New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-05
TINY FIRE LEADS
TO A WILD PANIC
Girls in Loft Building. Fighting
on Narrow Stairs. Fall as
Rai|ings Give Way.
POLICEMEN CHECK TERROR
Disaster Like That of Asch
Building Would Have Followed
Real Fire, Say Those Who
Saw Rush of Workers.

New York barely escaped disaster
paralleng the Asch Building fire last
evening. when an awning in the rear Of
Ave story loft building at Nos, $40 and
5IS Broadway bazed up In the build
ing al the time were more than five hun
dred girls. and when the cry ~ Fire
was raised the girls were thrown into
the widest panic and started 10 rush
down the narrow stairs.
These stairs. not more than three feet
six inches wide. we're made Of wood and
guarded by fimsy wooden hand rails.
/ When the mob of struggling sirls be-
| gan 10 60 down the narrow exit to the
street the ratings gave way and the
| girls were thrown into the stair We'll.
some fifteen or twenty feet below. where
they landed together I'm confused.
screaming mass
Before the police Of the Mulberry street
station could go to help the panic-strick-
en- girls more than a score Of them vera
| injured more or less seriously. some of
them having had half their clothing torn
off i'm the rush to the stairs. The police
rushed into the building by the Broad
way entrance to rescue the girls from
the stair we'll As fast as they were
taken from the place they were attended
by surgeons from st. Vincents Hospital
list of those injured. given ont by
the police is as follows:
ADAMROFsKY Dora No. l27 suffolk street.
| decorations ~ head and risht cheek. a.
tended: went home.
RARRARA. Rose. No -, East isth street.
bruises and shock: attended vent to'n"
BERNSTEIN. Ida No. 3i6 West seth stree,
iacerations Of the scalp and face; attendei'
went home.
Brooklyn. lacerstons Of scalp and Up a.
tended. vent home.
FLAXuAN sarah. No - Market street
lacerations % arms: attended. went home
GtORE. MARY No 5i4 East 10Th street. sho"<
and lacerations of nose. attended, "'nt
home
GREENRERG. Bertha. 30 - FORSYTH" street
i-,iises and shock: attended. went home.
,xTEr.rA,ro Marv. No Spring street. 1ru'e'7
ana shock; 10 ~ Nincents Hospital
MANGUSsA. Elite No. rs second aN'nn''
| shocked and bruised. attended ana nome
SCHWARTZ. Bertha. No 32i Madison .tfe,
decorations 81 arms ana ah''h'
went hore.
SINGER. Bertha No. Goerck street '''
rrvoutrz Annie 80 ~, Fas' ~ s'-8''.
decorations n let eve and knee. 81 Nn-
cents Hospital
ZTNERICH Mollie. No. i5a NoIrIt ,
! iscerations ~ right hand, auon'el. ''f'
houe
I'm addition to those given m this u7'
- is said that probab BIZ 2 dozen girls
we're injured but got away before tn"l
could he attended by the ambulance SUI
geons.
ssv CIR, Would Hav. Killed Scores
Those who made an examination ~
tho building last night were unanimous
in saving that had there been real hrH
the toll ~ death would have eYceeden
that Of the Washington Place fre' ON
March % II was pointed ont that thH
'buiIding ar 40. 80 Broadway "ou'n
have been even more difficult 10 escape
from than the Asch Building owing 10
the narrowness ~ the stairwaNs. IN"
crowded condition of some Of the floors
and the uslessness of the bslustrades.
II was lust $50 o'clock when the
workers I'm the big building which runs
through the block from Broadway 10
!
into state of wild excitement by the
cry Of Fire" Every floor is occupied az
a loft or manufacturing plant, ana "heh
tho hundreds Of operators on shirtWais's
and cloak making machines heard th7
alarm raised they were instantly hlleo
,ritb tbe fear of another disaster.
AS IN the Washington Place fire. tney
left their machines and made TOT mo
doors opening on the hont and rear
stairs These doors or WOODEN con-
struction. covered with sheet metal
onened inward. as was the case III ms
,sch Building The frightened employees
TANNED themselves tight against the
ooors so that some Of the cooler among
them. although they tried to open 'he
exits were powerless. owing 10 the crush
behind.
Tho greater number of girls tried 70
oscape by wav Of the rear stairs fro'-
oh,v go NJ them were fighting 10 gam
tho doorvavs. and twenty or thtrty
started 70 climb down the fre escapes on
the rear Of the building. Ihere i "o
telling what would have been tne ta'e
90 these girls had not Patromen Calla-
Her and Mccartney. of the Mulberry
s,yeat station. gone 10 their rescue.
Tho policemen were standing block
oo,. when the alarm Of fire was hrst
given. and they at once rusheo 10 'he
(-xos,,,. stree, side ~ the building There
.bav saw that the fire was Of no conse-
o,e,ce only the awning on the nrst
eoor occupied bv Morimura Brothers
dealers i'm japanese works OF art peins,
otiaye The awning was burning rap
,a,y however. and clouds OF smoke rolled
,n.a,d and blew into the open windows
of the floors above.
! Policemen Force Doors Open.
The policemen could see hundreds ot
manic stricken girls crowded al the WIN
dows some of them trying to cra"i I"
tho fire escapes and others pushing
toward the head of the stair"ays'
shouting To the girls 10 stay where tneN
were. the patrolmen rushed up 10 tns
fourth floor. occupied by Scherr Brotn-
ers waist manufacturers There they
found that the women within we're
TANNED So tightly against the doors that
II was almost impossible Ia force them
topen. After both had put their shoui-
dcrs To the doors. however they man
aged to get them open.
Callahan and McCartney then ran INTO
the room and drove the girls back untii