The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
PROUD OF FTREMEN IN
CHAMBER OF HORROR
Chief kenlOn Calls Scene Worst
in His Experience Except.
ing Triangle Fire.

"A chamber OF hori ors." was the term
which Fire Chief Kenlon. begrimed and
staggering. used yesterday morning when
he emerged from tho subway emergency
exit at Fifty-ffth street and Broadway.
Thank God we've got them all out"
he said. III there are any deaths II will
be- OF those now In the hospitals We
have searched every foot OF the subway
from Fiity-ninth TO Fifticth street. IL
was regular chamber OF horrors II
was the worF thing ! ever have wit.
messed. except the Triangle FIRE. and when
we started In 1t looked as II there might
be hundreds Of dead.
There were easily 700 persons in the
express train and in the two local trains
stalled near Fifty-hfth street who had
to be carried or helped out. When I
first got down there 1 did not know what
would be the result. | found the smoke
so thick hat you could scarcely see I
saw men and women sitting stark in their
seats. their eyes glazed and faces turned
up They were unconscious. and did not
know at htst glance hut they were dead
Others were lying unconscious on tn.
doors of the cars. Stll others were
crawling along over the bodies Of tn.
unconscious
we found some on the tracks yher.
they had dropped as they were making
their way to the stations in the hone OF
reaching the street and some standing
by the ventIlators with their faces held
up to get some fresh air.
"On my arrival sent in a speclaI call
TINT brought ninety-three men and seven
officers. In my time I have witnessed lois
OF heroic work on the part OF fremen, but
never before have I seen so much con.
certed and fearless work in saving others
They would be helped up to the street
and, getting lung full OF air. wuold night
TO get back into the rescue work again
II was splendid and I am proud OF th"
mon"
The special call" referred 10 by Chic,
KcuIon. an invention all his own. was tried
yesterday for the first time in the history
OF the department. Two ordinary alarms
were sounded when smoke WIS seen issu
ing from the subway. and these alarms
brought several companies with their APP
paratus. The men had little use for Their
apparatus, and they had not been at wori,
long before some OF them began to sue
Cumb
Tho special signal is known az "the
-FOUR thrses.' Three taps were sounded
four times through the box at Broadway
and Fifty-iiith street, and this signal
was followed 10y the $40" Indicating the
had been given the entire fighting force
az Manhattan was standing at attention
In The several headquarters throughout
the borough. Then came the further sig
nal "ono-ten" That said that the Deputy
chief in charg" NJ the first division was
to select ten men headed by a lieutenant
who were to go TO Broadway and Fifty
nf,h street without apparatus just as
fast as they could get there.
Then came the signal "two-fiftcen &"
This said that the Deputy Chief In charge
of the second division was to select fifteen
men headed b. a Lieutenant, who were to
do tho same thing So 1t went until from
each of The divisions except the arst
fifteen iren were selected. which with the
/ ten from the first division, made 100
I men In all
The 'four-threes' was sounded twice
| by chief Kenion. and altogether 200 men
| were summoned TO come without ap-
pIratu-.