NEW YORK’S LATEST HOLOCAUST
The fire on the three top floors of the ten-story factory building at Washington Place and Green street last Saturday afternoon, at which time approximately 160 men and women were burned or crushed to death, further emphasizes the necessity of maintaining discipline among employes in times of extreme emergency. The statement of Chief Edward Croker that the fire doubtless was started by a burning cigarette stub, carelessly thrown into a collection of inflammable material is probably correct. A large percentage of the men and boys employed in these shirt-waist factories are inveterate cigarette smokers, and are usually unmindful of what disposition they make of the burning stubs and matches. The building, which is owned by J. J. Ascii, of Norwalk, Conn., was ten years old, constructed of brick and iron, ten stories high, and classed as fireproof. There is but one outside fire escape, which seems inadequate when it is considered that 1,000 persons are employed in the building. There are two iron stairways located at Green street and Washington Placc, which were considered good, and four elevators. In the way of fire appliances, there is telephone connection with departmental headquarters by pneumatic system; two four-inch standpipes connected outside with No. 2 size similes, three inches; eight by ten foot water tank on roof with a capacity of 5,000 gallons; and buckets to the number of 300 scattered around the building. The building had been inspected by order of the lire department on Oct. 15, 1910, by Edward O’Connor, foreman of Engine Company 72. Fire Commissioner Waldo has issued the following statement: “The loss of more than 140 lives resulting from the Washington Place lire has demonstrated forcibly the contention of the Fire Department that while buildings may he fireproof the contents are not fireproof. Therefore, fire escapes and other good and sufficient means of exit should be required in buildings of this character, especially those in which large numbers of persons are assembled for work or other purposes. There are many buildings of this class in this city in which even worse conditions prevail. In the opinion of this department the means of exit from this building were insufficient There was only one outside iron balcony fire escape, which was so constructed that when iron shutters on windows were opened it was impossible for persons to use it without first closing the shutters, which could not he done if persons were endeavoring to escape front the windows from the lower floors. There were two inclosed fireproof stairs with window doors and ‘jambs.’ These doors were consumed by the fire and left the stairs open to the flames.
These stairs were only sufficiently wide for one person to descend at a time and with winding steps at the turns. Entrances to stairs were blocked by partitions. From indications, gates and doors appear to have been locked at the time of the fire, file Fire Commissioner is endeavoring to secure legislation which will create a bureau of fire prevention, with sufficient legal power to install automatic and auxiliary fire appliances, to enforce fire preventive measures and to give to the department the right to insist on adequate means of escape in case of fire. The fire department is the most competent to pass on the necessity for fire escapes, due to their experience with fires. Several days ago a meeting was held in a Wall street law office denouncing the action of the department in requiring automatic sprinklers in buildings which, in the opinion of the department, required the same. Under the present law, the fire department has no control whatsoever over fire escapes or means of exit from fire.”
Albert Ludwig, chief inspector of the Bureau of Buildings and acting superintendent in the absence of Superintendent Rudolph Miller, made the following statement for his bureau: “The building could be worse and conte within the requirements of the law. It is not required by law that the elevators and stairways be inclosed. These are in this building, although the fire doors are not self-closing and on the upper floors of the stairway are made of oak and wireglass, instead of being fireproof. I am not prepared to say whether the dimensions of the fire escape are within the law. As in Section 103 of the Building Code the Superintendent of the Bureau of Buildings can use his discretion as to the means of egress to the fire escapes, therefore, we would insist upon a fireproof passage from the court at the foot of the fire escapes to the street. Evidently the condition in this building met the approval of the Building Department when it was erected in 1900. When I investigated the building I found the structure all right, except for the lintels on the top floor and some tiling which had been destroyed. There were fire escapes, because all loft buildings must have them.”
From the investigation it appears that there had been delay in sending in the alarm, and that no attempt had been made to put the fire out in its incipiency by using the buckets or hose on each floor. Panic seized the 700 men and women, who stampeded each floor in their eagerness to escape. Speaking to delegates from twenty philanthropic organizations and settlement workers, who met last Sunday in the headquarters of the Women’s Trade Union League to plan a mass meeting to discuss problems suggested by the Triangle Waist Company’s fire, Leonora O’Reilly, a leader in the strike in the company’s plant last year, declared that to her certain knowledge the doors on the eighth and ninth floors of the building were locked fast at the time of the fire last Saturday afternoon.