The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-10-06
TRAMPEED TO DEATH,
A CRY OF FIRE THROWS HEBREW
CONGREGATIONS IN A PANIC.

wildly They Dash Down Narrow Stair.
case-Women and Children q round Un
der Foot-A Fat Woman Blocks ,h,
Road to Safety.
NEW YORK, Sept. 23.-Four Jewish
synagOgues In tenameat house, No, 81
lndlow street, were all crowded This
morning with deYont Hebrews attending
The festival services of the new year
when some person in one CT the places
OF worship raised Cry of ire. Immed.
lately there was panic. Everybody
rushed for the doors. The stairway,
which arc not very wide, became packed
with peorle. They piled right on top
OF one another on the stairway. Some
person out on the street lad enough
presence CT mind to send out fire alarm
which brought the department to the
scope. The liremen succeeded in eX-
Treating the people from the blocked
stairway and found four dead and about
Jozen injured.
-Four woman are known TO have been
killed and dozen or more olher per-
soDs seriously Injured by being trampled
upon by tho tear-maddened crowd.
Somo OF them will probably die.
The dead are: Freda Becker, 4 wears,
Russian, of 38 Ludlow street; Naomi
kosenthai, 80 years, married, l75 Lud-
low etreet; Tyepe Boymn, widow, SO
years, Russian, l40 Forsythc street;
Mrs. Portmann, a widow, 20 years,
222 Madison street.
The following are the names of The in 4.
jured persons ut Gouveneur's Hopital:
Nebecca Friedman, 40 ycacs, fractured
skull; Tillie Stillker, 35 years, skull
fractured a;d will probably die; julius
Altman, 0 years, thigh injured; Rachael
Boisuk, II years, skull fractured; Ida
Cohen, fractured skull, injuries fatal;
Herman Cohen, Is years, wrist fractured
and internal injuries; Rachael Beck
owitz, skull fractured; Anne Cohen, SO
years. widow, skull fra, tured, Injuries
fatal; Aunie Smilow:tz, several ribs
broken; SimOn Greenburg, 35 years.
skull fractured, injuries fatal.
The alarm was caused by the setting
fire by burning candle TO the cloth
drapery over the altar 49, the synagogue
Of the Talumud ThroaE, which is on the
second floor front.
There were tour congrega ions, num-
bering nearly two thousand persons,
men, women ana children, worshipins.
The stairway was narrow. and Mrs.
Annie SmilOwitz, very stout woman,
tell, blocking the passeageway and caus.
ing the deaths Of those right behind.
The four synagogues were The Padolskl
Society, Talmud Thorah, Sons of Aron
and BetI Achinanschet. Thee was
also Hebrew school in the building,
The rooms occupied by the CONGREGATIONS
Whre furnished with rows of wooden
benches, set close together, ard the peo-
pie were packed into each room like sar.
Dimes Ill box. 1t IL customary at The
, least season for the me- mbers of the vari-
GUS synagOgues to hire such roo rs as
these Tor daily religious SCI vice and lust
now the Jewish community is in the
midst OF the celebration of the New
Year.
The Railways of the building are dark
and narrow and the stairwaNs steep and
unprotected by railings. AS The crowd
surgCd into the narrow passage way, it
became blocked almost Immediately.
Women and children were crushed to-
gether in wild struggle TO gain the
street and tumbled over and Lrampled
upon each other as they fell and slid
down the prccipitOus stairways. Their
frantic shrieks could be heard all over
the block, and the alarm quickly spread
TO other congregations which were also
gathered in the same building. They
poured Gu OF thu adjoining rooms on
each floor and joiucd The panic.stricken
crowd, adding new horror to The sltua-
ton.
For lew III mules il was lmpOs sible
TO render any assistance whatever. tie
narrow hallway was literally packed
with frightened people. Some Of them
were y ng on the floor while others
rushed over their PROSTATE b ,uies in a
trcnzied effort to gam the street. Ii
was mad fight ior life. Many crowded
out upon the fire escapes on the second
floor atH lealed into The street. There
WAS no lire TO be sem. Only film of
smoke was coming from the third floor
windows.
The ttliclrs finally succeeded in maxi
ing some neadTay against the stream OF
humanity that was pouring out OF the
building and edged themselves within
the hallway. When they reached the
touL ol li'e lirst stairway they found a
large, stout women, Annie SmilOwitZ,
who bad fallen at the lowest step,
blockod the Way and imprisoned those
behind. Roundsman Cotton dragged
her out. She was uucons cious and ter.
rlblY b!uised and dstigurcd, for hun.
drGds must have trampled over her
body.
AS soon as the building had been
cleart Il IL was found that no dam age ha d
been doue tp The structure by the flee,
and it's onl, Indications were ;he burned
Torah and cherred top ofthe altar.
Almost all the buildings in the neigh
bOrhoOd arc tenement houses occupied
principally by Hebrews; and the entire
ropu latiOn had TUNED out into the
street. The police reserves had to be
summoned . keep Lhc excited people
hack.
Max b. Kramer, secretary of The con-
gregation OF Tahund T0rah Onel Is.
Zchok, where the lile broke cut, old .
reporter that Rabbi WailCziuski's as.
slstant, solomon, was blowing the shoy-
Ter horn during the interval between the
thofnln2 aud midday serv:ccs. Ils
con9icGation had laced away rom he