New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-08
every respect, including the electrics
nppnratuH'

every respect, including the electrical
apparatus
"The fact Of the occurrence bellies
the statement that the electrical APP
paratus was in good ssyder. The
primary cause given is that 81 short
circuit. II everything was in good
order. when inspected last week. there
could have been no short circuit.
Furthermore, a S75,000-a-year execu-
tive and collectively much more cost
~ Transit Commission should not
blindly accept claims made on behalf
of pyrene or any other extinguishers,
and should have enough Independent
judgment and research to determine
In advance that an extinguisher that
generates or liberates a poisonous gas
in confined quarters should not be per-
mitted to be installed in subway trains.
They should know that subway is a
confined place without being forced to
recognize that fact through disaster.
The disaster would have been much
more terrible II it had occurred in the
rush hours.
"This disaster emphasizes another
vital delinquency on the part Of the
matter of emergency exits. The Tran
sit Commission has delayed by i'm
provident time extensions the bringing
about Of the installation of needed
emergency exits on portions of the
SUBWAY, where for years 1t has been
known that their need was urgent.
This lesson was learned in the subway
cable fire several years ago. The testi-
mony Of Mr.. Hedley developed by you
on April 7, 1922 (three months ago.,
revealed the imminency of danger
when you added:
"'Q.-Don't you think there is great
danger from panic? Don't you think
where the cars are stalled, even with
out any fire around, that there should
be these exits where people, panic
stricken, can get out, or even where
there are fumes from defective insula-
ton, or the like, that they ought to
have some way to escape?'
"Yet the Transit Commission sat
idly by.
Attacks Hedley Statement
"Hedley represented to the Transit
Commission in writing on October 25,
1921, by way of getting further time
extensions or even an abandonment
Of any plal Of new construction of
emergency exits that:
The removal Of the coper-covered
cars from the subway, the segregation
OF the cables, the general use of re-
mote circuit control breakers and the
removal of inflammable construction
from the subway practically eliminate
all danger against which these emer-
gency exits were ordered
"The subway fire shows that this
statement is not in accord with the
fact, although it seems to have been
accepted for time extension purposes
by the Transit Commi ssion.
II hand you herewith the report of
Commissioner Grover A. Whalen with
| respect to the disaster, which report
embodies recommendations of q prac-
tical character that would prevent the
recurrence Of the disaster.
"There should be no recurrence of
the subway disaster of yesterday, and
its causes, be they negligent inspec-
ton, improper equipment, or appara-
tus that aggravates fire conditions by
reason of its production of poisonous
gas, should be removed.
"You will please therefore, correlate
the results of the investigations of
the Commissioner of Plant and Struc-
lures, the Fire Department, the De-
partment of Water Supply, Gas and
Electricity and the Health Department,
and see to it that steps are taken to
force action at once on the part of
officials charged with the duty Of safe
guarding the travelling public"
An indication of the general accent
ance by science of the danger attend
ing the use of tetrachloride extinguish-
ers in confined space is found in an
article printed recently in "Coal Age"
regarding the use Of tetrachloride ex-
tinguishers in fighting mine fires, quot
ing technical paper by Fieldner, Katz
& Kinney, issued by the Bureau of
Mines, in which this paragraph ap-
pears:
at is dangerous to inhale the gases
formed by carbon tetrachloride when
1T is sprayed on heated materials. Ex-
periments by the Bureau of Mines have
shown that the decomposition prod
ucts of carbon tetrachloride consist of
phosgene, chlorine (sometimes) and
hydrochloric (muriatic) acid gas. In
addition, high concentrations of car
bon tetrachloride itself are produced.
Death may be caused by breathing the
gases for only a short time. Danger
Is greatest when the fire is in a closed
or confined space. The army gas mask
protects the wearer in any concentra-
tons likely to be met"