The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-26
FIRE-PROOF BUILDING FILLED
WITH INFLAMMABLE STUFFS
~ Leased Wire Ia Tho Tribune.

BY Leased Wire to The Tribune,
NEW YORK. March 25.-'The curious.
uncanpy feature about tho deadly lire In
Washington place is that IL WAS not
spectacular from flame and smoke. The
ci,y had no sign OF tho disaster that
happening. The smoke OF the hre
scarcely backened the sky. No big def
mite clouds arose TO blot out the sun
shine and the sprIngtimc brightness OF
the blue sky above.
Concentrated the fire burned within.
The flames caught all the nimsy lace
stuff and linens that go into the MAX
Ing Of spring and summer shirtwatsts
and fed eagerly upon the rolls OF SILK
The cutting room was laden with the
stun on long tables. The employees
were toiling over such material AT the
rows and rows OF machines. Sinisterly.
the spring day gave aid To the fire. Many
OF the window panes facing south and
east were drawn down. Drafts had fun
play.
The experts say that the three floors
must each have become whirlpool OF
fire. Whichever way the entrapped crea-
lures fled they met "A curving sweep OF
flame. Many swooned and died Others
fought their way TO the windows or the
elevator or fell fighting for chance at
the fire escape-the single fire escape
leading into the blind cour, that was to
be reached from the upper floors by
clambcring over Il windowsill
Building Was Fire Proof.
On all Of three floors, at narrow
window, a crowd met death trying TO get
out 10 that one slender fire escape lad
der. II was nreproof building In which
this enormous tragedy occurred Save for
the three stories OF blackened windows
at the top. you would scarcely have been
able to tell where the fire had happened.
OF fame now and then licked around a
remnant OF window sash. 1t was the
first fire with heavy loss of life in a sky
scraper factory building in this city. but
lions Of several years standing These
were that such fire would absolutely
mean disaster. The walls OF such build.
ings are fircproof. but the contenis-in
this case-highly innammable.
The fire having no manner OF eating
into the walls. concentrates on all The
food II can find in the Interior. The re-
suit Is furnace. with the flames fight
ing upward till they strike the roof,
Then the fire mushrooms and starts back
down the walls. This is what happened
today. Before curl OF smoke sifted
outward through the windows the flames
had swept and swired around the rooms
and mercilessly killed. Many OF the
seven hundred workers most fortunately
had left the building an hour and a half
before. They were girls and boys and
men and women from the factories and
wareroon,s on the seven lower floors and
the shipping departments In the base
mcnt.
Were Working Overtime.
Shirt Waist companys works closed
down at O'clock. The Triangle Waist
company did not recognize the union
around their. shop strike centcrcd not
long ago. The delay in lillin:. OF. orders
caused by the strike had made IL neces-
sary for the workmen To work overtime.
That was why they we're bent over theli
machines and otherwise were busy to-
day. Those Of the Triangle factory had
many. Of them. drawn their pay. Detec-
bodies til they were taken 10 the morgue
lest vandals and ghouls should seek tC
rob. But no such creature appeared or
the scene.
Asasoon as the flames had been cx-