The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-27
YOU CAN'TSCARE THE SCHOOLS
WITH FIRE ENGINES ANDSHRIEk-
ING MOTHERS AT THE GATES.

Young People VINO Are Learning what 20
Teach the Old People Not 20 Do I'm
Case OF Bire Give a Lesson in Norfolk
Street. 4 spot where They Need II.
While the babble Of Yiddish was strong
est yesterday morning around the pushcart
merchants in Norfolk street, between
Hester and Grand. a woman's head was
thrust out Of a front window on the fourth
floor Of the six storied double tenement at
20 Norfolk, and a voice screamed in English ,
-Fire!" That English word is in the mixed
vocabulary Of every Russian Jew on the
Eas Side. Its effect on the pushcart men
was instantaneous. They yanked out the
sticks supporting their cart handles and
scampered for the intersecting streets as
if they were in a chariot race for the Jeru-
salem cup.
Presently the head went in and smoke
came out of the window, and there swarmed
into Norfolk street nearly every soul Of the
twenty-four families OF the tenement who
happened to be at home.
A few dozen OF the children Of the tene-
ment were in Public School rs, directly
across the street from the fire, with about
1 500 other pupils, all boys, n the mothers
made for the doors of the school. Before
they got even to the iron rail fence in front
Of the school an enthusi astic fugitive from
the tenement had attempted to pull the
hook Of the fire box on the wall of he
school. The ~janitor. Philip j.. Windecker.
who has seen some panics among the Jewish
mothers on the East Side, intercepted the
enthusiast and sent him to a box at the
; nearest corner.
The policeman on duty at the school and
the %janitor and two assistants closed and
: locked the three gates of the iron fence a
moment before the excited mothers ar
I rived. Several hundred other mothers from
the populous neighborhood come with the
fire engines and shook the iron gates vsinly,
screaming for their children. The first
section of the reserves appeared then and
all the VOL men were forced back.
Meanwhile, the children of the school in
the several class rooms facing on Norfolk
street maintained a discipline that their
mothers later marvelled at n admired.
Naturally, there were some boys who got
up and sneaked to the windows when
teacher was not looking. But they re-
GREETED their curiosity because they had 10
stay in for it,. And teacher herself, in the
interest OF discipline, never looked out
of the windows, against which the smoke
frcm the tenement burst frequently in
great black pUffs. Principal Frederick
A. Berghane came dow from his room on
the fourth floor, and rave a few orders.
The result was that all the blinds were
drawn in the classrooms whose winGows
overlooked the fire and the electric lights
were turned on, making the rooms lighter
than they had been under the sunless sky.
The shouts OF the 1remen, the ~throbbing
OF engines and the hubbub from the multi
tude that spread out, ~fanlixe, from the
north and south ends of the fire lines had
no appreciable effect on the children. A
rumor that the school was burning brought
hundreds more Of mothers to the neighbour
hood, but they had To wait. AT the north
west corner of Hester and Norfolk streets
IL a fine new school, No, g., in which there
were $500 girls and 900 boys. They also
became interested in the fire and some ex-
cited mothers came To the Hester street
entrance OF the big building and tried 10
get in. Janitor John Nolan and a mounted
policeman shooed them of.
The hre was fierce but short. All the
tenants got out without mishap. The
police drove most Of the occupants Of the
tenement next door, at %, into the street.
Mrs. Annie Wailenstein was not put out
with the rest. The fire had frightened
her so badly that she ushered into the world.
prematurely. another candidate for the
school across the way.
The fire was under control at noon, but the
fire lines were still maintained. Then the
signal for fire drill was sent to every room
in School rs. 1t was the finest and best
disciplined little brigade OF boys that ever
gathered on the landings OF the building,
The hurly burly, fire smell and smoke
drifted up through the open front doors
to the landings, but the little folks acted
as IL they were on dress parade.
They marched down, some classes sing
ing, and under instructions kept ranks
even after reaching the street. There a
squad OF bluecoats escorted them to the
fire lines and many Of the mothers bounced
upon them az IL they had Just escaped
another Kishinef. When the boys returned
TO school at I o'clock the fire was out and
the street in normal shape.