New-York tribune., 1922-07-26
'2-Hour B. II. T.
|Tie-U]p Worst i'm
City 5 History

I
struck by an automobile driven by
Eugene Strauss. OF 4l6 Atlantic Avenue,
Brooklyn. They are at Samaritan Hos
pital. David Barefsky. of 29T3 West
| Twenty Street. was run over on
Surf Avenue, Coney Island, and is at
| Coney island Hospital.
Henry Greenhagen, sevcnty-fve years
old, OF IS Division Avenue, Brooklyn,
was caught in the crowd at the Manhat-
tan end of the williamsburg Bridge.
I He was pushed under a Franklin Ave-
nue. car, and it required the efforts of
q. fire truck company to catricatc him.
( He was taken to Governeur Hospital
with several severe cuts and frac-
tured leg. His condition is grave.
The erv.ce was resumed shortly
after :, before that time on some
lines; but in the meanwhile more ac-
cunulated grief had been spilled over
/ Simple fuse blow out than has ever
before been known. Full service was
running by 8, but it was 10 o'clock
before the traffic was reported normal.
The fire started on the main switch
board on the fourth foor of the big
power house. 1t spread to the insu-
lation on q dozen main lines and it
became necessary TO throw off the
generators. thus automatically cutting
off twenty-six sub-stations and STALL
ing every train on the B. r. 7. lines.
The effect was tremendous-1,5 800
surface cars and 1000 elevated and
subway cars stopped running right
where they happened to be placed. The
only B. K. /. line open was the Broad
way subway to Fifty-ninth Street
Manhattan, and Greensboro Plaza. Tn
der the East River traffic was operat-
ing only half the length OF the tun-
mel, that power. being supplied from
the |. R. T. plants. Everywhere else
the B. r. T. was dead.
Four B. r.. I. trains were stalled in
the Montague Street tunnel under the
East River. The lights went out and
the cars filled with nervous passengers
were illuminated only by the single
lamps of the pilot lights which are fed
from storage batteries.
Many Climb to Street
After q wait of several minutes, men
dispatched from the B. r. T. plant at
Clinton and Montague streets went into
the tunnel and told the motorman of
the foremost train what vas the trou-
Bile. The guards notified the passen-
gers and opened the doors. From the
train nearest to Court Street the pas
seAgers were able to reach that station
by way of the side bridge. From the
other trains escape was made by way
OF emergency exits opening on Monta-
que Street, near Furman This way
out called for a perpendicular climb
through grease and accumulated dust to
the street, sixtytwo steps away. The
result was direful to white skirts and
when these beleagured passengers
finally arrived at fresh air and sunlight,
assisted by police from the Poplar
Street station, they looked like miners
leaving the scene Of the days toll
mong the coal drifts of the bitumin-
Gus regions.
Police action was prompt and very
helpful. Acting Deputy Chief In
apector Samuel Belton notified all pre-
cincts in Brooklyn to turn out the
reserves and instructed all the Bridge
precincts to place extra men on the
bridges, which were almost Immediate
ly packed solid with people One hun
dred and fifty patrolmen went to the
Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge
and an equal number to the Williams
burg span.
Hylan Orders Trucks Out
Mayor Hylan sent an order to the
/ Police Department and to the Depart-
ment of Plant and Structures to turn
out all the citys vehicular equipmen
to help people get across the bridges
Police patrol wagons, police flivvers
and every vehicle owned by the city
which could be pressed into service was
made available. The police asked also
Tor volunteer helpers with motor
trucks and busses. The Fifth Avenue
Coach Company sent feet of green
busses to do rescue work on the
bridges. squad Of sightseeing cars
OF the type which tour Chinatown and
take pleasure seekers to Coney Island
were supplied by their owners. At the
request of the police, owners of pri
Vate cars who were headed Brooklyn
"afo ana had room for an extra pas
senger took as many as could h,
jammed on board; and, finally. ever,
motor truck driver in the neighbor
hood or who could get there was O,
the JOB, Offering Transportation I,
nearby and far-off points for sum,
ranging from 10 cents to 81. Man,
OF them took fares clear to Coney Isl
and. A''
McAneny on the Job
George McAneny, chairman of IN
Transit Comm ssion, was at his off,c
IN Lafayette Street when the break
down was announced. In company wit
RIobert Ridgway, chief engineer of tn
transit mission, he started for tn
scene of trouble at GAS. as soon as tn
serious nature Of the accident de
ve!oped. The two first went to tn
whitehall Street station Of the Broad
way Montague Street subway linz
While they were there train in tn
subway, which had been bound fo
brooklyn. backed out of the tunnel ur
der the East River and discharged it
passengers. On learning from tn
motorman that two trains we're Stale
IN the tunnel, Chairman McAneny di
rected the motorman to run his trai
back into the tunnel and bring bac
ne passengers from the stalled train!
This was done. and the temporaril
imprisoned passengers were discharge