New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-17

train TWO blocks away from certain
death
Seconds the subway reaching
state of decrepitude? The subway pc
gan operation a little over ten years
ago. Experience has taught tnat the
general equipment Of railways mas
life OF something less than twenty
years before total depreciation occurs
but let us say twenty years. Ihen tne
equipment of the subway as a Whole
is half worn out. even though IL mas
been maintained fully up 20 the hign-
est state of efficiency.
But it is admitted by Mr.. Hedley, and
all the electrical experts are IN agree
ment, that much of the electrical equip
ment lasts less than ten years-nota-
bly, insulation, which deteriorates IN
about eight years, and motors, whose
lease of life Is even less.
The subway has been operated with
wonderful freedom from accidents
while equipment was new. Have we
any assurance that 1t Will continue as
equipment wears out? Is 1t time now
TO look for series of. accidents?
THRIFT is folly to boast of rec
ord for safety when conditions admit
tedly do not warrant continuance.
Let us take a parallel case. Suppose
the managers of the New York Zoo
should point with pride TO the fac.
that of the millions who had visited
the wild animals in :hcir cages not one
had been killed, yet at the same time
should admit that the cages were not
strong enough TO hold and that the
savage beasts might any time break
forth and kill. Practically this is what
the subway managers admit. They say
that so far they have controlled the
deadly electric current, but that such
control is never certain, and they can
not tell when or where or how 1t may
break forth to ruthlessly kill.
Fourth-The subway can never be
made even partially safe until all in
fismmable material is eliminated. Not
only in the cars but throughout the
subway there is wood and other in
fammable stuff 10 burn and TO suffo-
cate with smoke. The ties are wood;
many of them are oil soaked. In the
Paris subway accident. in 1903, the
ties caught fire and eghty-four per-
sons were burned, sufocsted and
crushed TO death.
The cover 70 the third rail is wood.
Should short circuit occur at the
third rail the cover would for dis
lance Of half a mile or more instanta-
neously burst into flame. and the sub
way would be filled with unbearable
heat and suffocating smoke.
There is much infammablc material
at stations and exits. | have person
ally even seen barrels OF oil stored on
platforms of stations. Yet ell the eX-
perts agree that not a particle OF in
flammable matter should be permitted
in the operation and construction of
the component parts of passenger
subway.
Fifth-The steel cars are not FIRE
proof. They are, indeed, not very much
better than the wooden cars about 20
be eliminated, which are veritable
death traps.
The steel cars contain ample infam-
mable matter to burn and sutfocate all
their passengers in case of a short cir
cult. The doors and window castings
are wood, the floors are wood (some
cement lined, the rattan seats aud
stuffing are highly infammable and
smoke producing. and the same is true
of the strap handles and advertise
ments of cardboard in the cars. Even
the paint used in subway cars is n
source of danger, and safe substitute
for oil paint should be used. When a
modern ship of war strips for battle
all wood, such as foorings. doors and
lifeboats, is thrown overheard, and
even the paint is scrsped from the in
terror of the ship. for. as in subways,
fire and smoke are the dangers most TO
be feared.
That the interior of steel cars oper
ated in the subway is highly infam-
mable was proved in the empty car
collision in the subway on June I. 1906,
when Chief Engineer Rice reported
that not only were wooden cars de-