Trouble under foot: Stunning black and white photographs capture the day exhausted firefighters battled New York subway blaze in 1915By Lydia Warren Last updated at 11:58 PM on 28th February 2012 As smoke filled their carriages and New York City subway officials refused to open train doors, the screams of 2,500 commuters reached street level - the only indication there was trouble under foot. On January 6, 1915, an electrical short in a manhole sparked a fire that pumped smoke into the subway line under Broadway at West 55th Street, resulting in chaos for a quarter-million commuters, claiming the life of one passenger and hospitalising hundreds more. Photographs taken on the day show the gallant efforts of hundreds of firemen who battled the flames - many succumbing to the smoke themselves in search for bodies - after authorities were initially left unaware of the fear-stricken carnage underground.  Panic: Hundreds of passersby peer underground following a fire on the New York Subway in 1915 (the photographer mistakenly labelled the pictures 1914). Thousands of passengers were on their morning commute when there was an electrical short and fumes filled their carriages The fire, confined to two subway manholes, was sparked by an electrical short circuit at 8 a.m, according to a New York Times article published the following day. More than 2,500 passengers were travelling on three trains that came to a standstill between Fifty-ninth and Fiftieth Street. Only when smoke reached them half an hour later, did they realise the cause of their interrupted journey. 'Crowded in seats and on platforms and hanging to straps, they had no warning of the disaster until the lights in the trains suddenly went out and the cars gradually stopped,' the Times wrote. 'Even then, amid the dim light from the two emergency lamps in each car, there was little suspicion of the gravity of the trouble.' But when the fumes reached the carriages, guards refused to let passengers out, insisting it was against company rules to open doors between stations. Even when they themselves became sick, they remained stubborn. 'The panic spread until there was a frantic fight in the darkness,' the Times reported. 'Windows were broken, seats torn up and smashed against the panes, and crowds rushed against the end and side doors.  Fighters: Many of the firemen who arrived on the scene suffered smoke inhalation as they tirelessly sought to bring each of the 2,500 passengers to street level  Escape route: Passengers from three trains caught between two stations were only able to escape by climbing a ladder to street level. Many were carried 'The screams and whimperings of women mingled with the shouts of men, the clattering of broken glass, and the thuds of blows.' Although the fire never reached the trains, passengers were overcome with smoke. A 39-year-old woman, Ella Grady, lost her life, and more than 210 people were 'overcome by smoke or trampled upon'. 'The panic spread until there was a frantic fight in the darkness. Windows were broken, seats torn up and smashed against the panes, and crowds rushed against the end and side doors. The screams and whimperings of women mingled with the shouts of men, the clattering of broken glass, and the thuds of blows'The New York Times, January 7, 1915'Hundreds of persons lay upon the car floors, having been asphyxiated or trampled on in the panic,' the Times reported. 'Others escaped from cars only to fall beside the tracks blinded and lungs full of smoke.' Nearly three hours passed before the 2,500 people on the three trains reached street level. To get those who had collapsed out of the subway, they had to be carried through a ventilator shaft fewer than three feet wide to an area under the sidewalk. They were then carried up ladders to street level. Only one person could access this at a time, and many keeled over on the ascent. Their screams raised the alarm and policemen ran to their aid. As the first victims were carried out, fireman arrived on the scene. They ordered long hoses, but realised the potentially still-active current would act as 'a deadly circuit' for fire fighters. Instead they attempted to use chemical extinguishers and sand. Eventually, they decided to allow the fire to burn itself out as it was confined to two manholes. More than 25 firemen were overcome by fumes as they battled through the smoke and had to be carried to the street level. 'Many of them insisted on returning to work in the tube, with red eyes and blackened faces,' the Times wrote.  Saved: An investigation was launched into why emergency services were unaware of the fire for more than an hour. Underground, panic-stricken passengers attempted to escape but were stopped by militant subway officials. They were eventually carried out through a grate by firemen  Lucky escape: One 39-year-old woman lost her life in the blaze, and more than 200 people were hospitalised due to the smoke. Firefighters discovered many passengers passed out on the tracks and laying in subway trains In the underground maze, the firemen searched for passengers. Many bodies - mostly women - were found keeled over on the tracks, which had fortunately had their currents cut off by the short circuit. The New York Times commended the 'prompt organisation' of the hospitals in the city and the tenacity of the firefighters, who battled to bring every body to the surface within hours. An inquiry was launched after the fire to investigated why emergency services were notified at 9.15 a.m. - more than an hour after the 8 a.m. short circuit. The accident bought the entire subway system to a standstill until that that afternoon. Around a quarter of a million commuters became stuck on trains after the system stopped in the morning. Photographer George Grantham Bain was on hand to snap the scores of passersby as they peered down the manholes, smoke billowing around them.  Chaos: The subway system was closed for the rest of the day and affected more than a quarter of a million commuters in the morning alone  Relief: All passengers were carried out of the subway over three hours and the fire was left to eventually burn out Survivors are seen wrapped in blankets as they collect their nerves, while fire chiefs are pictured assessing the narrow hole through which victims were carried out. With the event falling so near to the start of the year, Bain accidentally dated the pictures with the previous year. Bain's photographs represent the photo files of one of the country's earliest news picture agencies. He documented sports and arts events, as well as crime, disasters and political activities. Bain distributed photos of events that took place across the world, but had a special emphasis on life in New York City. The bulk of the images date from the 1900s to the mid-1920s, with others as early as the 1860s. Tens of thousands of his prints are now stored by the Library of Congress, who purchased then in 1948, and kept as the George Grantham Bain collection.  Deepak Punjabi |
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