davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1915-08-05
Fires Shot at Bank Teller.

Savannah, Ga. Aug. Am unsuccess-
ful attempt was made to rob the Mer-
chants National Bank here today. when
James Fannan, IS. leveled a revolver at
the head of Teller a. I. Williams and
demanded package of money" Will
Jams lodged behind the counter and
Fannan fired. The young bandit was
caught after a chase.
The Washington herald., 1915-08-05
Rich Farm land Lies Idle.

Charges that land spectators are inter-
fering with the agricultural development
of the northwest were made yesterday
by the Forest Service. In a statement
the service asserts that IN Oregon and
Washington alone 100000 acres Of log
ged-off lands held By private owners are
lying idle. This area has fine agriculture
SOIL II Is asserted.
The Washington herald., 1915-08-05
Fort Monroe Practice Planned.

Maneuvers and target practice on a
large scale soon are to be held at Fort
Monroe by the coast artillery. Aero
nautic experts OF the navy with one OF
the latest hydroaeroplanes will be used
in practice as range finders. Patrick N
l.. Belllnger, on duty at Pensacola. Fla.
will direct the maneuvers. There are
ten companies of coast artillery at the
fort.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
Is She Only NictimG

to walk about unaided. and II was sug-
gested that she turn to and help revive
tho dozens OF others being brought in
She did this for a little while and then
tainted and was sent 10 Polytechnic Hos
p!tal The rumor at the scene OF the
accident later WIS that this was the
woman who died NJ the hospital the
single early death due TO the disaster
Mrs browne speedily found that her
services would be better employed as an
organize than AZ u nurse. There were
plenty 10 fetch water but few TO direct
tho work OF resuscitation, which varied
from simple flaming and moistenng of
lips and broWs TO the most strenuous
exercises to induce artificial breathing.
There was a great oamor to let relatives
know that - and 80 was "all right" and
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
n o in


thirty boas thirty coats. nifty mems hats
twenty umbrellas, twenty packages Of
lunch and other things, thirty pocket
books and miscellaneous assortment Of
handbags, "A chest OF tools and one crutch.
Not the least interesting thing gathered
was piece OF cardboard on which WI
scTawled hurriedly.
Il feel that the end is near. ! want %
comfort my mother. Tell her ! died
gamely."
There was no signature to this. and
the firemen said they would rather lNs
to meet thai man.
Investigation began almost at on 'e.
General Manager Hedley of the Inter
borough came up town as fast as an auto
mobile could bring him and went rigIt
down with his men. MIR. Hedlcy brcuthcd
thankfully, even IN that dense air, when
they told him no one had been found
dead, and he said that he could not tell
then how It all had happened Public
Service COMMISSIONS r. T.. Mccall and
Chief Engineer wilder We're there early.
and Mr.. Wilder went scientifically AT az
investigation.
Then came Police Commissioner Woods,
who was tickl-d at the way his men went
In. Then came District Attorney Per
kins, who wanted to know. After all
came Coroner Riordan. who had piece
Of insulated wire in his hands. Coroner
Riordan announced thar his investigation
viii begin at once.
With only one death reported and only
two persons possibly seriously injured, az
SO far established, the subway forces went
to work to prevent partial paralysis OF
the traffic situation at night. These men
were down before the firemen were out,
and they were into the burned splicing
stations just as soon as the authorities
had made their examinations. II was adj
mtted early they would not be able to get
toll HlN
centred everything on the locals Enor-
nous drums OF the heavy, lead cased
feeder wires appeared AZ the various
| points, and men went into spaces OF oven
| heat TO tear out the old and roll IN the
new Electricians climbed over roofs aud
around pillars like monkeys. An electric
I light system was installed and wire tests
were made by o'clock
The plan as worked out was TO cut out
| the Fifty-third street substatiOn entirely
| for the time being. and then 10 jump the
| current I'm some way from sections ~ ano
| II over section i3. which was tied up
| As many men as could get inside We're al
work for seven hours, and finally AT 4A'
| tho big test was made. Power shot once
again over the rails, the light sprang NJ
| In local at SiXty-siXth street Tn,
motorman applied his power and the tralI
| about half speed, Il Is true, but II wa
| going. There was a yell OF delight a
| Fiftleth street when II came along, Tn,
ticket office opened up for business. an,
traffic was resumed.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
MUST BE INVESTIGATED
AT ONCE, SAYS mitchell

