The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-01-06

At I O'Clock the police department
made an official announcement that
no lives had been lost in the accident
which followed complete paralysis OF
the subway system, on account OF the
burning out of the cable at the main
power plant.
That scores of persons did not per
ish In the accident, however. was con-
sidered remarkable in view OF the cir
cumstances surrounding the accident
Pulled Out Of Cars.
The burning train was caught far
below the surface OF the street ana
the injured passengers had TO De mt
ed up by means OF ropes or earned
out by firemen In roundabout way.
Between 75 and 100 persons were
injured. Some were SO badly hurt
that they may die.
II will be impossible, however, to
secure an accurate estimate OF the
number of injured until full reports
are received from all the hospitals OF
the city. Ambulances were called
from all the hospitals and the injured
were taken even as far as Williams
burg and Brooklyn.
Dense clouds Of smoke rolled up
from the burning train. filling the
tunnel with choking, suffocat1ng
fumes. Twenty-Five firemen fighting
the flames were overcome when theE
dashed into the smoke filled tube to
rescue the imprisoned passengers.
Cars Jammed to Doors.
| Lying up against the burning traln
was another ten car train, each coach
hacked to suffocation. Following the
rule of the Interborough Rapid Transit
company, the guards at the various
stations had allowed every available
inch of standing room upon the trains
To he filled and both were jammed to
complete capacity.
Hurry calls we're sent to all the
hospitals in Central Manhattan ana
ambulances and surgeons were rush
ed to the scene. Long lines or ambu-
! lances were soon standing along the
streets near the Fifty-ninth street sta
ton, but many of the injured were
given first aid treatment as they lay
upon the sidewalks or in the nearby
buildings which had been converted
hastily into hospitals
The automobile sales rooms in the
vicinity of the scene Of the disaster
we're ha stily turned into first aid hos
pitfalls and the desks and chairs were
removed to the Railways and the
streets.
Five Girls Rescued.
Fire alarms were turned in In quick
success sion. The firemen, assisted by
regular police and scores of reserves.
began ripping away the gratings
above the yentilators. The uncon-
scious victims were lifted through
these openings with ropes Among
the first persons rescued were ffve
girls. all of whom were unconscious
, from fumes.
They were Lena Moore, Emily
Steedman. Dora Fischman. Julia
Goldstein and Florence Leavitt. All
, we're on their way to work.
!. AS the crowds gathered in the
f streets near the Fifty-ninth street sta
+ tion, more police reserves were neces-
: sary to stem the tide of curious.
q Patrols of police searchers We're
o sent along the underground tracks in
, both directions from the fire. One Of
+ these came upon two women lying un-
- conscious across the third rail near
p Fifty-ninth street. They had escaped
from the train and were blindly crop
= ing their way through the tunnel when
- they fell unconscious
= Clothes Torn OF.
Evidence of the fierceneSs OF the
', panic, which was raging In the cars OF
u the train while the firemen and police
;. fought to save them. was shown by
II the fact that many of the women had
their clothing torn completely off of
them. Some OF the women victims
were taken to the hospitals IN nude
condition. except for the great coats
or mackintoshes thrown about them
by the policemen and firemen.
Firemen were called from Brooklyn
II to assist in the rescue work.
More than one hundred passengers
who were not seriously overcome were
Y taken out by the Fifty-ninth street
. exit.
|. Scene Of Accident.
There are four tracks in the sub
way at Fifty-ninth street, two accom-
, modating uptown trains and the Other
=. two for downtown trains. Passen
- gers In trains stalled Oh these tracks
v became panic stricken when tht
J. smoke from the burning train begas
to pour into their cars. The guards
ie OF some of the trains were forcfbl,
G. overpowered and the doors thrown
III open, the passengers scrambiing out
into the narrow passageways. They
IL risked their lives by crowding upon
lie the third rail (which supplies th'
electricity to run the trainsl and man,
H. OF them were burned by live electric
Sc sparks.
m When the fire first broke out pas
IN sengers who escaped from the trail
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