New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-24
PANIC IN A SYNAGOGUE.
FOUR DEAD AND MANY INJURED.
HEBREW cELEBRANTs OF RosH HAsHoNAH BE-
CONE FRIGHTENED At A SMALL FIRE
WOMEN sUFFOCATED AND
TRAMPLED 0,

TRAMPLED on.
A senseless panic among Russian and Polish
Hebrews in the sx-story building No. % Lud-
lowest, where concluding Rosh IIoshanah services
we're being celebrated yesterday, destroyed tour
lives and caused serious injuries TO dozen per-
sons Over 1000 men and women and num-
Der Of children had crowded into rooms on several
floors of the building, and were engaging IN
religious ceremonies TO mark the close oil the
great Jewish holiday, when a slight fire In the
front room of the third story started the panic
The alarm spread quickly from room TO room, ana
from floor to floor. Losing ali presence of mind,
many of the frightened Hebrews fled wildly
toward the sidewalk, becoming wedged in con-
fused masses the narrow stalrways and laha-
ings crowding, trampling and suhocaung 'he
weaker ones. Four women were sufocated OF
tramped to death in the lower hallway, or on
the stairs leading to 1t. Other persons were hurt
seriously in the crush. Some OF the Hebrews
fed TO re-escapes the front and rear walls,
from which they either jumped to the ground
or were taken down ladders by the hrenen'
A few went up iron ladder TO the roof OF the
building and jumped to the roof of an adjoin-
ing tenement house Many persons who escaped
with slight injuries went TO their homes. Those
who were hurt more seriously were conveyed in
ambulances TO the Gouyerncur Hospital The
bodies of the women who had been killed were
removed TO the police station in Eldrldge-st',
where they were identified Later the police OBJ
tanned the following list of the dead and injured:
THE DEAD.
BECKER. Freda. aged foryfour wife of Joof Becker,
OF No. 3S Ludlow-st.; sufocated
BOYUM Taube. a widow fifty years old whose home
was at No 142 ForSythst.: suffocated.
poRTsIAN. Bahl aged seventy, widow Of No. 900
Madson-st.; sufrocated.
ROsENTHAL, Naomi, thirty years old wife Of Meyer
Rosenthal, OF No. 115 Ludlowst. She was traInpled
TO DEATH her skull and limbs being fractured
THE INJURED.
ALRERT Wolff, twenty four years old Of No ',n,3S 1SS
out of window. He was helped to his home and
later TO the Gouverneur Hospital
had his thigh bone broken
BACKoWITZ Rachel, aged sixty, Of No. 1877 ludlow
ST., received fracture of the skull
BoRsyS Rachel E ye%s DID, OF NO. o.
COHEN, Annie, aged ftty-esht. widow. Of No; 25
Essex-st., received fracture Of the skull ana In
ternh injuries.
Broken. sS enC'''e' '''''"'' '"'''''' ' w
'0sin'-i st. fell iOa and fsa fraGtSrea her skull.
FREEMAN, Rebeeca aged forty one Of No. ~ suffolk
@ was nonS1s Tnmpd fn ace anS of the sh
GELITzsKY. Louis. No. 20 Ludlow who extin.
burned seriously on both hands He went 70 his
GREENBURG. simon aged thirty on Of No. s:o l7o rs
ternal injuries.
sPILLIKER Tilie, aged thirtysix. of No "a Norfolk
ST.. had her skull fractured and was bruised about
sMIIOwrTZ. Mrs. Annie, aged fifty, of No 10I
Heser-st suffering from broken RIB 10 and nd shock; Sl
on the first floor Of the building, but later was able
to 60 10 her home
At the siouverneur Hospital 1t was said that
the three Cohens Rachael Backowitz, Rachael
Greenhiro and
TslEe Spilker would probably die from their inju-
IieS.
The building in which the panic occurred he
longs TO Bloomberg d Goldberg. real estate agents.
at 127 Rivington-st, and is in the most thicNiy
inhabited portion of the Hebrew quarter east oil
,he Powery 1t is similar in its construction 10
rho tenement houses which surround IT, ana Is
wholly unsuited and unsafe for large crowns 10
assemble in. Harris Finsots beer-shop Is on the
ground floor. The only means OF communication
between the upper stories, except the hre-escapes
is the single line of narrow stalrways ana the
landings on each floor are cranped 10 save sPre'
Tho Hebrew CONGREGATION of 1anechc Ialniul 10
7ob occupes the third floor aud part OF the secoh'
floor rs a synagogue Above are large roonls Oh
oach floor which We're fitted up with chairs anu
troil partitions. and sublet to FIVE different con-
creoations or associations of Hebrews as PAGES oi
worship for the holidays. ~
The rooms were all 1ulI I'd o'0i"0'7
,nrdav morning. That one in the front part Oh
the third story, in which the pane e'"i"u ~
fitted ND with benches and contained an ARK III
- 49, l,ont a number of scrolls. low
,ar,ition divided the rear portion OF the ro0n'
from the front portion a..
Rabbi Shevi Mcnnen was reading IIo'h ro
nooL of the Prophets at 10 a. IN. when cahoiee
fell from a stard al his side ana SET IRE I"
niece Of the altar drapery. Instantly 'heie was
a cry of fire. and the congregation rose ana pee"i
IN surre toward the stars. Louis "eii'~'"S
tbrey the burning cloth out Of the wlndo" upoi
the Orc-escape, burning his hands IN tie tii'i'S
work The danger from fire was over III
moment bat the fatal excitement had ohlS oes""'
The noise made by the fleeing congregation Pehe
,ratod 70 the other rooms, from which crowds
ouic<v rusAcd 10 the landings. i ne rtalrNays
wcr, hochcd before anybody could eet OUT u
the building. Fierce hghuhe on tne s'dii''
trnmpling, falling and SUI cation loIo"Su.
poiiceman Edward VI Govern, who was detailed
n. tho front door of the building. tred at hrst
80 ~ stnn the biockldc taiiing III that; he ran
TO the nearest siana box and sent can lor ;n Lne
,m.n' and general call for ambulances was SEM
ont Tie lremen put mp ladders and rescued
many persons bot they could no, RGNTn' tn The
cromnd When the stairways were cleared az
length. the ambnlances carried nine persons 10
the Gouvernehr iiospitai. ,,o,
'' Tho hodies Of the four dead women were placed
!, a wagon ard CARRIE 10 the police station III
F1dridge ST. where they were laid on The moor OF
shawls Jolof Bccker, of NO 81 LudI9w-st.. wac
the first person to recognize one of the corpSes
lie said it was that of his wife, fredai Inc Inc
h"dv of Mrs Rnsenthal WIS Identified by her
sisser Mrs. Boyum's corpse was recognized by
her son-in-law \ neighbor Identified =, Mrs
p'n Por,man's body Coroner Shea and DIR. Walsh
No.. 10 tle police station. gave permits Tor the
rcmovoI If The bodies and obtained na'm, OF w't-
nesses who will BE- called al an inquest