Mayor MitchN kept In close touch with
the subway situation through reports from
the Fire and Police Commissioners. last
night hc mad" this statement:
1T Is fortunate for tho city that 20
days accident IN the subway did not re.
suit in more serious damage II the-A
are any lessons 20 Doe learned from the
occurrence they should be applied 10 the
extension Of the new subWays or course
thorough investigation should be made
at once To learn the cause with the
enormous number OF persons carried every
day upon our transportation system II Is
OF course incumbent upon every one. city
ana state onicials alike, TO see that every.
thing is done from month 20 month 10
insure the safety of the citizens.
The reports that have received from
the Fire and Police Commissioners show
splendid work done by the men Of both
departments Firrmeu descended into m.
smoke filled subway aud rescued hum
drcds az the risk of their own lives a,
they always do. several hremen were
overcome, Commissioner Adamson tells
me. The city Is certainly 10 be congratI-
lated on tho work Of these men"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07

Chief smoky Joe Martin, battalion Chiefs
Mcguire and Greene and a host OF cap
tains.
About the easiest thing for the firemen
to do was to saturato that burning rubber
with water and extinguish It's snouldering
blaze Then came the real task. That
was to go right down there and get those
people. II was reported and believed
then that about 200 persons had lost their
lives. The Fire Chief sent out the unusual
call OF -Four 3s," which means a call for
men only, and he had 100 smoke eaters
over there IN a very little while.
il was, Come on, men," from the
chiefs instead OF go In" yesterday, and
up at Fifty-ninth street and down at
Fifteth street those men were led right
into tho smoke and choke. They were
not alone either, The police were on the
job too. Chief Inspector Max Schmitt-
berger was up with the firemen. and 70
were Inspector Dwyer, Capt. Duggan.
Capt Cary, Capt Conboy and every other
captain from as tar north as Tooth street
"Comc on. boys :" was the word this time
and 80 at both stations tho rubber coated
policemen jumped in after the rubber
hated tiremen, breathing every little
while.
Reference was made 10 Traffic Police
man Bishop. who ran for Fifty ninth street
and got there ABOUT the time Dan Mealy,
Smoky Joe Martins chauffeur. forgot
about hts machine and took dive Into
the earth. They had not gone 100 yards
before Bishop stumbled over the body OF
young woman. She had gone that far.
but had then tainted. Bishop had her
back AT the station In no time. and an
| ambulance doctor got her. Mealy STUN
BLEED on little boy, and no had him back
| In no time.
BY that time the dremen and the police,
working north and south from Fiftieth
! and Flfty-ninth streets, were running over
bodies everywhere. They were lying on
| the tracks, across tho once deadly third
| rail. half under some Of the trains, the
/ vast majority OF them unconscious. all
| brt athing lightly. Although the police
men had a hard time OF II, not being ac-
customed to living on that kind OF smoke,
| they stuck. The bremen climbed Into the
cars and found Il man or a woman here
and there, perhaps girl When they
| found them down near Flfty-hfth street
they carried them to tho ventilators. where
the hremCn and policemen. having roen-
forced Mcfarland and Juncken, slid them
up tho ladder.
II never saw such n scene in my life
said kenlon, as he came up for little
air. They are lying everywhere dowr
there. We have found ton OF stun
hats coats, pocketbooks. umbrellas, pack
ages and even shoes in the cars"
A matter OF fact the authorities did
gather up "a patrol wagonload OF articles
out Of the cars In the mass were sixty
books. sixty women's hats, forty muifs
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
PANIC IN AN INSTANT FLASH FOLLOWED BY DARKNESS

