The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-08
SMOKY SUBWAY FIRE
ALARMS THOUSANDS
Blaze 60 Feet Underground in
= Brooklyn's Busiest Traf-
fic Centre.
ONLY SNORING Is BURNED
Four Alarms Bring Much APP
paratus to Hanson Place
in Rush Hour.

The centre OF Brooklyns transit
system-subway. elevated and sur
face-was crippled just after o'clock
last evening, when the smokiest fire
that has occurred in the borough in
years started to burn sixty feet under
the surface OF Hanson place. at the
corner OF st. Felix street. The fire
was at the base Of the Ashland place
connection OF the new Eastern Park
way subway, which is nearly ready for
use.
The exact cause OF the fire is not
known, but because OF the potential
danger arising from its peculiar loca-
ton Acting Fire Chief Martin took no
chances and turned in four alarms.
A myriad Of hose lines were stretched
down into the tunnel and within an
hour the blaze was extinguished
Police Sergeant John J. Reid OF the
Bergen street station saw "A tiny
tongue of flame eating its way up be-
tween the planks in the temporary
roadway above the subway excavation
alongside the Hanson Place Methodist
Episcopal Church, which is at St.
Felix street. AS the policeman started
to see where the fire came from there
was mild explosion, which the fire
men said afterward they thought was
merely the bursting OF some small
paint or oil pots in the excavation.
smoke Fills other subwnys.
The flames. however, leaped UP to-
ward the church structure and the
smoke poured along through the Ash
land place tunnel toward the unused
Eastern Parkway bore. which runs
! through F1atbush avenue two blocks
| away and in the opposite direction In to
the Fourth avenue subway, which is
in use and in which traffic was at
rush hour height when the fire oc-
CURED. The smoke poured also into
the Atlantic avenue terminal OF the
Long Island Railroad. a block away.
and from there down into the Atlantic
ayerue station OF the Interborough
subway, which ends there and be-
meath which the Fourth avenue sub
way is cut.
Only block away in other direc-
lions from the scene Of the fire are the
Brooklyn Academy OF Music and the
Central Branch OF the Young Mems
| Christian Association. The smoke
poured into those buildings also, ard
for time caused excitement.
Most of the construction work In the
Ashland place connection has been
| completed, so that the timber snoring
! In which the fire was located mainly
was out OF use and only awaiting re-
i moval.
Blase Quickly Controlled.
The roof Of the subway structure n,
the spot where the fire started 4,
forty feet below the street level, an,
the track bed twenty feet furthe,
down. The flremen experienced som,
trouble and little delay working theil
hose down that distance. but the fir,
was quickly put out once they sue
ceeded
The hose lines were stretched acros,
Flatbush and Atlantic avenues, wher,
many surface car lines pass, and thou
sands Of passengers We're held up from
this cause for nearly an hour. Thou
sands also were timid about enterini
either the marlborough or the Fourth
avenue subway. and this added to Thu
difficulty, although there was NJ
enough smoke in either OF those {,
cause any real trouble
Danger to the church was eliminate,
as soon as the firemen chopped ava,
the planking in Hanson place an,
stemmed the spread of the fire in tina
direction. After that the blaze wa
kept underground. The smoke wa
caused principally by insulation whicl
/. | was burned from a series NJ cabIa
just below the street surface. No on
was hurt. The police said the blaz
had damaged only the unused Snoring