The sun., 1905-08-21
FIRE SCARE IN SYNAGOGUE.
LITTLE GIRL CHECKS 1T BY SEIZ-
ING BLAZING FLAG.

uAv6y DSy IOS VIC SVubHS 0Suus' V.'.~''
Took Possession Yesterday Of the Oid
WiIIett street Church-The Police
T1ght Back Screaming Mob Outside.
The quick wit OF six-year-old Gertie
Rosenblaum OF l07 East Eghty-eighth
street checked q fire scare at the meeting
OF the Congregation Anshei Bialystok.
held to dedicate their new synagogue at
7 Willstt street yesterday afternoon. The
now synagogue 10 the remodeled Methodist
Episcopal church built In 1920.
A crowd Of many Thousands gathered.
Tho now synagogue itself h small, but
nearly 5000 packed themselves inside OF It.
while others Hlled the adjsosnt streets
and The fire escapes and windows. The
interior Of the building was hung with
flags and banners. while ribbons Of bunting
fsstooned the gallery.
Tho meeting was well under way and
the congregation was singing when
puff Of wind lifted flag and dropped 1t
Into . gas jet on the side Of the gallery.
As the tongue Of fire ran up the nag faces
took on look Of terror The crowd rose
from their seats and bolted for tho door.
Those in tho gallery came piling down
tho stairs upon those on tho moor below
ana IN IN mBIAnJ tuS uOuoO W0c hiASN "AS''
fighting. frightened mob. Outside the
crowd took up tbs cry 'Firo!' and there
was . rush to the scene. The police, Hty
Of whom surrounded the place. were swept
aside, unable to check tho rush.
Inside the building score or more OF
policemen, under command OF Capt. MO
Glynn. were scattered among the crowd.
Capt. MoGlynn had every exit open In an
instant. Detective 1Andrigan rushed up
stairs toward the burning flag, but before
he got there the little Roscnblaum girl
reached over the balcony and pulled the
burning flag from its socket.
The banner famed for an instant. and
wont out, tho charred remains floating
to tho floor below. The crowd looked back,
saw the little girl swinging the blackened
stick In her hand and sat down. The panic
was over.
Outside, however, the mob was as wild
as ever, but the police now had them i'll
hand. After the hrst wild rush the police
drew their clubs. and the sight OF them did
more to auell the crowd than oil the bulk
| behind them. The minute the rush began
Capt. McGlynn ordered the street clea
and sent for moro reserves. It took only
| q few minutes to bring Acting Captain
Northrop Of the Madison street station
on the run with thirty Of his men. Then
followed other reenforoements.
With nearly two hundred men under
his command Capt. McGlynn cleared tho
| street each way for a block. Those who
wanted to leave the church were allowed
to do so and in ten minutes the meeting
! was in fvll swing again.
The cel,bration, thus interrupted, began
| about 8 o'clock, when the congregation
! marched to their new synagogue from "a
Orchard street. bearing the sacred scrolls.
The procession was headed by band OF
seventy-five boys from the Hebrew Orphan
ASYLUM, while 900 little girls, dressed In
white and bearing flags, marched behind
them. A string Of carria ges, many blocks
in length, bore the aged and infrm mem-
bers OF tho congregation. while the rest
marched on foot.
Samuel Harris, said to be los years old,
was ono Of the prominent figures Of tho
meeting. Harris, his friends say. once
tramped to Jerusalem and back, and Is
pensioner Of the congregation. Assembly
man Hartman was there, and 10 wes
Assemblyman Rosenstein.
Besides the usual hymns, prayers and
music Dy Vic pduu duoIcooec Woio AA"N0
by Dr. Bhustein. DR.. Radin. Rabbi PHI.
Brodsky, DR.. Morals and Counselor suger-
man.
Immediately after the service occurred
the first wedding In the new synagogue.
The bride was Ida Gottlieb Of 2se Henry
street and the bridegroom Ben njamin Gold
berg Of III East Broadway. They we're
greeted with yell when they drove up
In q closed carriage. that took the nerve
Of the bride, while her husband-to-be
turned the color Of Chinese laundry
check. The couple went Immediately to
the Manhattan Lyoeum, at 90 Fourth street.
where the wedding reception was held.
To be the first married In q new syna gogue
is accounted high honor and the
privilege is usually we'll paid for. After
the ceremony was over yesterday ono OF
the members said that tho parents OF the
bride and bridegroom would probably
contribute $500 to the synagogue.
Another occurrence Of the day was the
death Of an old member Of the oongrega-
eation-Hsrnisn Aue.t.ch os g. Orchard
street. He was 50 years old and attended
q meeting Of the congregation the night
before, remaining until I O'Clock yester-
day morning to plan for the celebration.