The evening world., 1916-02-25
NINE BIG ELECTRIC PUMPS At
WORK AT ONE POINT.

WORK At ONE POINT.
Nine big electric pumps were re-
CURED 10 pump the water from the
tube at Forty-sixth Street. A per-
manent battery OF pumps at Times
there.
| Thousands OF passengers on trains
which were halted between Ninety
sixth and Forty second Streets when
| the power was shut or at $50
o'clock were held in the cars from
| an hour to an hour and "a half be-
| fore they could DO released. Although
| the propulsion power was shut on the
emergency lamps were In operation
and there was very little disorder.
| In accordance with q rule local
trains In the section affected by tho
| food were stopped with the front
car OF each train within a few inch
es Of the rear car of the preceding
train. In this way continuous
route was formed for passage to the
nearest station.
Express trains stopped right where
they happened to be. As the guards
had no way Of knowing how soon
the current might be turned on no
passengers were allowed to descend
10 the track level. Passengers On
the express trains crossed to local
trains alongside over bridges i'm
provised OF seats. Guards and male
passengers lifted hundreds OF women
and girls from the expresses to the
locals.
Passengers from stalled expresses
were still emerging from stations
north Of Forty second Street ut ll.SO
o'clock. Only one person appears to
have sustained injury. He Is Oscar
Rossman of No. 30 Throop Avenue.
the Bronx. Rossman collapsed on the
station at Times Square. lie said H.
had struck his head against some
thing climbing out OF train. DR..
Field Of Polytechnic Hospital attended
him and sent him on his way.
The following official statement was
given by Interborough officials at
Ills o'clock:
Although operation OF trains was
suspended only in the district be-
tween Forty second and Ninety sixth
Streets the entire system was disor-
ganized. The work OF switching local
and express trains at Grand Central
, and Ninety sixth Street took up lot
} OF time and trains ran slowly and
were crowded to capacity. Tens OF
thousands Of persons bent on taking
subway trains were turned back by
conditions and swarrned through the
pouring rain TO the overcrowded sur
face and IL" lines.
With sewer inlets generally blocked
I, the streets were rushing rivers and
the subway tieup was the direct
cause Of widespread discomfort. Some
. OF the pressure on the subway shuttle
, service was relieved after IL O'Clock
: when 1t became generally known thai
!. the service was inadequate. Promp
=, notification TO passengers entering sta
= tons that there was a blockade die
" ,st .lntN 9ta 10. Ntat
form congestion which has ATTENDED
. similar blockades In the past. AL
passengers compelled to leave trains
before reaching their destination wer,
furnished with emergency tickets en-
tilinR them TO another ride.
While the primal trouble was a
Forty sixth Street, where Broadwa,
and Seventh Avenue cross and
forty-foot shaft for the new Il. II. I
subway adioins the wall OF tho oil
subway, the water flowed down {
the lowest point In that vicinity
Times square station, and gathere
- there 20 u depth or foot or more
u The new Seventh Avenue subway
which connects with the old subWa
Just north of the Times Square sta
ton, was also a source OF trouble, 10
IL was flooded and poured out Il
share onto the tracks OF the old sys
M tenn,
y The forty-foot shaft at Forty-sixt
Street was full to the street lev,
5. at noon and the engineers In charg
in frankly admitted that they didn't DO
Id lieve they could empty II under III
ID conditions prevailing. big sewt
,i in Seventh Avenue, between Forty
~ sixth and Forty ninth Streets uncoN
70 ered by the B. r. 7. subway builc
ers, poured torrents OF water into ii
" excavation. At one point In the Of
ur subway, Just south OF Forty-sixt
es Street, water burst through the flol
Ne OF the tube and gushed up like
geyser.
,is HEAD OF SERVICE BOARD WA
as CAUGHT IN THE TlE'UP.
Chairman Oscar Straus Of Il
M Public Service Commission "
ay caught In the subway tie-up.
90 al was held in an express train