Evening star., 1915-01-06
Fire Aboard Train at Height OF
Rush Hour Causes Panic
Among Passengers.
TUBE FILLED WITH SMOKE
AND FLYING BROKEN GLASS
One Woman Dies, While Many 9th
ers Are Injured-Heroic Work
of Firemen Saves Scores.

NEW YORK, January 6.-More than
100 persons were overcome by smoke.
cut by flying glass, bruised and other
wise injured In fire aboard train in
the subway at the height of the rush
hour this morning. In the panic and
confusion which ensued police head
quarters issued a report that twelve
persons had lost their lives. but this
later proved to be unfounded, and only
one known death was recorded.
THE entire ire-f1ghting force of Man
haitian. every ambulance in the bor-
oueh and every pulmotor that could be
found were brought to the scene. The
fact that scores of persons were uncon-
scious led to the early report that
uany had been killed. Later, Police
Commissioner Woods and Fire CHIEF
Kenlon announced that SO far as they
Lnew there had been no fatalities.
surgeon attached to the Polyclinic
uosnital reported that one injured
woman had died in an ambulance on
her way to the hospital TWO huroLeo
persons in all were taken 10 tns roy
clinic the surgeon said, but as 1ar as
he knew, with this one exception, none
had been fatally injured
Breaks Out in Stalled IRAN.
The fire broke out in a subway train
which was one of a long line of rush
bour trains held up between the 50tn
and seth street stations by an earlier
accident in the power house of the
system, which tied up the service
There were reports that there had been
q collision between two trains and
some of the panic-stricken passengers
referred to the fire as "smash-up
AT the time of the fire the subway con-
tanned smoke from previous hre, eH-
tinguished only a few minutes before
at the Spring street station
It was shortly before $3.50 o'clock that
wisps of smoke began to curl from the
,nanholes along Broadway between the
two stations. The spot where the nre
street Hampered in their efforts to
reach the blaze. the fremen dug INTO
the pavement with their axes They
succeeded in making hole above the
ing belched a volume of smoke and
flames as If from a crater. A hose was
directed through the opening, and even
hand extinguishers were useo-
with the ambulanceS that came from
all over the city. A Gordon thrown
around Broadway by the police held in
check tens of thousands of spectators.
Smoke Soon Fills Subway.
The tie-up was sudden. Trains came
slowly to a standstill and remained
stationary, some of them between sta
tions. Smoke from burning insulation
at the Spring street station filled the
subway for blocks. mile away the
fumes affected throngs Of passengers
who crowded the station platforms.
All along the line the sale CT tickets
was stopped, and consequently surface
cars and elevated trains were badly
consested and all subway stations were
filled to overfowing with struggling
crowds.
Rescued Through the Street.
Sixty persons were taken in an un-
conscious condition from the scene of
the fire to the Flower Hospital Other
hospitals cared for many victims as
well. Ventilator gratings were taken
up from the sidewalks around the 50th
and 59th street stations and many of
the injured were removed in this man
ner. Fire Commissioner Adamson re-
ceived reports from battalion chiefs to
the effect that the fire was confined to
two subway cars.
The fire started in a train between
the 30th and 59th street stations. Some
of the hundreds of passengers wedged
tight in the cars said afterward that
it started with an explosion and that
the train came almost Immediately to
standstill. Aboard the train there was
a frantic rush for the end cars.
Passengers Struggle for Freedom.
Through the open doors at each end
there poured stream of men and wom-
on, who struggled through the smoke,
apparently oblivious Of the danger of
the third rails. toward the two sta
tions. The platforms at these stations
were jammed. and in the wild rush for
the exits some persons were thrown
down and trampled on.
As fast as the unconscious victims
were removed from the tube they were
laid on the sidewalk or they were car
ried to nearby stores and offices and
given first-aid treatment by squads of
hremen and surgeons. So great was
the demands upon the fire-fighting
forces of the city to aid in the work
of reviving the unconscious that hurry
calls were sent by telephone to
Brooklyn for aid from the firemen there