The New York herald., 1922-07-26
POWER HOUSE FIRE
PARALYZES B. R. I,
HOLDS THOUSANDS
100000 Passengers Are De-
layed One to Two and a
Half Hours.
$500 HELD In TUNNEL
Travellers Wait in Partial
Darkness Half Hour I'm
~ til Relief Comes.
FELT AT TIMES SQUARE
Police Reserves Called to
Handle Crowds in Fifth
Tieup in Few Weeks.
FELT AT TIMES SQUARE

The entire system Of the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit Company, subway. ele-
waited and surface, in so far as con-
cerned Brooklyn Borough, was COM
pletely paralyzed yesterday during the
afternoon rush hour period. Oncials
OF the corporation estimated that 600,-
900 passengers homeward bound to
points in Brooklyn were stalled for
periods ranging from one hour to two
hours and a half.
OF that number about $500 were
halted in the Montague street tunnel
under the river. where they remained
half an hour before inspectors Of the
company made their way to them and
offered to help them along the duct
benches to the nearest places Of exit.
by choosing to remain in the blocked
trains.
Only two fatalities were reported as
even indirect results Of what proved
to be the most serious transit tieup
in the history Of the borough. A man
was killed while striving to board a
truck for free ride home and boy
was killed by motor in traffic.
Though the bridges spanning the East
River were taxed by foot and We
hicuiar traffic probably as never be-
fore. no serious accidents occurred as
direct result of the congestion. Sew
eral injuries were reported as indirect
results, however.
Suspension Of ali electrical transit in
Brooklyn except that supplied by the
Interborough company was due to a
blowout in high tension electrical
compartment short circuiting and set
ting fire to the main switchboard on
the fifth floor OF the Williamsburg
power house. which Is the main gen.
Grating station for the entire system,
and feeds power to twenty-six SUBJ
stations in Brooklyn and Queens.
Fire Caused Blowout.
According to the engineer in charge.
the blowout was due to a fire of possible
electrical origin, the precise primary
cause of which has not yet been ascer-
tanned. This necessitated the cutting
out Of all service until the blaze was
extinguished. The blowout occurred at
Sis p. NJ. BY 6 :32 o'clock there was
a beginning of a resumption Of SER
vice. when current from the small power
plant at Third avenue and Third street.
known as the central power house. was
cut in gradually to some of the sub
stations. BY s o'clock service was
virtually normal again on most of the
lines.
At no time were the passengers in the
stalled subway trains in the Montague
street tunnel in complete darkness. This
tube. unlike the Lexington avenue SUBJ
way in Manhattan. Is Illuminated from
the same power house which furnishes
motive power to the third rail-. When
the Williamsburg plant ceased to func-
ton, therefore, the main lights In the
tunnel and also in the cars were extin-
guished. The emergency storage battery
lights, which are Installed for just such
q situation in all subway cars, however,
continued to burn until all passengers
were safely released from their unpleas-
ant predicament. The tunnel itself was
in darkness only about ten minutes. The
first purpose to which an emergency
connection with the Brooklyn Edison
Companys plant WAS put was to cut In
its power for illumination of the sub.
way In which were the blocked trains
Fire Hard to Fight.
The fire was difficult one to fight
but It was extinguished little after s
o'clock. virtually by the company's
power house forces, although the city |
Fire Department assisted In the work. |
using sand and chemicals. as we'll az |
water after the main short circuit fire |
in the switchboard had been conquered. |
SO far as could be ascertained by the |
Il. r. T. engineers and Robert Ridgway. |
chief engineer Of the Transit Commits |
was done to the great electrical |
generators on the lower floors. some OF |
which are valued at $4,000 apiece.
When the big power house at Kent and |
Division avenues. Brooklyn. went out Of
commission, emitting a great column OF |
smoke. visible easily from windows of |
high buildings In Manhattan. there were |
1900 subway and elevated trains and an
equal number of surface cars distributed |
over the various lines OF the b. r. T. |
Most OF them were we'll filed with the
homo going multitude, although the
accident occurred little before the
actual peak of the load Of the rush
hour period. For two hours thereafter /
transit was In chaos throughout Brook
lyn and In parts of Manhattan. Auto
mobiles. wagons and trucks were pressed
into impromptu service to get fraction
Of the multitude to Its homes. but tens
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