The New York herald., 1922-08-25
All Trains Stop in Rush
Hour as Danger Warn
ing Is Flashed.
CROWDS NOW USED TO 1T
Turn to B. r. L. and Bridges
in --latest Breakdown of
/. r. L. Service.

way traffic between Manhattan and
Brooklyn was completely dernoralized
yesterday at the peak of the afternoon
homeward rush period. Travel be-
tween the two boroughs was seriously
inpeded from 3 o'clock until after 6,
train movement had resumed approxi-
mately it's normal aspect.
Again the East River bridges were
taxed to capacity and a tremendous
burden was thrust upon the subway
express system of the B. r. 7. lines.
The primary trouble this time was
due neither to short circuiting nor to
power house nor third rail difficulties.
1t was caused by break downs in car
and signaling equipment. At no time
was the third rail power turned off.
No passengers were compelled to walk
through the tubes. There was much
Inconvenience and impatience but no
disorder approaching panic
Though four express trains we're
stalled under the river in the Joralemon
street tunnel for periods lasting from
half an hour to forty-nve minutes the
lights in cars and tube remained bright,
the electric fans continued In operation
and the passengers, thoAs.h oppressed by
the heat, deported themselves In almost
every instance circumspectly.
The Big Push Fails.
1t was eight minutes before 2 O'Clock
when Lexington avenue subway ex-
| press bound for Manhattan encountered
electrical trouble near the Eoyt street
| station in Brooklyn, All its passengers
we're unloaded at Borough Hall and the
disabled train limped along empty until
II hit the upward grade under the river
approaching the Bowling Green station.
There 1t blew ont all It's fuses and be-
came stalled. This was AZ 3 :05 p. NJ
second express train came up behind
1t. this one well filed with passengers
Its motorman and crew made an effort
to push the disabled express ahead OF II
through the under river tunnel 10
Bowling Green, but failed. Apparently
the grade was too steep and the load TOO
heavy
When n third express came up behind
the second there was an Bttemp: made
at team work The idea was 20 push
forward the obstructing train by the
&C ncerted effort OF the live power o. the
two others.
But the effort was not well synchron-
| lied. The two live trains were not
coupled together for the push. The re-.
suit was that train No. 3 was driving
forward Just as train No. 2 was back
| ing up slowly for another effort 10 ram
the dead cars into motion. The ensuing
impact tore out four Of the drawbars
from the couplings of the second train
and two from those OF the third. The
drawbars are an essential part OF the
coupling equipment between the cars.
Now there were three dead trains under
the river instead OF one.
Coupled Cars Crawl out.
Finally the smashed drawbars were
removed eight cars of the second train
| were coupled UP with the ten cars OF the
| first disabled express, the damaged
couplings were reinforced with chains,
| aIl passengers were kept well back from
the car platforms as a precaution, and,
\ moving slowly under tho power OF the
eight cars Of train 2. the entire eigh-
teen cars made the station platform al
1 Bowling Green and there discharged
| their passengers
| The expresses that were stalled le-
hind moved forward and their passengers
| also were discharged at Bowling Green.
| There were just two men--cne Of them
/ elderly-who refused 20 leave their train
| They said they preferred 70 stick TO
| their seats although they had been In
| the tunnel forty minutes. The ueup
at this point had lasted now forty-seven
| minutes. from 3 :05 TO 3 3:52 o'clock, and
had involved a total OF forty passenger
/ cars, OF which six were crippled.
L.. n w
its fuses, replaced them and proceeded
northward from Bowling Green under
its own power. but without taking on
messengers. II was six minutes past
o'clock and the rush hour movement
was we'll developed before the six
crippled cars which had buckled or
smashed crawbars were ready TO be
pushed forward on their way toward
the yard at 13Sth street.
All Mt s.Dnnger.r
These had advanced as far as the
Brooklyn Bridge station when, al 5:lo
p. NJ. n break in an air tube set the
entire pneumatic signaling system auto
rnatIcslly at danger" This second
traffic interruption lasted for twenty
| minutes. Until 80 o'clock. at the very
peak OF the rush hour everything, ex-
press and local. was tied up completely
until the signal system muddle was
Strengthened out.
Manhattan local service with that
exception continued IN operation. pass
ing around the City Hall loop. During
the tleup under the river eXcept'for the
delay of twenty minutes caused By the
6isarranged signal system at the Bridge
station the Interborough dispatched
express trains eastward. Only one-half
OF them, however, passed through the
Joralemon street tunnel into Brooklyn.
Every alternate eastbound express was
sent around the Battery loop and thence
northward again through Manhattan.
The service 10 Brooklyn. therefore, which
at this hour operates normally on a
headway Of Ave minutes, was cut 10 a
1 t..x~