Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-23
-Four Women Trampled to Death In
aPanio
A SLIGHT FIRE STARTED TIE RUSH
The Democratic Vice Presidential
Candidate at Richmond.
AN AMERICAN HEROINE
rRAMPLED TO DEATH IN A PANIC.
Cry of Fire started . Mad Rnsh sf
People at wor~hip.

People AZ Worship.
NEw York, Sept 23.-During service In one
OF the four synagogues in the tenement house
No. "a Ludlow street this morning some one
raised cry of flre. Immediately there va. Q
panic and mad rush made for the door.
The fire was speedily entinguishod and little
damage was done, but in the panic that sssaed
four women were trampled 20 death and a
dozen people seriously injured
The iire was caused by two candles which
we're lighted in one Of the places Of worship.
and which set fire 20 the woodwork Three
hundred people were in the place at the
time. The noise Of the rush 60 the
stairs and the shrieks OF the men and
women caused a stampede OF the uorshin-
ers in the other synagogues. They also made
rush for the stairs. The frightened and
panic-stricken people became wedged In the
stairs leading 20 the second floor. The police
man on post rushed in and sue
coeded In relieving the wedge and then
a Wild rush for the stairs leading 10 the street
began. An investigation after the panic had
ahated revealed the fact that four women had
been Killed and number Of persons severely
injured. The wounded were st once removed
TO the hospitals.
THE DEAD AND INJURED.
The dead are; Mrs. Freda Becker. forty-ave,
OF As Ludlow street. Her body was Identified
by her husband and son. Three unknown
women.
Following are the names Of the injured per-
sons at Gouverneur Hospital.
Julius Altman. nine years. 2e Esse, street.
thigh injured; Rachael Borsuck, ~ NorfoIk,
aged forty-seven wears, skull fractured. Ida
Cohen. 2l or % Madison street fractured skull.
injuries fatal; Herman Cohen. brother Of Ida
O"hen. hiteen wears, Of l7s Madison street
wrist fractured and internal injuries, Annie
Cohen, ffty-eight wears old. widow. rs Essex
LHafl g.. ...l-
Greenburg. thirty-ive wears. i7s Monroe street.
skull fractured, injuries fatal
CELEBRATING THE NEW TEAR.
The building where this horror took place n
now principally occupied as a temporary meet
ing place for Jewish congregations who are now
celebrating the religious feasts of Rosh Hasho-
nah. the Jewish new wear
There were four congregations, numbering
nearly 1000 persons. men, women and children,
worshiplng in this building, 70 Ludlow street.
at 10 o'clock this morning Two Of them were
on the second floor. one on first and the other
on the fourth. There were from 800 70 GOO per-
sons at each gathering.
The alarm was caused by setting Ere 70 the
cioth drnpery over the altar in the synagogue
OF the Talmud Tonah, which Is on the second
hoor front, by one Of the burning candles
There was wild cry Of ''fre" and the entire
assemblage jumped up and made Q mad rush
for the door. The Railways Of the building
are dark and narrow and the stairways steep
and unprotected by railings for the building.
which is a fve-story brick structure, vSs
formerly used as a tenement house. Az the
crowd surged into the narrow passaceway n
became blocked almost Immediately.
Women and children were crushed together
In the wild struggle TO gain the street and
tumbled and trampled upon each other as they
fell and slid down the precipitous stairways
Their frantic shrieks could be heard all Over
the block. and the alarm quickly spread to the
other congregations which were also gathered
In the same building
They poured out Of the adjoining rooms ON
each floor and Joined the panic-stricken crowd,
adding a new horror to the situation.
tor few minutes it was impossible for them
TO render any assistance whatever. The sceus
was one of indescribable terror and confusion.
The narrow hallway was literally packed with
frightened people. Some Of them were living
on the floor, while the Others rushed over their
PROSTATE bodies in a frenzied effort 10 gain the
street.
Women bruised and bleeding and with their
clothing half torn from their bodies would be
shot out of the doorway by the tremendous
pressure from behind and would fall ON the
sidewalk exhausted and fainting.
II was mad fight for life. Many crowded
out upon the fire escapes on the second floor
and leaped into the street There was no Ere
was coming from the third story
windows. The cries and wells that
came from the interior Of the building
were horrible to hear. The rush continued for
several minutes, when the officers finally sue
ceeded in making some headway against the
stream OF humanity that Was pouring out Of
the building and edged themselves within the
hallway.
When they reached the foot OF the first stair
way they found that large. stout woman, who
had fallen at the lowest step, blocked the way
and imprisoned those behind Roundsman
Cotton dragged her ont She Was unoonscious
and terribly bruised and disigured, for hum
dreds must have trampled over her body.
When she Was taken out and restored 20 con-
sciousness in a neighboring drug store she gave
her name Mrs. Annie smilowitz Of lO7
Hester street. Several of her ribs were
broken. The alarm which was sent
out from Hester and Orchard
streets brought the fire department, but there
was little 10 do. As soon a. the building had
been cleared il was found that no damage had
been done to the structure by the fire, and its
only indications were the burned Thors and
charred top Of the altar.