caused al-the circuit Those things from
be provided against 1t is known whether
the low tension wires from the Fifty
station trouble far down the line
Canal street caused the turnout The be
known.
This the officials know That at O1 o'clock in the morning
the subway system using train its will
prope when bound south
station hour when equal number of
locals going with them there binding flash from
the splicing station the west side of Broadway at Ffird
street followed by another binding flash from the splicing
station on the other side of Broadway
Flames Shoot Along the Rails.
The flames met the centre and shot along the rails um
mating the tunnel with binding light and then the first
flame died down nared again and again. When finally it
subsidized in its place the binding choking smoke rolling out
of the splicing boxes shooting from the forced daught
of warshp thick that might almost be handled heavy
with the fumes of that human lung could nhae
it in its full strength and survive.
The splicing boxes it be explained the circular
wells at each side of the subway connected with maoe in the
street AT these points the feeder cables joined and it
is from the splicing that the cables dragged out and
placed when At the foot of these wells doors
which lead into the subway itself The part of these doors
is of asbestos but the bottom is wire grating.
The FASH the fire succeeding automatically sent word to
houses that there trouble and instant the
various sections affected shut off The sections in the
vicinity of the accident numbered ~ IS and Ia Thirteen
the trouble Very promptly train in these
tons came to a standstl.
The flash and shutting off of power caught northbound
local at Ffteth street and from it southbound
the that Just missed the explosion few yards
north from the station southbound local stopped.
Sixty feet north of the danger point local train
stop just in time This had about passengers
and forty feet behind its leading south bound
press with passengers from The Bronx halted
Both these trains from the LenoX avenue branch
Both trains filled with workers. and women who
get off station women
stenographers bound for work. and crowded with
them school children, hundred the express
it is estimated bound for the downtown high schools.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
FIND SUFFOCATION DUE
TO BURNING INSULATION
Molten Copper Not Main Factor
in Suffering, Say Column
bia Experts.

That poisonous gases arising from me
great mass OF molten copper that resulted
from the short clrcuiting OF the feed wires
In the subway seemingly had little TO do
with the number OF people that were Owe.
come, and that most OF the suffering re-
suited from the incomplete combustion o'
the insulating material In the confined
space where the supply Of Oxygen was
limited. are the conclusions of Prof Alex
ander Smith head Of the department ~
chemistry at Columbia University He
said:
The copper may have had something 70
do with II, but ] do not think II was tho
main factor. Copper has to be at a white
heat to give off really injurious vapura
II melts when a little above red heat and
then gives off irritating fumes, but they
are not dangerous. Undoubtedly burning
insulation was "A bigger factor. This ma
terial gives or a number OF very Irritating
vapors that would probably easily over
come people under the circumstances OF
the accident"
Prof. Walter I. Slichter OF the depa IT.
ment of electrical engineering At Columbia
confirmed this view. I'm my eNperienc,
in copper foundries and in my work with
copper" he remarked. II have found that
the molten metal gives off chemicals in
the form of gases that are very irritating
but which are not dangerous. From what
know of this present accident | would
say that most people were overcome be
cause of the incomplete combustion OF the
burning material You must also consider
that there was Il great number OF people
In confined space. with the result that
the individual supply Of air was cut down
This alone would do the damage.
Probably the burning insulation did
more harm than the copper The rubber
cotton and varnish that are present In
most insulating material would give of a
number Of irritating gases which could
soon work havoc In confined space
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
STRONG RIDE OVER WEAK
IN FIGHTING TO GET OUT

The sudden stopping OF the train, the
darkness, followed by the binding flashes
just ahead of them, threw the passengers
OF the forward car OF the local nearest
tho danger point into q panic. While the
guard cried out TO them TO keep their heads
and the motorman remained at his post,
the men and women dashed back for the
second car. smashing the glass of the
doors and jammng on the platform.
This brought up the passengers OF the
next car and the human avalanche pour
ing back damned into the third car. Then
came the smoke, which added 10 tho des-
peration. followed by the smashing OF
windows. through which human beings
threw themselves headlong.
Similar scenes were repeated in the
express train and as the passengers
jumped TO the tracks and ran shrieking
toward Fifty-n.nth street those In other
trains took alarm' and became wild with
fear. one woman who kept her head as
well AS she could said she wondered that
There may have been some incidents OF
Chivalry, but she saw none.
The strong oyerran the weak. Men
climbed over tho PROSTATE bodies of
women aud children and women fought
with one another.
Their goal was the trickling yellow
light vf the ventilator. Men called tina:
light Providential for there was no other
such ventilator for blocks
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
Parents OF studsa,s Anxious.

