The New York herald., 1922-08-05
Three Feet of Water Covers
Tracks at Atlantic Avenue
When Main Bursts.
WALL FALLS OVER RAILS
Blaze Starts Under Car in
Morning Rush Hour, but Pas
sengers Keep Calm.

Fire and water caused two teups
yesterday on the lnterborough sub
ways and inconvenienced thousands OF
passengers.
The first occurred in the rush hour
in the morning wnen fire started in a
southbound express train as it pulled
into the Pennsylvania station.
The second was at $3.50 o'clock at
night when water. which flooded cell
lars at f'latbush and Atlantic avenues.
Brooklyn, forced a ten foot section OF
wall across the tracks as a Pennsyl-
vania avenue train was leaving the
Atlantic avenue station.
The Brooklyn flood was caused by the
bursting OF sixteen inch distributing
pipe at Flatbush and Fourth avenues.
only few feet from where twelve
inch main burst last Saturday morning.
4 watchmanS left on guard where re-
pairs had been made saw water rising
rapidly in the excavation few minutes
before . o'clock. He notified the De
partment of Water Supply. Gas and Eiec-
tricily and in few minutes a squad OF
IL finally was traced 10 the distributing
pipe and the supply shut off
But in the meantime the water had
seeped through to cellars of stores along
Flatbush and Atlantic avenue and got
into the pressroom OF the Brooklyn Times
building, which had been flooded with
eight feet OF water last Saturday.
Although the water last night rose
only about half as far as after the pre-
vious break. 1t ruined many valuable
stocks. Engine Company 126 was called
to pump out the. water and reserves
from the Bergen street station kept
back the crowds.
Rails Deep In water.
In the meantime the water had spread
to the subway line. 4 Pennsylvania
avenue train, carrying passengers for
East New York and Fiatbush. pulled in
at the Atlantic avenue station and dis
charged and took on passengers. The
motorman was starting the train when
a ten foot section OF plaster from the
subway wall was pushed out by the
force of the water and thrown across
the rails. A stream poured in, cover
ing the third rail with three feet of
water.
The motorman moved his train back
TO the station and eruptied ". the sale
of tickets at the station was stopped
Thousands Of persons were forced to
take either the elevated lines or the
Long Island Railroad for their homes
After thirty-fve minutes shuttle service
was in operation, and nearly two hours
later the water had fallen 80 that
normal service could be resumed.
Water seeped through the tile walls
OF the subway in many places along
Atlantic avenue. but I'm only one place
was the break serious. The same cell
lars that were flooded last week were
flooded again. but not so badly
the FIRE at the Pennsylvania station
earlier In tho day caused tieup which
lasted twenty-threc minutes An ex-
press train stopped with Jolt az Il en-
tered the station and a slight blaze de-
veloped Immediately under the first car.
Smoke drifted through the cars. but
there was no panic and the passengers
quickly reached the platform.
Deputy Fire Chief Martin and Deputy
Chief Ross answered tho fire alarm and
with the aid OF passengers put out the
blaze with pyrene cxtinguishors. II was
found that a short circuit had been
caused by the shoe on the forward car
picking up some obstruction which came
into contact with the third rail