New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-08
City Acts to
4
End Subway
Fire Perils
upon the sufferers of the fumes created
by the extinguishers.
Extinguishers Safer Than Water
CONTINUED from page ono)

Extinguishers Safer Than Water
r. j. T. Stewart, superintendent of
the bureau of surveys CT the board
gave out the following statement:
| "The special tetrachloride type of
extinguisher, which is made by various
concerns, has been found the best
suited for fighting fire in energized
electrical equipment. first because it is
efficient and second because the extin-
gushing fluid is electrically non-con-
Quoting, and therefore materially safer
! than water, as it eliminates the danger
of electrical shocks to persons using it.
Care should be taken to ventilate
small rooms and confined spaces inn
mediately after using these extin-
/ guishers to prevent Injurious effects
| which might result from concentration
of the fumes. Such ventilation, of
course, is essential also to remove
! smoke in case of fire.
what action, if any, will be taken
| by the Fire Underwriters if the investi-
cation shows the eXtinguishers to have
! been at fault, is as yet predetermined
| Pyrcne and large number of other en-
| tinguishing fluids of the so-called tet-
rachloride type, have been approved
by the board as best suited for fighting
fires in electrical apparatus"
Deputy Chief Fire Marshal John P.
! Prlal refused any statement as to the
progress made by his investigation
which began yesterday in the Municipal
Building. He said that he had exam
! ined the motorman, conductor and train
crew, but had established nothing be-
! yond the fact which was already known
that the fire had started as the result
of a short circuit in the electrical
equipment. He said that he would
make his report to Fire Commissioner
brennan in few days.
/. r. T. Attorneys Present
Present at the hearing, representing
the Interborough, were Michael F. DAILY
and Arthur G. Peacock, attorneys for
the company.
1t was learned from an outside
source that Martin Mullahy, the sub
way guard who was on the platform
Of the car where the fire started, told
| Marshal Prial that he had heard 6
noise in the panel box as the train
was passing Fifty third Street. Afte,
the car had passed Fifty-ninth Street
the noise was repeated and momen,
later the hinged door covering the
motor was blown open. Smoke anc
fame were issuing from the box.
Mullahy ran forward to tell the guart
| in the next car that the box was OF
fire, and when he returned he found
a passenger playing fire extinguishel
on the fame. The guard also seized al
eHtinguisher and emptied it into The
! burning box. The flames disappeared
but some smoke was still coming forth
/ Mullahy said there were only a few
! passengers in the car and there was M
excitement at that time. AS soon a.
| the power was shut off he opened The
doors. Mullahy's statements were cor
roborated by Michael Jacobs, another
guard, and by James Dwyer, the con
ductor in charge of the train. AL
three deny that there was any panic OF
the train itself. Dwyer explained tina
the guards were instructed not to oper
the doors until the power had been shu
off because of danger from the charged
third rail.
Of the $50 patients who were medi-
cally treated after the fire only one
patient was reported yesterday to have
/ been suffering from the diagnosed ef
/ fects of gas poisoning. Harry Rose
who was admitted to the Roosevelt
Hospital after the accident, was re
corded as suffering from the effects
of inhaling carbon monoXide gas.
Dr.. M. W. Burritt, of the Broad
Street Hospital, said yesterday that
the patients admitted to that institu.
than from gas. He added that what.
ever degree of gas poisoning was pres
ent among the patients admitted tc
Broad Street it was not sufficient to de.
velop the symptom of sickness which
accompanies such ailment. Similar re.
ports we're made from Bellevue, Flower
and other hospitals where the victims
were treated.
|. Hylan Gets One Report
Mayor Hylan received a complete re
port of the investigation conducted b,
the Department of Plant and Structure!
from Commissioner Grover A. Whaler
| yesterday afternoon. After he had reae
/ the report the Mayor wrote to CORPORA
ton Counsel John P. O'Brien thai
There should be no whitewashing OF
1 those responsible for the subway dis
aster."
Commissioner Whalen's report says
The origin of the fire was an cleo
ttrical short circuit on the switch pane
board of car No. 1871, The car was
the fifth from the head of an express
train in passenger service on the Lex.
lngton avenue branch, north bound
shortly before noon.
y" In the Interborough type of subway
motor car the switch controls are 10.
Gated IN a compartment built into one
OF the vestibule bulkheads of the car
The compartment, as we'll as the cal
body, is of steel. The switch pane,
is of insulating and non-combustible
material. number of metal ducts
/ enter the compartment at it's base. in
which insulated wires carry the cir.
cults to the control apparatus. The
door OF the compartment is lined with
asbestos board Very little rubber in.
sulatlon is used within the compart
ment.
"a hole about eight inches in diane.
ter burned through the metal door oil
| the compartment, and the asbestos lin.
ing OF the door, at point about three
feet above the floor Of the vestibule
indicates that the short circuit oc.
Cured on the motor side Of the powe,
switch, /. e., between the switch anc
the motor, not between the switch anc
the source of power supply to the
tram or car, leaving the power on ane
cut on from the motor.
=, Inc short circuit continued unit
the. power was cut off from the third
rail- section. The switch controls Oh
the car in which the accident occurred
were entirely destroyed by the arcing
attempts to stop the arcing BY
means of Pyrene extlnguishers were
ineffective. Seven one-uuart Pvrenf
receptacles were emptied in the at.
tcmpts.