The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-13
HUNDRED OVERCOME
PASSENGERS In SUBWAY have
TRYING EXPERIENCE
ONE WOMAN Is KILLED

Smoke and Fumes From Short Cir
cuited Cable-Two Hundred Per
sons Injured, Many Seriously.
More than one hundred persons
were overcome by smoke, cut by fly
ing glass, bruised and otherwise in
jured in fire aboard a train in the
subway Of New York city at the
height Of the rush four Wednesday
morning. In the panic and confusion
which ensued police headquarters is
sued a report that from IL to 20 per-
sons had lost their lives, but this
later proved to be unfounded and
only one known death was recorded.
The entire fire fighting force Of
Manhattan, every ambulance in the
borough and every pulmotor that
could be found was brought to the
scene. The fact that scores of per-
sons were unconscious led to the
early report that many had been kill
ed. Later Police Commissioner Woods
and Fire Chief Kenion announced
that so far as they knew there had
been no fatalities.
A surgeon attached to tho Poly
clinic hospital reported that one in
jured woman had died in an ambu-
lance on her way to the hospital.
Two hundred persons in all were
taken TO the Polytechnic, the surgeon
said, but as far as he knew, with this
one exception none had been fatally
injured.
For the first. time in the history of
the fire department a special alarm
called out dremen and battalion
chiefs without apparatus to fight the
flames and care for the injured.
The ltie-up started at 8 O'Clock
Wednesday morning, the beginning
Of the rush hour. Al $3.50 slow
express service was started, only to
be halted by the discovery Of fire.
Three alarms were turned in and
ambulances were dispatched.
From trains stalled between sta
tions fremen emerged bearing un-
conscious victims. -.
Fire Commissioner Adamson, who
assumed personal charge Of the sit
uation, sent men throughout the city
with orders to bring every pulmotor
available to the scene. One of the
victims died before the pulmctors
could be obtained.
Congestion, the like OF which the
city has seldom seen, prevailed ct al
most every subway station. At
Brooklyn bridge, the Manhattan en-
trance was choked by tens Of thou
sands. For so minutes detachments
of. police reserves struggled with the
crowds. there BEFORE order could be
restored. - - =. g.
Elevated. trains and surface cars
all over the city were packed to over
flowing with the throngs that were
turned away from the subway.
More than 20 bodies we.e taken to
The platform Of the Fifteenth street
station. Firemen asserted that the
tube held the bodies Of many other
dead, some Of the estimates going as
high as two hundred.
Ia an effort to get at the dead and
dying in the subway, Inspector Egan,
Of the bureau Of combustib1es, sent
for q large amount Of dynamite with
which to rip up the streets.
Sixty unconscious persons were
taken to the Flower Hospital. Other
hospitals cared for many other vic
tins. ventilator gratings were taken
up from sidewalks around the Fiji
tieth and Fifty-ninth street stations
to permit removal Of the injured.
Fire Commissioner Adamson re-
ceived reports from the battalion
chiefs that the fire was confined to
two subway cars; that several per-
sons had been killed and a great
many injured and overcome.
All man-hole covers were removed
as we'll. as the ventilator gratings. In
the openings thus made hremen
placed their hose. Other squads OF
firemen crawled down through the
binding smoke into the tube and
worked in relays.
Through smoke that oiled up from
the manholes could be seen the
flames below.
The fire started in train between
the Fiftieth and Fifty-ninth street
stations. Some of the hundreds OF
passengers. wedged in the cars said
afterwards that it started with an eX-
plosion and that the train came al
most Immediately to a standstin.
Aboard the train there was a frantic
rush for the end cars.
Through the open doors at eacn
end there poured stream Of men
and women who struggled through
the. smoke, apparently obllVlous OF
the danger of the third rail, toward
the two stations. Platforms ct these
stations were jammed and In the
wild rush for the exits some persons
we're trampled on.
Emergency calls brought to the
spot every ambulance in Manhattan.
AS fast as unconscious victims were
removed they were laid on the side
walk or carried to stores and oftlces
and given first aid treatment by hre-
men and surgeons. So great was the
demand upon the fire fighting forces
to aid in reviving the unconscious,
that hurry calls were sent to Brook
lyn for aid.
The transportation tie-up result
ing from the fire spread toward the
Bronx and to Brooklyn and tens o,
thousands Of persons struggled al
elevated railway and subway stations
tin those boroughs in an effort TO
reach Manhattan.
The bodies Of 20 persons lay On
+bo n1atform of the Fiftieth street