The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-23
TWO ROADS TIED UP
!: BY PINT OF WATER
Thousands Stalled In Trains
on Long Island. and
Pennsylvania.
CROWDS FILL STATIONS
Rain Causes Fuse Blowout
and Short Circuit in
Sunnyside Yards.

persistence succeeded at AT o'clock yes
terdsy afternoon in seepins into fuse
toxes in the so-called Sunnyside yards
" the Long Island Pennsylvania rail
toad system In Long Island City.
Probably there wasn't more than
Sint Of the soft July stun that did the
BUSINESS. but no pint Of booze ever &C
scmpiished 20 much mischief 30 quickly.
for at 4:27 o'clock. trains scootins
Seross Long Island plains suddenly grew
tred and stopped. Trains scooting
scross the New Jersey meadows did the
SAme. Also trains which had been roar
ing through black tubes beneath two
DIVERS the East and the North--stop-
ped roaring and died, with lights out.
lust for good measure. trolley cars in
Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties also
stopped $500. ....
I Five o'clock arrived and with It the
Scmebound rush Of Long Islanders and
tsrssyites. Important travellers with
important looking tickets for important
Western cities debouched from taxicabs
Into the big building that marches along
Seventh avenue from Thirty-third to
5hirty-fourth street. But the trains adj
vertised with important sounding names
were Just as impotent as the dinky
s:iBh
The pint Of water was no respecter of
Iersons or of rank. Not until 6:15
o'clock was its mischief repaired and
by that time even the vast waiting room
Of the Pennsylvania Terminal was
hardly large enough for the throngs.
A for the unlovely little brown and
rcd stations at Fiatbush and Atlantic
AVENUES. Brooklyn. II sent waiting
! crowds Of suburbanitss out into the
driszis Of tho cheerless, brooklyn streets
that radiate from 1t In all directions
II was altar Q o'clock before traffic con-
6ttions were normal.
Much Tramc PaFalysed.
An offioiai statement issued at the Of
fles of the Long Island Railroad Com
rany In Long Island City said the driz-
sis seeped into several parts of the in
tricate system at the Sunnyside yards
and caused fuse blowout. This re-
suited In o short circuit, and instantly
trafio was paralyzed over the great area
supplied by the plant
Runners of a wreck spread and were
Or a while generally accepted.
Employees Of the railroad were unable
for the sudden stop in the traffic at the
time it occurred. Through trains at the
Penn Terminal were loading and trains
for nearby points were Allied to capacity.
Finally gates were closed to prevent
overcrowding.
A great crowd seethed about the
Eiatbush avenue terminal. Every sub
way train arriving added hundreds to
the swarm and police had difficulty in
preventing people from crushing one an
other in their efforts to get into the
station.
When the cause OF the tieup was
finally learned conductors went through
the trains announcing 1t to the passen-
gers. At the big railroad terminals at
tsndants with megaphones shouted the
news to the crowds and urged them to be
patient They explained the trouble with
the wires at the Long Island City yards
had lasted but half an hour. The rest
Of the delay was caused by the difficulty
In getting the system started again.
Generally the crowds were in good
humor. They accepted the thing as a
trick played on them by tho continual
rain, and telegraph stations and phone
booths were swamped with suburbanites
trying to get an explanation to the folk
a. home.
Fast Trains start Late.
When things were finally fixed up so
Shat trains could get under way again
the St. Louisian, bound for st. Louis.
iaft the Pennsylvania Terminal at 6:15.
ibis being one hour and nine minutes
after schedule time. Trains for Phila-
delphia were held up for more than an
hour.
Local suburban traffic was in the
worst marl. So great were the crowds
that wanted the trains that when they
finally did get running only small per-
esntage of the people were able to get
near them. Others formed in lines and
waited patiently. Thousands decided to
ret their suppers in tho city and make
their way home when the rush should
have slackened. Restaurants in the
nsighborhood of the terminals were as
crowded as the trains.
In edition to the outgoing crowds
the incoming crowds were also OF great
aensity. These people had to fight their
way from the stations at various points
through the thousands that were strug-
cling to get in
The thinning down OF this crowd was
o slow process
II was said at the Offices of the Long
xsiand Railroad that there had been no
Casualties excepting few strained even
ing sppetites-
An official statement from the COM
pAny's offices said that ordinarily fuse
blowout would not have caused so much
trouble. 1t was said that the rain had
affected the scystem 30 that repairs were
made difficnlt-
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