Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-03-27
Ii you are a woman. Try It.
ERiGHTFnI. iOss OF LIFE.

Nearly one hundred and fifty souls
ninc.tenths of them girls from the East
Side OF New York, were crushed TO
death on the pavements. smothered by
smoke, or shrveled to crisp Saturday
afternoon in the worst fire hat city has
known in several years.
Nearly all, il not all, o(th victims
were employed 10y the Triangle Waist
Company, on the eighth, ninth and
tenth floors OF aHten-story loft !i.n;!::iHe
al % Washington place, on the western
fringe of the downtown wholesale cloth
ing, fur, and millinery district. The
partners Of the firm, Isaac Harris and
Max Blanck, escaped nnscathed from
the Office, on thu tenth itoor, carrying
with them over an adjoining roof
Blanak's two young daughters and q
eoyeine=s There was not al outside
fire escape on the building.
How the fire. started 1ill perhaps
never BE known A corner on the
eighth floor vas its point Of origin, and
the three upper floors only were swept.
On the ninth floor 80 bodies we're found.
Sixtv-three or more persons we're
crushed 10 death by jumping, and
more than 30 cloggad the elevator
shafts. The loss to property will not
exceed 800 900.
Pedestrians going home through
Washington place to Washington
-r..o-, a. ..D -oYa Sn.ft.r.d hv the
uhiz Of something rushing through the
air before them; there was a horrible
crash on the pavement, and body
iia,tened Oh the hagstones. WayfaTcrs
Oh the opposite side ot the street shaded
their eyes against the setting sun and
saw the windows Of the three upper
noo,s OF the building black With girls
croHding to the siils. There were no
fire escapes.
Don't inmp! Don't Jump" yelled
the crowd. But the girls had no alter
native. The pressure OF the maddened
hundreds behind them and the urging
OF their own fears we're too strong. They
began to fall to The Sidewalk; in aterrible
rain OF flesh and blood.
Four alarms were ruag within fifteen
minutes. Before the engines could
respond. before the nets could he
stretched, or the ladders raised. five
girls had fallen from the eighth and
ninth floors so hea2iiy. that they broke
through the glass and iron roofs Of the
subcellars and crashed through the
very streets into the vaults below. In
an h0iir the FIRE mas out; in half an
hour it had done its worst; probably
the death list vas full in twenty min
utes
One pathetic incident occurred few
moments after the flames started. A
young man came 10 the window OF the
eighth floor holding young girl tight
~ by thu hand They looked ont OF
the window ut the rapidly spreading
flames and then the man folded the
cir! to his breast and pressed 4 kiss on
her lips. She jumped to her death,
crashing through the futile life-net,
and he followed her moment later to
= similar fate,
A beyy OF siTls fought their way
over The bodies ui fallen comrades
10 the Windows OF the ninth door
and gained q moments respite BY
craving to ledge which protTuded
from the windows. Pressed by Others
behind them they iell il clusters Of
tho and three to the ground.
A half dozen ireaded porilouslj 10
the edge OF the Ledge where heavy
electric feed wire swung across Wash
ington Place simultaneously they
grabbed it. The wire gave way be-
meath their combined weight as thay
swung for moment in mldair, and
the entire number somcrsanlted,
screaming, to death below.
The coroner, grand Jury, district
attorney and the fire chief have started
All investigation.