The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-07
BLAME SMALL FlPE EXTINGUISHE}} FOR
 PANIC IN SN8W Af
(COntlnued from pu -c 3nel

train came to a suddan halt. s',el the contents of the ext 1i aheF ca the splitting flames, which were eatiug the insulation fror the control box wires. Instead of checking them he declared, the ex iHauishcr served only to spread the and in a mo ment the car, i-na aau tte erEre tunnel, were oh kea with emok nd flames.
 Bullying the #Haic=8triken paaeeH gers into son 5embieuco 0f order. Patrolman Nors aa he'd wonaH who had been overcome. cllmber down into the darkness o1 rE Q tuan |, and commanded other male pas ea- gers to follow his example.
 He groped his way with his burden to Fifty-ninth street and led the ref ugees up a long, winding emergency stairway to the street.
 Then he sent in alarms which brought all available fire apparatus, ambulances and police reserves in the vicinity rushing to the scene and s1unged back down stairs to rescue tther victims. He worked until he dropped.
 Passengers Get Nervous
 In the meantime. passengers in the other cars of the installed train, ig- norant at first of the cause of the delay, were growing nervous and the guards opened the doors and ad- vised them to seek safety. Smoke and fumes poured in as the doors were opened, and they a ntically to the tracks and began 1g their way toward the far-away C is. Many. fearing the deadly third rail- dropped down on their hands and knees and literally crawled to safety.
 A moment after the general rush for safety started, a southbound ex- press roared In on the opposite track and ground to a sudden halt as train lights and tunnel lights went dark Power had been shut off to save the passengers from possible electrocu- tion. But the darkness only added to the panic, and the passengers on this train smashed their way out of the cars and Joined in the scramble for exits.
 Men and children were dropping in their tracks as the fumes, the smoke and the excitement -overcame them. Others of stronger physique and stronger nerves picked them up and dragged them along to safety.
 In the meantime, Lexington avenue had been choked with ambulances and fire trucks, and police reserves were holding back the thousands attracted to the scene.
 Physicians Arrive
 Physicians came hurrying with their office nurses, while calls to the Red Cross brought additional workers.
 Police, firemen and volunteers then plunged into the subway and brought out victim after victim, using the emergency exits and working by ladders through the ventilation grat- ing at Sixty-first street.
 Those least injured were laid out in rows on the sidewalks, while the graver cases were taken to improv- ised hospitals in Bloomingdale's department store and the Y. w. (. A., later to be removed to regular hospitals.
 Bloomindale's drug department was stripped of supplies, while drug store across the street yielded up it's supply of oxygen and spirits of ammonia. Pulmotors were rushed to the scene, and at one time IA pufmotor operators were bending over prostrate figures on the side- walk.
 Rush Makes Statement
 Blame for the seriouness of the accident was laid on the Pyrene fire extinguisher by Fire Captain Thomas Rush. Directed by Mayor Hylan to make a statement, he said:
 ''The smoke was not heavy from fireman's point of view. I found employees of the Interborough fight ing the fire with hand extinguishers which are called Pyrene extinguish- CTS, and as result of the fluid from these extinguishers striking the fire, deadly fumes were created. This Pyrene eXtinguisher is a widely ad- vertised article. and while it is very effective for gasoline fires, it is a deadly menace in a closed place."
 Fire Commissioner Brennan later said investigation indicated that the