The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
WORST TRAFFIC DAY
IN HISTORY OF CITY
Hundreds of Thousands Strug-
gle on All Lines In the
Rush Hours.
GREAT CRUSH AT BRIDGE

New York has never before experienced
such a complete Generalization Of It's
traffic systems as followed tho subway
accident OF yesterday morning The ordi.
nary arrangements for handling a rush
hour crowd were simply dlssipated
Men long accustomed TO the machinery
of throng In motion threw up their
hands In despair and the procession OF
human beings that daily moves from here
TO there In orderly. buslnesslike fashion
was suddenly transformed into riot OF
excited pushing. elbowlng men and
women who seemed TO forget that the
world would still go on even II they were
not Just where they wanted TO be and
wouldn't be for some time to come
Every area touched by tho subway felt
IL and the feeling was vented I'm such an
attack upon tho facilities OF elevated and
surface lines as overcame their utmost
endeavors and left hundreds of thousands
OF citizens In a blue funk under blanket
OF FOG. The policeman had need OF all his
good nature. his tact, his stout arms, TO
keep himself and lot Of other folks on
their feet az the long lines went squrm-
ing up the elevated stairs or massed on
street corners to waylay some street car
groaning along under its living pack.
OF course nobody knew just how long
the subway trains were going to be stalled
and for some time after the accident men
and women bought their tickets and
| TANNED their way down to the station
platforms. Then the platforms began to
be fed FROM the aside for a lot OF fright
ened people were making their way from
the darkened trains to the nearest exit
and the nearest exit was in most cases
no exit at all II wasn't long before the
street kiosks began to look like stock
tlckers in panic days and the news that
came out Of them was just as satisfac-
tory.
Subway employees and policemen got
word through the crowd that there was
no hope OF speedy resumption OF traffic
and then there was drive for tho ele-
waited lines and street cars, even for taxi
cabs anything that would get somebody
10 his place Of business Some waited
10 get their money back. others took
transfers. the greater number got away
from the subway az fast as they could
and started trouble somewhere else
The great transfer points were over
whelmeh In the general confusion. Many
people left the Third avenue elevated line
AT l'bth street as usual. intending to
journey on by the subway. When they
found that couldn't he done they tried to
get back street cars bringing thousands
10 the same point added TO the mass
Trains following behind with hundred 3
WIN hhh HtdIu VI lle dNtlueUt kent tneir
loads and the platforms packed under
their increasing burdens.
There was the same trouble for those
who were going uptown. At Brooklyn
Bridge an immense throng swallowed up
the traffic squad. and reserves from the
Oak and Elizabeth street stations we're
called out to help Men and women bound
for Harlem were glad to get into Third
avenue surface car rather than risk the
"a M mt Hn Nf ha z,.fl. "A
elevated trains. Overeager men were
not hesitating to attempt entering the
elevated trains through windows and the
spirit OF the crowd was not reassuring TO
weak or timid persons.
Similar scenes were observable on the
Sixth and Ninth avenue elevated lines.
Down below the surface cars had their
own problems More than one adventur-
Gus person risked life and limb as he
dsrted At a platform handle scarcely
visible for the crowd that fairly bulged
from the car end. broadway cars were
turned back at Murray street for the
northward journey and the overflow from
the Third avenue surface and elevated
lines swept across city Hall Park to get
them. Under such conditions speed was
impossible and for the greater part OF
the morning the trains and cars merely
crept along
Park Row Ia the early hours OF the
afternoon held as many people as 1t usu-
ally does I'm the rush hours. They were
headed for the bridge. to 60 to Brooklyn,
or the Third avenue elevated. to begin a
long journey up toward The Bronx
shortly after o'clock the subway
opened again for traffic from the Brooklyn
Bridge to Ninety-sixth street This took
some OF tho jam away from the Third
avenue line. but not much. for most peo-
! pie living far north on that line preferred
D .,agsk 10. .KNI liz .sal
rather than have to get out at Ninety
sixth street. travel around the park by
trolley and get on the Third avenue line
| again on the other side.
The subway did. however. take some
| Of the congestion away from the Yves,
| Side elevated lines. Even those who live
far north OF Ninety sixth street preferred
| to take the subway up and then go by
| trolley. If the distance was not great,
otherwise by elevated to their homes