New-York tribune., 1918-01-02
Sporadic Rioti1g for Coal
Marks Breaking ofCold Waue

Compared with Sunday and Monday
yesterday was only moderately cold.
1t was only degrees below zero at the
coolest hour, o'clock in the morning.
From that time the temperature rose
until 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon
VIXEN the government thermometer re-
gistered the maximum, II degrees
above zero.
This rise was in consonance with
the Weather Bureaus forecast Of
gradual improvement, which is expected
tc become more pronounced to-day, but
1t was not enough to melt the thick
carpets Of ice on the floors of homes
where water pipes had burst and
created good skating surfaces, even un-
der the kitchen stoves.
Suffering Is Increased
If anything, suffering increased and
thousands of numbed men, women and
children, frantic from days Of suffering
under the most rigorous weather the
city endured, fought and rioted for
fuel.
A further element of hardship de-
veloped when the gas pressure began
to dwindle, and officials of the various
companies declared that a material
moderation of tae weather, with a con-
sequent lessening of the unprecedented
demand, was the only hope Of relief
New Year dinners in numerous homes
%of the we'll to do were failures, while
the thousands of heaters attached to
gas Jets or the kitchen connections and
lighted 20 take the place of useless
radiators. afforded so little warmth
that many people. especially children.
spent the holiday under blankets in
! bed.
Rioters Throw Rocks
! The riots or demonstrations occurred
; in practically all the poorer sections of
the city. Crowds gathered at yards or
river slips saw coal they could not buy
being sent away in trucks or held in
berges under police guard. When they
learned that the coal leaving in wagons
while they pleaded in vain was intend
ed for hospitals or institutions housing
helpless children they quieted down and
acquiesced, but when they saw it go, as
it did in several cases, into the hands
of pedlers, rocks and ice fragments be-
gan to fly and police reserves were
called out.
One such riot occurred during the
day at the Burns Brothers yard. a,
l09th Street and East River. Several
hundred men, women and children, with
buckets, tin pals, boxes and baby car.
rlages, appeared asking for coal
They were told that the fuel was
only for customers. Trouble followed
Immediately. The crowd was smash
ing windows when Captain O'Neil, OF
the 126th Street station, appeared with
detachment Of police reserves. Wher
O'Neil learned that the coal 1925 tons
was going to hospitals and other in
stitutions, he relayed the information
to the rioters and order was restored
Crowds Seize Coal
A part of the crowd, however, fol
lowed some of the trucks and un
hooked the chutes at the rear of tn
vehicles The coal poured into tn
street and was seized by the crowd
who got several tons in this manner.
Another riot occurred at the var
of Henry Berghorn, 1880 First Avenue
who refuset to sell fuel to any OF
crowd of shivering men and wcme
gathered there, but soon after dispose
of six tons for S54 to pedler, VIII
| thereupon, in Berghorn's yard, bega
, doling it out at rs cents bucket.
Captain O'Neil, again summoned, pro
, teSted TO berKhOrn, VINO declared tn
government regulations forbade him {
sell in small lots. Captain O'Neil i
naly prevailed upon Bstgborn to Sc,
,, coal at 20 cents a bucket.
In the East Houston and Rivinpto
and Eldridge Street neighborhoods tw
more riots occurred. Ono was starte
by man who began to fight when hi
wife was pushed out of her place i
line before coal cellar. The ma
was arrested.
The other developed when a man lei
another coal line to answer a call fro,
his wife. who had been a mother jut
= two days, and returned to find his plac
II taken. His house had been unheate
all through the cold spell, he said, an
o he had waited in the line for Ave hou,
before the call came from his HON
y His efforts to regain his place starte
: a general battle that the police wit
!. difficulty suppressed.
New Years Day Unhappy
' Settlement and charity workers
;, every section Of the city, after day
" almost fruitless effort on behalf of II
4 shivering multitudes of New York
N poor, agreedal night that for tho
sands Of fan I los yesterday wa, the . u