Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-15
TINES SQUARE FIRE
TRAFFIC. PROBLEM
Enqines Sometimes Held II
!. House Whole Minute to
Clear Street.
snseial pi.nateh to The star.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, November IA (rSAfaA)
Times Square was In an lproar. Fire
sirens shrieked. Broadway trafYic halt
ed as best II could. Taxicabs swerved
sharply to the curb and remained
there. Jay walkers stayed on the side
walks. Only fire can stop Broadway
Two trucks roared down 43d street
the drivers bareheaded, the rest Of the
crew adjusting their helmets. In front
was the biggest hose pumper in the city
and the lighter auxiliary engine was
only q few feet behind
Fire around Times squarei The most
important station in New York was On
duty and everything else must stop. I
A half hour later. the fire out; WILL
liam G. Fialla, captain Of Engine Co
IS, was found directing the scrubbine
up Of his two great trucks.
THAT was easy" he said. "It was
o little tenement fire. All we needed
was chemicals. But we can't take
chances" 4S" E'~s
Important Fire Job.
;, Fialla has the most important IRE.
house Job in New York and he likes It
From one point Of view It liz q GOOD
job, from another it is o tough, one
Tialle Is responsible for most Of the
theater district, the majority Of the biz
hotels and many of the skyscrapers.
He sat on the bumper of o ponder.
Gus engine that could throw o stream
over the Hotel Astor and talked about
Don't think I'm joking" he warned
when I tell you that the depression
has hurt my business MS q fact.
I'VE take in the district from Fifth
avenue and Forty-second street up tt
Fifty-ninth and Fifth, then over t.
Ninth avenue. It comprises what i
now the Tenderloin, and has, n great
number Of lots. Those formerly caused
most Of the trouble. But business ID
bad and many of them are lr1tenAnted
So. while this is supposed to be the
are getting an average Of only about
three calls q day. Most Of the din.
Guilty now comes in the tenements.
Broadway Traffic . Problem.
"I've run into lots of troubles In tn,
last "a years In the department. bu,
none like the ones I've met here, ir
the midst Of Broadway trafic.
do you realize that sometimes Il
has taken US o full minute to get tn,
engines out of the house? That seems
AAAC 14 unR1kuOAl@blG t1uSe WV VIC W
an explanation for 1t. ~
Here we are, right next to the Hip.
podrome, and almost opposite the Co.
lumbia Club, with one-way trafac run.
ming west. The trafic lights stop thu
scores Of taxis which are taking people
block over to Broadway. Then TIT
bell rings, and II It comes at the rush
hour there is no end Of trouble. In tn,
first place we can't get the engine.
into the street, for that Is packed with
cars"
what do you do IN that minute?'
Capt. Fialla was asked.
"1'll show you," he said, moving to a
button Just under the call signal bell
II press this. A bell rings at Sixth ave-
nue. and Forty-third street. The cor
stops all u.town tratfic, ana pulls every
thing that is waiting on Forty-third
around the corner, headed uptown
Meanwhile. the alarm has been passed
on by the traf1c police, who have
heard the warning whistle. All traffic
stops and the streets are cleared
Then wo are ready
The suggestion was made that con-
siderable speed was shown when the
engines finally were under way.
On Job I'm Three Minutes.
with ordinary luck" said the ON.
Ger, I'VE can start q stream anywhere
in the district within three minutes
IT'S that possible delay Of minute
that keeps me awake at night. But
we actually don't 60 as fast as IL woule
appear We can't make the speed Of