The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23


his fat at % Pitt street az he saw Meyer
Thalman passing down under tho Williams
burg Bridge approach about II O'Clock.
Fire! Oye-yoi. firel Firel' yelled Mrs.
Krauskopf from a window opposite.
Mrs. K~rauskopf had merely confused
Meyer with fire because Of Fiddle-D -Dee's
habit Of beginning every word with a nasal
explosion.
The East Side instantly arose to run
unclothed to pull every fire alarm box in
the neighborhood. The fire engines
Numbered back TO their doors while they
were still sending in alarms, and then when
the alarmists tried to get back TO their
fats to haul out their sleeping children
blue clad figures barred the way in an
effort to find out where the flames were.
After much Of the usual clawing n
scratching the crowd OF white clad folks
wa quieted long enough to permit the
flremen and police to ask Fiddle-D ee-Dee
what was blazing. Fiddle Dee-Dee said
you could search him, and then the coltish
tenants stomped up TO their fats chattering,
and the engine drivers said -Geet-ap' and
other things.
Any fireman will tell you that nine out OF
every ten alarms turned in on the East
Side are caused by overheated brains, and
that the tenth is usually sent in because OF a
stopped up fue that sent some smoke out
OF a window.
The East Side panic gets much Of It's
remarkable Roadway because Of the pre-
ponderance OF women in the outbreak.
The patient cops threaten, coax and try
TO reason with a crowd OF mothers who
have gone past all reasoning. where II the
rioters were men they would be instantly
convinced with q club.
The women realize that their strength lies
In their weakness and 80 they throw bricks
and assorted vegetables at the police with
gay abandon. After the dust OF the big
une panic had settled It was found that
only one prisoner had been held for trial
by a Magistrate-a youth who had chased
a maj down Avenue c to a drug store be-
cause the man had q beard that might
have been grown by a physician.
Several women were taken before Mag
istrates on the spot, but were discharged
with areprimand. The youth had brought
q revolver into play, however.
Panic breaking has almost come 10 assume
the dignity OF a course in Manhattan peda-
gogy- From constant practice the East
Side teachers now know that the best thing
TO do at the first sign OF excitement on
the streets Is to sound the fire drill bell
and march the children into the streets.
Many incipient riots are being nipped
In this way every month. The mothers
arrive at the school building only TO find
little Jakey standing like a soldier at atten-
ton In the long line OF little ones drawn
up In front OF the school.
Then, when Jakey's mother has petted
him and handled him all over to see thai he
is still in one piece, she is likely to scold the
boy for having a Stiffness and insist that he
must to go right quick bach by the teacher
and behave. One youngster who, in the
hope Of a holiday, refused to go back to
the class room n morning last September
was fervently spanked by his mother for his
recalcitrance in the presence OF Principal
Margaret O'Connell.
While the line started back to their lessons
the woman also fell In and with thumb and
finger clamped on little Morris's ear led him
to his seat. In less than twenty minutes
the same mother was back at the school at
the head Of a band OF maniacs that tried to
batter down the doors with broad fists that
they might save their kinder from the
Krists and slaughter. After this panic,
the second in less than half an hour, the
school was dismissed for the day.
Il was little Miss Hamburger, a teacher
in the school next door to the Essex Market
police court, who best described the scene
that confronts a teacher when the doors are
thrown open after the panic has got under
way. As the window glass began to tinkle
to the pavement and the roar without in
creased the frightened little boys and girls
were getting beyond control.
Principal Stevens sounded the fire drill
signal, and as the children seemed to be too
terror stricken to respond Miss Hamburger
started to walk among them singing.
One by one they took up the song and
fell into line. Then down the broad stair
way the parade started and the doors were
thrown open.
At the head marched Miss Hamburger
with a heel and toe stride. and staring
straight ahead into space az she tapped time
with a spelling book and sang OF the army
and navy forever. As the girl led her
little choristers through the big doorway
and out into the street the police charged
the frenzied mob OF women and tried to
drive them to the opposite sidewalk.
Itlooked like pictures OF the ~Crucihxion,'
said little Miss Hamburger. And she sank
on the steps Of the police court building for
Q good cry.
Now the riot habit has spread east to
Brownsville, where there is a big East
Side overflow. So far there nave been
no school panics across the river, but as
the Brownsville cousins attain perfection
by charging on the kosher meat men, they
will doubtless develop the panic to the
heights 1t has attained among the women
Of the'East Side.
OLDEST TREE IN THE WORLD.