The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-03-30
PROBING FIRE
Blame For Holocaust Placed
on Authorities.
l43 PERSISTED IN BLAZE
Official Investigators Start Digging
Into the Cause of the New
York Disaster and Hear
Witnesses.

New York, March 2S.-Responsibil-
lty for conditions that were directly
responsible for the factory fire IN
Washington place on Saturday, IN
which 143 persons lost their lives, Is
placed, by general consent, upon the
authorities" for not requiring more
FIRE escapes, but whether the state or
city authorities are TO blame is a
question that evidently will be bitterly
disputed.
The first formal investigation into
the fire in the Asche building, begun
by Fire Marshal Beers at fire head
quarters, brought out pretty clearly
the place Of the fires origin and also
served to show how a fire drill might
have prevented the loss Of life which
occurred.
From Samuel Bernstein, the general
manager and Louis Brown, machin-
list, both on the eighth floor, 1t was
brought out that the fire originated in
q lot of clippings from the shirtwaist
material near a cutting table on the
east side OF the building. next to the
second window from the elevators.
There was no witness to tell just what
caused it. There was law against
smoking, but the floor. nevertheless,
was found strewn with cigarette butts.
Although not established by the testi-
mony. the belief OF the fire marshal Is
that somebody threw match or
cigarette into the clippings. as a IA
vorite time for lighting cigarettes in
such places is just about the quitting
hour.
The fire, according to these wit
nesses, spread from the pile of clip
pings to the table piled with cut
lawns. Bernstein said that the fire
was called to his attention by girl
and that he and a couple OF others
fought it for a minute and a half by
throwing water from the pals.
Nearby was a standpipe hose. which
could have been taken down easily
and few turns Of a wheel would
have let loose the water from tank
ON the roof, holding hundreds OF gal
Ions Of water and replenished as fast
as il was used by an automatic pump.
No attempt was made to use this. al
though Fire Marshal Beers gave 1t as
his opinion that it'would have held
the fire.
Only Two on Eighth Floor Killed.
While Bernstein was trying to put
out the fire, Brown was sent to quell
the panic among the girls and make
them go down stairs. Brown said that
while the door to the stairs opened in
ward it was not locked. The crowd at
the door prevented It from being
opened, but he quickly got 1t open and
most Of the girls went down stairs,
others going down the elevators and
few to the roof. Only two persons on
the eighth floor we're killed.
The story Of what happened on the
tenth floor was told by Blanck and
Harris, the two proprietors, and went
to show that only one person on that
iiOOI was lOolr Bul 1nCAC WCit hO WV
nesses to tell the awful story Of the
ninth floor. This, it is hoped, will be
brought out at the next hearing.
This was the floor where were the
sewing machines arranged in bat
teries." and where bodies were found
piled up in heaps near a window on
the Greene street side against light
board partition. Out in the hallway
close by was another standpipe hose.
but nobody tried to use this. It ap-
peared, as would have been the case
probably had there been a fire drill.
So far as could be ascertained, the
door on the ninth floor was not lock
ed. It was proved from witnesses that
those on the other floors were not
locked.
One Of the elevator men testified
that on his last trip he reached the
ninth floor and called for some one to
get in his car, but nobody responded.
Mr.. Blanck testified that on the
eighth floor about 200 we're employed,
on the ninth 300 TO $50, and on the
tenth about 200. About so per cent
we're foreigners.