Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-28
Remains of 55 Of New York
Factory Employees so Bad
" Disfigured They May
Never be Known.
INVESTIGATIONS
PLACED ON FOOT
City and State Officials and
Labor Organizations Are
Seeking to Locate Blame
for Frightful Holocaust.

|
Eighty-six bodies Of the 141 victims
of the fire in the ten story loft build
Ing on Washington Place Saturday
night have been identified. Sixteen
of the bodies were men. There are
twelve injured in the hospitals.
District Attorney Whitman started
an official investigation today to fix
the responsibility for the horror in
which several hundred shirtwaist
makers, mostly women, were en-
trapped by fire on the three top floors.
No arrests have been considered by
the district attorney of any person In
connection with the fire, and none will
be made until the facts disclosed In
the investigation give. sufficient evi.
dence for taking this action.
The building department was
called on for report on the burned
building, and every other department
that is In any way concerned also will
be required to make detailed report.
Fore Marshal Berrs began his ON
cial investigation today. It is now
definitely known that the fire started
on the eighth floor Of the building near
window at the northeast corner Of
the building. The fire began under
a cutting table In "a SCRAP heap. and )
| is thought to have been started by
cigarette.
Crowds began to assemble early to-
day at the morgue to view the bodies,
flfty.two in all. At least half of the
bodies were unrecognizable and only q
small trinket, shred of clothing, will
help to show who the unfortunate
was. Some of these bodies probably
will never be claimed. The victims,
living alone in furnished rooms, or lit
tie flats may have had no friends and
few acquaintances.
Managers Deny Doors Were Locked.
Managers OF the Triangle Waist
company. which occupied the burned
floors deny today that the iron doors
leading to the elevator and stairs were
locked. The fact that there was only
one fire. escape on the building will
come in for q careful investigation to
determine what city official Is to
blame. Borough President McAneny
today, in reviewing the investigation
made following the recent Newark
fire horror, said that the Asch build
ing was not included in the list of
those buildings returned az having In
adequate fire escape facilities.
"This might well be-" said Mr.. Nc
ly the building appears to conform
to the code. The natural conclusion
is, or ought to be, that the code should
suffer radical amendments"
Progress has been made by public
and civic organizations towards Offer
ing relief to those who have suffered
as result of the fire. The first con.
tribution in the movement was made
by Mayor Gaynor. who headed the
list with $100 and made an appeal to
the citizens Of the city for a relief
fund Industrial organizations, the
aters and civic bodies have also set
in motion plans for supplementing the
fund. Fire Chief Croker said to-
day:
II do not hesitate to say that
more appalling loss Of life In office
buildings and big stores Is likely to
come upon New York at any moment
because of the lack Of safe guards
The Fire Chiefs Recommendations
"Give us not merely fireproof, but
death proof buildings" bids fair to be-
come municipal slogan in the many
sided campaigns Of investigation which
Is underway in New York today as a
result OF the Washington Place fre
disaster of Saturday afternoon. In
which nearly $50 persons lost their
lives.
The slogan was coined by Fire Chief
Croker in summing up his recommen-
dations for the future. 'Ths entire
nation" he declared, will learn a les
son from Saturdays flre, such as 1t has
learned only twice OF late years once
when the Collingwood disaster taught
the necessity Of adequate fire proteo-
ton in school buildings and again
when the Iroquois theater fire taught
the same lesson for theaters."
Fire Chief Croker's recommendations
are as follows:
THE city beautiful is less vital than
the city safe,'" he said.
LET us see first Of all that our peo-
pie live and work under adequate pro-
lection for their lives and person.
II would have fire escape landings
extending all along the outside OF
every office, loft, or factory building.
would have the balcony landings built
wide enough for two persons to pass
In safety without crowding. would