOWNS IN
EARLY RUSH HOUR
Car Jumps Track on Third ave.
nue. Elevated-Broken Axle
Stops Tube Trains

Tho worst traffic tie-up in the histor.
-, ,ho civ came Yesterday morning AZ
Tho height Of the rush hour. when TWO
accidents DELAYED hundreds OF thousands
-. ,,sseeneers IN the subway and elevated
trains Tor hours. ,,,.,
The entire subway system was olsa"'
FOR more than an hour, during "hich 'ne
unto,yn sections were practically reuuceu
- .,e 1850 ~ surface lines. The Ihiru
o,.orre elevated line was blocked Tor 'he
60 length of time. Tho Second, SKIN
- SON avenue routes afforded oaly 1T
lie relief 81
=, Tho subway accident which happened
81 the point where a breakdown Wouiu oo
,,ost troublesome. were indications OF
danger in the underground traffic which
has heretofore not been threatened All
avla Of car in the middle OF
eouthbound Lenox avenue local uS''
/ snapped at the crossoVer at the "'h sure
stottor and Il was only the slow speed o.
the train entering the station when pre-
vented more serious results
No statement came yesterday from inc
Offices Of the Intcrborough COMPANY rs ~
whether the axle had been Inspected PROV
erly before the car left the yards
There was .ess danger. although NOR
.Dectac,llar scenes. coupled with the acc'-
Ant on the elevated line. Dragons
contact shoe on a northbound train leeV-
inc CITY Hall ripped mp several huhu'e,'
feet Of the third rail- deraAed the car anu
brought fire when the electric cu'ie"'
o.r,o in contact with the wooden con
s.-,,ct,on Of the cars. The necessity OF
.hutting off the current and replacing 'he
third raj! blocked the system lot no'e
than an hour
both accidents happened almost sinul-
4a,eo,,sl, II was s.37 when the SUD
,.,sv train. having reached the point Where
3, stretched across two tracks, just north
n the station platform, went off the track
with noise that brought alarmed pollce-
men from the street. The shutting on oi
the lights started a panic In the CROWDED
cars which was allayed only with ditn-
c,,ltv Emergency lights were it, and the
passeucers were able TO file slowly out
,pon the 96th street platform through the
forward cars Of the train.
While the crews were working with the
car the passengers all along both the
broadway and LenoX avenue lines con-
frouted with not running signs at the
stations. turned 10 the other means OF
transportation available on the Broad
way branch. where the Ninth avenue Il
line could be reached. thousands iocked
IN the elevated platforms until the trains
on this branch were filed to suffocauon'
Further north, in the Washington
Heights section, where the subway sys-
tenn Is the only means Of rapid travel, the
messengers were forced to take the long
ride I'm Broadway and Amsterdam avenue
surface cars The consequence was that
these lines. too. were crowded all morn
Ing and their running schedules disar-
ranged.
The local tracks were not cleared until
after Il o'clock, and passengers in Brook
lyn. when the supply of northbound trains
there was exhausted waited hours before
they reached uptown parts Of Manhattan
When the Third avenue train was
blocked between City Hail and Chatham
Square the loss of power stopped al
trains. and even after the current was re-
sumed the trains were blocked as fan
north as 9th street Southbound trains
were turned back at that place. where
there IS a crossoyer and for several hours
service was furnished only that IA
south The branch from Chatham Squar'
90 City Hall was out Of commission al
the morning. and only the trains to soutf
Ferry were i'm operation.
Theodore p. Shonts, president Of the In
terborough company, was I'm charge Of thu
lacked back on the rails and the shoe
replaced ne took the controller and raj
the train uptown.