DISTURBANCES OCCUR IN YARDS IN WILLIAMSBURG AND BROWNSVILLE, fuel freezes in transit.

 Although 40,000 tons of coal arrived yesterday at New Jersey tidewater points for distribution in New York City, only a small amount of the consignment reached the city owning chiefly to the fact that the commodity had become frozen while in transit and time was required to break the lumps small enough to be handled in barges. Riots at several yards resulted.

Most of the trouble centered in the Williamsburg and Brownsville section of Brooklyn. A crowd estimated at 2,000, mostly women, some of them with children in their arms, stormed the coal yards of S. Tuttle's Son & Co. in Williamsburg and demanded that coal be sold. Bricks, stones, dishpans, and scuttles were hurled at employees, window panes and wagons. Several rioters were knocked down and trampled upon and others came out with torn clothing and hats missing. Many window panes in the Tuttle offices were shattered before the police reserves from the Clymer Street Station arrived and scattered the crowd.

Another outbreak was at the yards of Rubel Brothers, at Glenmore Avenue and Junius Street, East New York. S. Tuttle of the Williamsburg concern said last night that as soon as he received a new consignment of coal he would dispose of it in small lots as formerly in preference to selling it to industrial concerns.

Although fuel conditions were acknowledged in local official circles yesterday to be rather discouraging, announcement was made that 20,000 tons were now on their way here from the mines, this being in addition to the 40,000 tons now at tidewater points adjacent to the city. Reeve Schley, Federal Fuel Administrator, said that part of the new consignment had already reached Jersey City and would be started across the Hudson River on barges within a few hours. He made it plain, however, that New York was not yet out of danger from the fuel shortage.

Mr. Schley said that he believed that the action taken at Washington on Tuesday in diverting coal to New York would bring relief, J.A. Hall, Deputy Fuel Distributor for the Bronx, had expected to distribute 4,000 tons of coal among the yards in that borough yesterday, but instead received only 1,500 tons.

There were 230 deaths in the five boroughs from noon Tuesday up to noon yesterday, and according to the Health Department, of this number thirty-nine were due to pneumonia.

The Straw Hat Riot-1922

Gangs of young hoodlums ran riot in various parts of the city last night, smashing unseasonable straw hats and trampling them in the street. In some cases, mobs of hundreds of boys and young men terrorized whole blocks. Complaints poured in upon the police from men whose hats were stolen and destroyed. But as soon as the police broke up the gangs in one district, the hoodlums resumed their activities elsewhere.

A favorite practice of the gangsters was to arm themselves with sticks, some with nails at the tip, and compel men wearing straw hats to run a gauntlet. Sometimes the hoodlums would hide in doorways and dash out, ten or twelve strong, to attack one or two men. Along Christopher Street, on the lower west side, the attackers lined up along the surface car tracks and yanked straw hats off the heads of passengers as the cars passed.

The street where such incidents occurred were strewn with broken straw hats. Hat stores which kept open last night were crowded with purchasers of hats.

One complaint was made of a gang swarming on an open street car and attacking the passengers to get their hats. A man who said he was E.C. Jones, a promoter of 70 West 93rd Street, telephoned to the Times that this happened when he was riding uptown on an Amsterdam avenue car between 135th and 136th Street about 9 o'clock last night. He said the car was attacked by a group of boys who later disappeared in a mob of about 1,000 who were destroying straw hats along Amsterdam Avenue. Jones said he complained at the West 152d Street Station and the mob was dispersed.

The police were kept busy trying to protect people on Third, Lexington and Park Avenues, between 102d and 125th Streets. Even Plain clothes policemen King and Lamour of Inspector Sweeney's staff were walking down Third Avenue when ten or twelve boys armed with sticks dashed out of doorways near 109th Street. The officers caught eight of the youngsters and took them to the East 104th Street Station. As they were all under 15 years of age, they were not arrested. Lieutenant Lenihan lectured them and sent for their parents, recommending a good spanking for their offspring. He also warned the boys that if they were brought in again for the same offense they would be locked up.

Acting Detective Sergeant Brindizi was attacked by a gang at 102d Street and Third Avenue and his hat thrown into the street. He ran after his tormentors, was tripped and fell headlong into the gutter. He arrested Leo Cohen, 34, who gave his address as 71 West Fiftieth Street, as the tripper. Cohen was taken to the East 104th Street Station on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Harry Gerber, 25, of 69 East 115th Street went to Harlem Hospital for treatment for injuries received in fighting off straw hat vandals at 115th Street and Park Avenue. When a crowd of boys tried to seize his hat he put up a fight and was badly beaten and kicked.

 Harry Oldbaum of 325 East 103d Street was surrounded by a crowd at 116th Street and Lexington Avenue. His hat was torn off. Unlike most of the civilians subjected to the same annoyance, he showed fight and chased the youths. He caught a boy who said he was Morris Sikeowitz, 16 of 224 East 170th Street and took him to the East 104th Street Station. Morris was charged with disorderly conduct.

A. Silverman was sentenced to 3 days in jail by Magistrate Peter a Hatting, in the Night Court. On Thursday Magistrate Hatting had given warning that he would impose jail sentences upon any one brought before him on the charge of smashing straw hats. Abraham Birnbaum of 522 Lavonia Avenue, Brooklyn appeared in court, as the complainant against Silverman.

Just before he sent Silverman to jail, Magistrate Hatting discharged Sikeowitz, the youth arrested at 116th street and Lexington Avenue. The Magistrate was about to send Sikeowita to jail despite the intercedence of Oldbaum, the complainant, when the sight of the prisoner's gray-haired mother, 70 years old, caused him to relent for her sake.

"But I'll send the next one to jail." said the Magistrate. "I intend to see that citizens are protected in their property." Silverman was the next one. Cohen, the man arrested for interfering with Detective Brindizi, denied he had tripped the officer, and was discharged by Magistrate Haiting. He said he was a special officer employed by one of Childs' restaurants.

John Sweeney, 10 of 363 West Sixteenth Street, ran into an automobile driven by John Monfort of 111 East 19th Street, while John and other boys were enjoying the hat-smashing sport on Seventh Avenue between Seventeenth and Eighteenth Streets. His right leg was broken. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.

Patrolman James Sheehan of the Oak Street Station arrested two boys whom he saw smashing a straw hat at First Avenue and Seventh Street. The boys said they were Walter Shulka, 13 of 302 East Seventh Street, and Abraham Silverman, 12 of 94 East Seventh Street. They will be arraigned in the Children's Court Today on the charge of juvenile delinquency. An hour later Patrolman Sheehan arrested Abraham Moses, 15, of 816 East Nineteenth Street, at Tenth Street and Avenue A. on the same charge.

At Madison and Thompson Streets a boy knocked off a man's hat with a long stick. Then other boys kicked the hat along the street until it reached another boy, waiting to jump on it. The owner of this hat seized Salvatore Camellino, 15, of 13 Hamilton Street, who was taken to the Oak Street Station on the charge of juvenile delinquency. Patrolman Delehanty of the Clinton Street station arrested, Louis Silverman, 17, of 218 Madison Street, on the charge of breaking a man's hat in front of 197 East Broadway.

[End Of Article]