Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-05-20

ward exits which were in some in
stances six blocks from the scene Of
the accident.
1t was at first thought that two
women We're near death of internal
injuries, but later examination at st.
Nincent's Hospital revealed that their
hurts would not be fatal Most of
the victims had their clothing badly
torn in the underground flight
through the smoke and dark. Three
schoolgirls had their shoes torn from
their feet.
AT Forty-flrSt street, a block below
the Grand Central terminal station,
there was a loud report and sheet of
flame came from between the fifth and
sixth cars. The Jumpers" which con-
meet the cars electrically had short
ed" The lights fiickered out as the
motorman, Harry Post, shut off the
train current and threw on his brakes,
the sudden, lurching stop throwing
scores to the floors.
The real panic occurred few mo-
ments later, after Post had started
up his train in an effort to get it to
the next station Thirty-fourth street.
He had run less than a block when
there was another flash and all the
lights on the train, with the exception
of a few emergency bulbs supplied
with electricity by car motors, blew
out in a series of explosions.
Immediately the six cars became
swarming mass of shrieking humanity:
Women and girls threw themselves on
the car floor in hysterical attempts to
get below the clouds of swirling, acrid
smoke that filled their eyes and lungs.
A few men tried to stem the rising
tide of fear, but without avail.
One girl literally dived through
window, the shattered glass ripping
half her clothes from her body and
slashing her about the head and back.
Two other women, swept helplessly by
the panic tide, were hurled through
windows to. the roadbed, falling dan
gerously near the highly charged third
rail.
All began cropping their ways toward
exits, stumbling through the choking
dark, some of them toward Thirty
fourth street six blocks away while
others had the mental presence to seek
the exits at Grand Central, two blocks
off. Post, a veteran motorman of IL
years experience, CROPPED his way to
an emergency power switch and turned
off the power in the third rail.
The din rose to the street above,
Park Avenue, where patrolman
eve was caught by wisp of gaseous
smoke that swirled from manhole.
He summoned ambulances, firemen
and police reserves and plunged into
the tunnel and assisted NUMBER OF
| women to the street.
The fashionable Hotel Vanderbilt
at Park Avenue and Thirty Fourth
Street, the Commodore, the Murray
Hill and the Park Avenue Hotels
hastily organized their stats into
emergency workers, and the sufferers
were given first aid treatment. The
more serious cases were sent in am
balances to Bellevue, st. Vincents
Flower and other hospitals.
There were several reports OF
cowardice and lack of gallantry and
consideration on the part of many OF
the men passengers. but there also
were tales of bravery and gallantry.
One of these, in which the chivalrous
youth involved did not tarry to give
his name concerned the rescue of the
four months old baby boy. of Mrs.
Kalia Walker of the Bronx. The
youth took the child from Mrs. Wal
kers arms and disappeared. Ten
minutes later when the hysterical
mother stumbled from the tube at
Thirty Fourth Street, sobbing for her
child, the gallant stranger stepped
forward, placed it in her arms, dof-
fed his hat, and disappeared in the
crowd.
Thomas Hodges, lumberman
from Akron, Ohio, and Patrolman
George Demo were the bearers of
different tales. Hodges, who was a
passenger in the fourth car, COM
mented bitterly on the conduct of
some of the men aboard, declaring
that many of them had trampled
women and children in their flight.
Demo arrived at the ThirtyFourth
Street exit just as the first of the
fugitives were coming out He saw
burly men knocking hysterical wom-
en- about in their race for the air.
The policeman tore off his coat and
flung himself into the seething mass,
knocking down five men before he
turned his attention to the business
of rescuing the women.
A. L. Merritt traffic superintendent
of the PETERBOROUGH Rapid Transit
Company, took charge of the COM
pany'S rescue workers few minutes
after the accident occurred. He paid
high tribute to the presence of mind
displayed by Motorman Post. saying
his action in switching off the third
rail power undoubtedly had saved