Columbia University officials were kept
busy yesterday after the knowledge of the
subway accident reached the parents Of
students. The calls on the university
telephones were so numerous that a re-
quest was issued in the afternoon classe.
by the deans of the schools asking stu
dents to communicate with their homes
as soon as possible and dispel the fears
of tho parents.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07

Tho smoke was coming up then and II
was making even the curious on the side
" Tx cough Mcfarland swung himself
down that ladder followed by Juncken,
while Bishop started on a dead run for
tho Fifty-ninth street subway station.
lie will he told about II later.
Mcfarland and Junckcu at the bottom
Of the shaft rushed over to the ventllat-
ing window, pulled out more of the wire
netting and then became human derricks.
Acting in concert they bent forward
monotonously time after time into the
smoke and every time they came up they
would bring a man, a woman or a child.
Not only the local train passengers at
this time were clamorng 10 be saved but
those from the express had climbed out
and were struggling to get to the air.
Things happened like lightning 4
deadly odor of smoke and gas crept to the
open air. People swarmed up the iron
ladder. Ambuldnces came changing and
nre apparatus came shrielting In a
twinkl.ug men were seen lifting women
through the gap In the sidewalk and all
the policemen In the world appeared to be
driving back the swarming crowds and
helping to lay out swooning folk along the
West Fifty-ifth street curb.
At first the tiremen would not allow any
of the victims OF the accident to be taken
indoors. Most Of them were in n state OF
helpless standardization They were
placed In the muddy gutter and pulmotors
were placed among them In a little while
half the block on Fifty-ffth street west
of Broadway WAS filled with bodies. They
lay in a strict alternatlon--frs "a person,
then pulmotor. then a person, then an
other pulmotor and so on.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07

that some one else had been sent to the
Polytechnic. or ST. Luke's. or Roosevelt or
some other hospital. SO Mrs. browne
seated herself In Manager Southwicks
chair at the West Fifty-tfth entrance OF
the motor shop and worked tbs telephone
with cool and unceasing energy.
\ frantic mob besieged her, but she
never lost her head-not for a second
rom suEb.nL, pI-H,nIvos gtrl sue "D".i
extract the name OF sister. mother or
brother in Harlem or The Bronx. Then
she called n number. and in a few crisp
words allayed the fear OF ueath In that
household.
Manager SouthwicS couldn't say enough
guou tu.ISs au.u, NIrs. ,p.o"nc.
"she worked like a Trojan, aud was
Just the COO headed person needed he
declared aftcrward Mr South~ick, L.
]. Lcahy and Arthur Ice Newton, retail
sales manager OF the Buick company, all
helped as much AS they could in straight
enIng things out. one OF the invaluable
bits OF assistance they gave was 10 con-
vert twelve Buick motor oars into tenn
porary ambulances.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
Fights TO save women.

