Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-03-30
Heartrending Scenes as Girls
Attempt to Escape from Fire.
STAIRWAY DOORS NOT LOCKED
William Greenspan Relates How He
Led Mob of Terror-Stricken New
York Operatives on Roof and
Then Tainted.

New York, March 29.-Stil1 another
probing into the Asch building disas-
ter is promised. Already the grand
jury and a coroner are preparing to
delve into the disaster and an investi-
cation by the fire marshal is under
way, and latest of all, a resolution has
been introduced in Albany.
This resolution introduced by AS.
semblyman Cuvillier, calls for a leg
islative committee Of nine to look into
the fire and report legislation needed
to protect lives in the type of build
ings represented by the Asch building.
Three of the committee will be ap-
pointed by the governor, three by the
senate and three by the assembly and
$4,000 appropriated for expenses.
At the continuation Of the fire mar
shal's Investigation it was definitely
established that the doors leading to
the stairways were not locked On any
Of the floors. A partial story of what
happened on the ninth floor, where
most of the loss Of life occurred, was
obtained from William Greenspan, a
machinist employed on that floor. He
swore that the door on the ninth floor
was unlocked, a point as to which
there had been much doubt.
Greenspan, a small, understood man
of twenty-five, testified that he was
always the last to leave the floor at
night and that just before those On the
ninth floor knew of the fire the bell for
knocking off rang and the girls had
started for the dressing rooms. He
also went in to wash up after shutting
off the power from the machines and
when he came out he saw flames COM
ing up from the back court. In two
seconds, he said, it seemed as though
the flames were shooting up past the
windows from the floor below on all
sides of the building.
"All the girls" he said, "started to
hang onto me, and cried that they
were dying and for me to save them.
l took it easily, as l did not think
then there was much danger. | a
over to the Washington place stair
way. The door was unlocked and I
pulled it open, but there was a rush of
flames up the stairs and I shut it again.
When I ran over to the stairs of the
Greene street side and went up to the
tenth floor and from there to the roof,
a great many girls followed me-"
Didn't you try to help the women?"
asked the fire marshal.
"Well, the girls were hanging on
me-" replied Greenspan, "and the
smoke was coming SO thick that they
couldn't e each other. When l
reached the roof tainted"
The pile of bodies found on the ninth
floor in the light of ~Greenspan's testi-
mony would indicate that the girls had
followed him, but that in the smoke
nan had become confused and had
run into the partition of a dressing
room neal the door and died there.
Battalion Chief Worth, another wit
ness, gave it as his opinion that had
any attempt been made to use the
buildings fire apparatus many lives
would have been saved. AS TO the
availability of this fire hose connected
with the st%andpipes in the Railways
there is some dispute. Allan Robin
son, who is-a member of a commits
sion, has been looking into conditions
here under instructions from the Dor
ough president, and says that lnvesti-
cation he made seemed to show that
the nozzles were kept in cases which
were locked usually.
No light was thrown on the of
the fire. The death list still stood at
143.