The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-07
TWO HUNDRED PERSONS IN.
JURED IN ACCIDENT IN
NEW YORK'S SUBWAY
TRAINS STOP;
LIGHTS GO OUT
Cable Blows, Out; Fumes of Burn
ing Rubber Fills Cars; Panic
Starts IN Darkness.
(Ry Afsocintcd Pmsn.l

NEW YORK. Jan. 6.-The worst ac-
cldent in ten years history of New
York's subway occurred during. the
morning rush hours today when zoo
passengers in two stalled trains were
stricken with panic In the darkened
tubes. by dense smoke and acrid
1umes from short-circuited cable.
In the struggle to escape some two
hundred persons were injured, one, q
woman. fatally. Others, overcome,
were rescued unconscious, by police
and firemen. while scores struggled
to the street unnerved, or hysterical.
their clothing torn and faces blacken7 :
ed by smoke.
The city tonight was In the throes of
ia transportation ,blockade without
parallel in It's history. 1t was not un-
I'll late this afternoon that wheel
again turned in the subway and then
only limited local service was MAIN
tanned. The hundreds of thousands of
passengers the subway ordinarily car
ries were diverted to elevated and
surface 5ystemS and when the home
bound rush began tonight neither sys-
tenn had adequate facilities. There
were no subway trains running to
Brooklyn and dense mass OF human
> Nj
bridge, prolonged the rusb hour per-
iod for two hours In a strugale Go
board trains and cars. -
The accident occurred between fire
Ipifty ana Fffty-Ninth street stat lions
and called out virtually tho entire fire
and ambulance service on Manhattan
Island. The two trains, an express
and q. local, both packed, came To a
stop midway between the stations and
the lights went out. A large feed
cable had blown out in its conduit.
some 80 yards distant and soon the
cars were filled with the fumes of
burning rubber. This soon grew ur-
t.oarablc and IL took little to start a.
panic in the darkness.
Tho demands of some OF the pas
sengers that tho doors be opened were
refused by the guards, IL was said.
rights ensued and there was soon in
progress on both trains q desperate
struggle to get out. Windows were
smashed by the score; men and women
trampled each other and tore each
others clothes in fear, !.
When the first of the pauic-stricken
passengers reached the street the re-
port spread that there had been ter
rible catastrophe in which many had
been killed
Police and firemen quickly reached
the scene and although 1t was at
length established that the reports
were exaggerated, they were busy
more than threel hours In the, rescue
work. They found In the two trains
many passengers, mostly women, half
asphyxiated. Others had collapsed on
the floor of the tube. Some we're
brought up by ladders thropgh man
holes. some through ventilating aper-
tures In the street, ordinarily covered
with steel grating. @f S
Nearby theatres, stores and auto
mobile garages were conimandeered as
temporary hospitals. while dozens, OF
ambulances carried away to hospitals
those needing skilled attention. Som =
OF these were reported In serior,s
condition tonight. Miss Ella Brady, d q
only person to lose her life, died In
an ambulance. The lives of several
were undoubtedly saved by The use OF
pulmotors.. physicians said.
& Investigation TO fix the blame OF
the accident were ct once started BY
District Attorney Perkins and the
public service commission and word
Fame from Albany that the accident
lad started Legislative activity to Srs
ingestigat ation, of the States supervision
ofSpublic utilities.
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