New-York tribune., 1918-08-15
Mr.. Shonts puts it, represents the
peak of the load"

Mr.. Shonts puts it, represents the
peak of the load"
thousands of persons anxious tc
make connections with the Queenshor.
ough subway on lower level struggle d
madly to escape from the overladen
tralns arriving from lower Manhattan
others struggled even more desperately
20 get aboard jammed subway trains
for uptown.
At twenty minutes to G O'Clock ten
car Bronx train creaked out of the
station, northbound. Not all of the
straps we're occupied. Then after a
DELAY of more than ten minutes a
Jerome Avenue train appeared.
Struggle to Reach Cars
During the ten minutes interval be-
tween trains the platform had become
Jammed With people, some of whom
we're showed perilously close to the
edge BY the restless swarm behind
them. The vestibules of the Jerome
avenue tra in were so crowded they
literally palged out on to the platform
when the doors were opened.
Immediately there was a grim strug-
g'c between the platform throng seek
lng 10 get aboard, on the one hand. and
Long Island residents seeking egress
on the other. Some one cried out that
woman had tainted, but it was a case
ci every man COR woman for himself,
and lew stopped to investigate
J. ne wild scramble in and out of the
trains was completed in one and a half
minutes and the train started. Five
minutes later at $3.50, a Bronx train
arrived. This also was packed with
people. and when the doors were
opened number of women were
caught in the rush Some of them
must have been bruised.
Guards "Pack" Passengers
The platform guards repeated their
efforts with projecting heads, legs and
arms and the doors were closed after
one and three quarter minutes in the
station.
This performance was repeated again
at 6:O2, the train departing at sos;
again at SOY, the train departing at
sos, and again at 6:10, the train de-
parting at GIL. Thereafter the trains.
while still heavily laden were able to
display few straps for which there
were no hangers.
The five express trains that passed
through the station during the "peak
OF the load" half hour brought the
average down to one train every six
minutes.
West Side Less Crowded
On the west Side system conditions
were infinitely better At Times
Square northbound trains appeared to
be running on two and three-minutes
schedule. A reporter for the Tribune
counted forty-one uptown expresses
and locals between $3.50 and $3.50
o'clock Tuesday night.
Large crowds gathered on the up
town platform from time to time, but
they vanished into trains which were not
packed. When the trains left Times
Square station they were generally
filled, but there was no serious con-
gestion at the station. The trains were
not more jammed than ordinarily dur
ing rush hours.
spokesman for the company said
yesterday the company was striving
20 establish and maintain two-minute
express service and three minute local
service on the East Side subway during
he rush hour; and two-mnute fifteen
second express service and three minute
local service on the West Side.
This would give New Workers thirty
express trains and twenty local trains,
a total of fifty trains an hour, for the
East Side and twenty-six express trains
and twenty local trains an hour, a
total Of forty-siv trains for the West
Side
Thus, on the dual subway system,
New York City is promised grand total
of ninety-six express and local trains
running each way, during the rush
hours.