New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-08

chinery In the power plants Io'"e' '''"'
cables I'm the subway .., T.,
short circuits were not common IN
the subway. he said. There might De
ono or two in day. and then none IN
six months. u:u
Questions by Commissioners VIII
~, ord VaItbie brought out that the
,,,rrcrt had been cut of Wednesday,
thougp not hy the circuit breakers, inc
,yituoss saving that device, placed ln
.he subway for Just such emergencies
rad been used by an cmploye. Ihere
,vos no device 10 shut of current Whep
a short circuit was established unless
tho short circuit drew more current
tban the safety limit. Stated an
rercntlv. this meant that a short circuit
which might start burning cables would
continue TO burn until such time as
,hc trouble had become serious.
"This accident" declared CommiS-
.sioncr Williams. must have come from
one Of two causes from overlooking
or breaking down Of insulation -
mot nm overload" said the witness
breaking down Of insulation yes.
There was no overlooking
"What have you done to determine
that the insulation was good
Cables Frequently Tested.
owe have a system Of inspection that
IS the most rigid Of any company ~
existence All Of the cables are tested
out at least once a month. The cables
are submitted 10 three times the nor
NAL load. II there is any weakness
this raising OF the load is expected to
reveal IT,"
Questioned as TO conditions in SD
st. az the time of the accident the WIT
ness said he had no doubt there was
state of panic.
1.-THE train crew reported to me that
they tried to get the passengers to 20
out. that they helped them out, and that
several Of them refused 10 go. Most OF
them eventually went out in a frenzied,
panicky state Of mind"
So far as he knew, there were no
locked doors in any subway train. Some
cars had locks, but to his knowledge
they were never used.
Il have yet TO learn of the first case
wh 20 any Of the guards in the subway
has ever locked the car door" he said.
The witness said there were some
eight or ten places like the splicing
duct at SD ST., and one worse in that
IL has more wires in IL. The sealing OF
these ducts, leaving the only entrance
from the street, might or might not be
a good thing. As for an Independent
lighting system, he was quite sure that
a short circuit which destroyed all the
cables az SD 81. would put it out OF
commission. This matter, however, Mr..
Hedlcy promised to look into.
Exits in Good Condition.
Robert Ridgway, engineer Of the
commission. described conditions at ODD
81. az they were related in yesterday S
Tribune.
This witness. the first one called,
brought out the existence of the emer-
gency exits. which. he said, were put
I'M after the older subway was IN oper-
alton. The exits at SID st., he said,
were in good condition. At this and at
other points he said there are "louyres,'
or ventilating ducts, leading TO the
street. These were sealed by screens.
At 53d ST. the screens had been torn
AVA.
Clifton ". Wilder. Of the engineer
ing staT Of the commission, declared.
as Mr.. Hedley did later, that II was I'M
posrible tc determine the exact cause
Of the short circuit. The minutest
puncture in the lead sheathing of a
cable. he said. would eventually result
in it's breaking down through a short
circuit
George Gibbs. consulting engineer Of
the commission and of the Pennsylya-
mia. said the cables in the subway were
standard cables He knew Of no better.
In the Pennsylvania tubes, as in the
subway. there are splicing ducts every
400 feet. that being the limit Of length
20 cable building.
f. b. Kattec. chief Of electrical trac-
ton on the New York Central. said
there are no splicing chambers in the
Park ave. tunnel. the cables being car
ried in iron pipes. South of seth 81.
are manholes. most Of them open only
at the top. Those that open into the
cut are protected only by screens that
they NAV be thoroughly ventilated.
Thomas b. whitney. Of the Hudson
& Manhattan Co., said the splicing
chambers or ducts in the Hudson tubes
are practically the same as in the sub
way, relying on powerful fans to keep
the tubes clear i'm case of blowouts.
Doors that formerly concealed the
chambers have been removed.
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