Fights to Save women.
Mrs. browne got the names OF about
seventy-iiye Of those who we're brought
into the motor shop. one was youth
whose name was given as T.. {. Marshall,
address West l20th street, Harlem
branch OF tho Young Mems CHRIS.
Association employed In the National city
Bank.
Marshall had wounded leg and knee.
For two hours he sat In a chair in the
Buick place, gritting his teeth, shaken
with terrible chills and In great pain.
According to the story Mrs. browne heard
from him he had had to fight OF the men
In one of the wrecked subway cars In
order that the girls and women might
escape. Mrs. browne telephoned the Ma
tional city Bank. which sent one OF its
officers and physician up In motor
car and took Marshall away.
Maurice Etgart, OF SO Fast 1929 street,
told a sun man that he was In "A south
bound express that had passed Fifty
ninth street when It stopped with big
jolt.
IAN the lights went out" said Etgart.
who In 25 years Old. and appeared now
collarless and dishevelled. Everybody
rushed for the door. | grabbed hold OF
ten or twelve-year- Girl--going to
school, ! guess, AS she had lot OF school
books. She was little kid and ! felt
sorry for her
kIuDDtd ItIt ana just do ulu a. Hihl'
knocked me down and trod on my hand.
lie showed IT, drenched in druggists
| Iodine. II got out and pulled the girl
along tho tracks She was mostly un-
conscious and had to bear her weight
got with her to the grating here AT Fifty
I NTH street and took her to drug store
with me. Don't know what became OF
/ her.
Men Worse Than Women.
! 1.-THE men were worse than the women
/ | never saw such towards In my life, Yes
there were actual fights among the men
regular fist fights, was born In London
/ Etgart concluded and hts accent bore him
out. Il know a London fog, but the smoke
there was the worst thing ever | saw
/ Couldn't see a thing. ! don't know how
far II was from where the train stopped
TO the outlet | just managed to mako II
with the little Kid"
p. Il. Mixer OF 500 Riverside Drive tolt
Mrs browne that he, with others, waited
twenty minutes In the wrecked downtown
! local without any one suspectlng muci
wrong, Then the motorman came through
with fear In his face, exclaiming:
Il can't stand that smoke up from
any longerr'
Everybody went mad. There was a tor
rlble panic in the dark A young girl
apparently on her way downtown to Al
office building, sitting near Mixer ap
! pealed to him She said family:
Wont you help me OUT"
iIa put his arm about her waist ani
lifted her along as no strobe through IN,
car He got her out all right She
begged him 10 take her purse, but he toll,
Ter to keep II lest they become separates
and she lind herself without any money
When they were safely TO tho street Nike
lost track OF her,
While all this was occurring at Fifty
NTH street the hremen had arrived, all tn,
available engines and other paraphernalia
and all the chiefs, Commissioner Atkinson
Chief kenlon. Deputy Blnns Dtputy
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
Showroom Is FILLED.

The number or injured grew so fast that
the firemen quickly raised their ban
against carrying them indoors. The Buick
company has a showroom covering sew
eral thousand square feet. All the floor
space Of this was covered in fifteen min
utes with men and women who could not
get their breath. They lay there clutch
Ing pititully AT their chests. Some OF
them were unable to move a hand Those
who could breathe were madly hysteriCal
The big room reechoed with their outcries
At the high tide in tho rescue there
were 1870 persons laid out on the Buick
showroom ioor, propped up in the display
automobiles, sunken In chairs in the
offices off the showroom. and the curb
outside had not been cleared either.
The motor company has about twenty
employees at this place, and they were all
busy with water bottles. pals of water,
sponges, wet rags and other rcVlVers.
Pulmotors were brought inside and as
fast as possible the injured, most OF them
either half suffocated or hopelessly UNI
nerVed, we're loaded into ambulances and
taken to hospitals.
Tho creates. number by far were taken
10 the Polytechnic Hospital, in West Fiji
teth street between Eighth and Ninth
avenues, which was the nearest place OF
the kind. Every ambulance Ia the city
was called for and it Is said that there
was even one from 81. Marys Hospital
In Jamaica In the final roundup. At one
time there were fifteen ambulances along
the Broadway curb later with newcomers
and some returning there were twenty.
Mrs. Henry Russell browne of 300 West
Seventy eighth street had CHANGED to be
In front OF the Buick shop in her small
Buick touring car when the rescues
through the sidewalk first began. Mrs
browne always carries AN emergency llt
with a smack or brandy, bandages Sc
handy She had IT out in no time and
applied herself first the aid of a woman
who was among the first carried out from
/ underground
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-07
Halted by Policeman.

You can't come up here" he said.
and there are witnesses TO assert that
this policeman replaced tho grating and
stood upon II, although down below him
the fifty foot space on the floor of the
ventiator was crowded with human be-
ngs. Just then man on "A subway uni
form dashed up from below, hatless and
almost breathless.
For Gods sake, man, what are YOU
doing? There's an awful accident Get
or"
That policeman got Off and disappeared.
Just at that moment along came Traffic
ronceman Tom Mcfarland, the big man
Who runs things Al that very corner, re-
j. Nrting for duty Mcfarland didn't waste
time. on went that grating and down
went his arms to pun up a little woman
who had been clnging to the narrow
ladder. Then came Traffic Policeman
Nharlcs Juncken. In he went with Big
Nom and then George +, Bishop.
" fIIl'ud looked down and saw that
l.ey wore having hard time below.