The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-07-07
Three Subway Fire Panic
Victims Will Lose Lives.
500 Passengers, Trapped b
Gas and Fumes Deep Un.
der New York, In Frenzied
Tight to Reach Safety
Hundreds Overcome.

New York. july 6.-(By the Associae
ed Press)-Trapped in a dark subwas
tunnel. seventy-five feet below tho
street and reeking with gas fumes and
smoke. nearly 500 men. women and chill
drcn passengers on an Eaststds train Of
the Interborough Rapid Transit com.
pany were converted into Q frsntted
Shrieking mob. almost a third Of whose
members were overcome before they
could fight their way to safety.
Three probably will die. Police ofs
ficIals said 1t was 4 miracle many mora
were not trampled to death
worse spot Tor such an accident
scarcely could have been picked than
Lexington avenue at Sixtteth street,
where the train came to its sudden halt.
There is no express station betveeA
Grand Central Terminal and Forty
second and Eighty-siIth street. The
express tracks are three tiers down
heneath the local tube Of the I. r Z.
and the crosstown tunnel Of the B. Il.
T. company. and the only exits are mar.
row little spiral stairways at Fifty
third. FTfty-eighth and Sixty-third
streets. These were jammed with
fugitives from the scene below.
4 little FIRE extinguisher, whose con-
tents were turned on tiny blaze IN .
motorman's control box was held re-
sponsible for the clouds Of poisonous
fumes and smoke sent swirling through
the tunnel by police and FIRE ofnciala
More than three score Of those over
come were In so serious condition as TO
require hospital treatment, while the
number who were treated on this
streets and in emergency hospitals set
UP at the scene was placed at about
100.
Controller Explodss.
The train, ten car Jerome avenue
express. heavily loaded. was crashing
along its subterranean way beneath Lax
ington avenue shortly after II o'clock.
when passengers in the third coach
were startled by an explosion which
blew open the door Of the drivers com.
partment A short circuit had occurred.
Patrolman Fred Norman, who was
riding in the car. seized a hre extin-
suisher from it's rack and as the train
ground to sudden halt rushed to the
compartment and shot the contents OF
the extinguisher on the splitting daney.
which were eating the insulation from.
the control box wires. Instead OF
checking them he declared. the ex.
tingu sher served only to spread them.
and In a moment the car. and Eocn the
entire tunnel were choked with smoke
and fumes.
Officer Leads Escape.
, bullying the panic stricken passen-
gers into some semblance Of order.
Patrolman Norman seized a woman who
had been overcome. clambored down
~ fnnnA1 and
commanded other male passengers to
follow his example. He CROPPED his
way with his burden to Fifty-ninth
street and led the refugees up 4 long
winding. emergency stairway to the
street.
Then he sent in alarms which brought
all available fire apparatus ambluances
and police reserves in the vicinity rush
ing to the scene and plunged back down
the stairs to rescue other victims. He
worked until he dropped. and was sent
home in Mayor Hylan's private limous-
inc.
In the meantime. passengers In the
other cars Of the stalled train. ignorant
at first Of the cause Of the delay. were
growing nervous, and the guards opened
the doors and advised them to seek
safety Smoke and fumes poured La
as the doors were opened and they
dropped frantically to the, tracks ana .
began making their way toward ths
far-away exits. Many. fearing the
deadly third rail-, dropped down on their
hands and knees and literally crAwled
to safety.
partners Adds 10 Panic
A moment after the general push
for safety started. southbound az
press roared In on the opposite track
and ground 10 a sudden halt as train,
lights and tunnel lights went DARK
Power had been shut off to save the
passengers from possible slectrocution.
But the darkness only added to the
panic, and the passengers on this traih
smashed their way out OF the cars ana
toined in the scramble for the exits
Men, women and children were drop.
ming in their tracks as the FUMES ana
smoke and excitement overcame them.
Others Of stronger physique and strong
er nerves. picked them up and dragBed
them along to safety. ~
In the meantime. Lexington avenue
had been choked with ambulances and
fire trucks and police reserves from
three stations were drawing . Gordon 10
hold hack the thousands that were at
tracted to he scene. Physicians IN
which the neighborhood Abounds came
hurrying with their office nurses.
while calls to the Red Cross brought
additional workers.
Volunteers Ala Rescue.
Police, fremen and volunteers then
nluneed into the subway and brought
ont victim after victim. using hs
emergency exits at Ftfty-third. Fifty
eighth and si1ty-third streets ana wo.A-
ing by ladders through tho Ventilauoh
grating at sixty-hrst street
Those least injured were laid out IN
rows on the sidewalks to receive nrst
aid, while the graver cases were taken
to improvised hospitals in depart
ment store and the Young Women
Christian association. later to DO re-
moved 70 regular hospitals.
CORPSE RECOVERED