Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-03-27

besu busy collecting all avaiiaone
sa-n,at,on regarding tha eonditlons IL
a. gac,oy-, when the f;c started, anu
LII ,nouire particularly into the truth
~ ~s.aternents that DOORS leading 10 Tue
exits we're locked
No Fire Drifts.
aga Far as I have been able to dis
a1arr anf3 Mr.. Beers, there a
sss,,ar ,,aen a fire drill In tlis factory.
II my o-inion. il would take 7n girls
tL-Aa nonrs % reach the sweet by the
fire-escauo that was used in the bolld-
ing. 1 can say that snu0'crs w
structed this fire-escape.
There are a thousand o'aler IN
ings III this city IN the same coiu'alol'
as the scene Of saturday uls"sae,'
The buildings are passed as loIt puiiu-
ings and are then converted INTO
sor,e= Nine-teaths Of the Employees
cannot read English, yet IN the exani-
,,at,on 7 have made I could not Ilnd d
sign in the Yiddish or Italian sohsues'
which most OF the employees sp'Ne'
pointing out fire exits. -.
"c;ve J.; not merely fre-proof
death-proof buildings, BIDS larr " oe-
come q municipal slogan IN inc flans
sided campaign OF inVestisaeioh NJ
IL ,ruder way IN New York today as d
sas,,,t ~ me Washington place fire dis
aster OF Saturday afternoon, IN WHICH
naarlv $50 persons lost their lives
rrha s,oavn was coined by Fire Chief
c.,oker as summing up his recommen-
,lat,ons for the future. The entire ma
tIor he declared, will learn q lesson
fror, saturdays fire such as 1t mas
rearnes only twice before-once when
The ceuiugwood disaster taught the
necessity OF adequate fire protection
ana nrecaution in school buildings, ana
again when the 1roquois Theatre nre
taught the same lesson for theatres
chief Cookers mutations.
,rnese are Chief Croker's recomn1en-
dations. which should apply, ne thlhfs'
IL every city where buildings or more
than three or four stories are common.
az would have f1re-escape landings
extending ali along the outside oi every
office. LIFT or factory building "ould
have the balcony landings bulit Wiue
enough for two persons TO pass II
safety without crovding. l WOULD nave
fhe ~stairnays at both ends, ana L Wouio
have them built wide, with hand raiis,
"A that women and children couio
descend then-no ladder escapes OF
stairways built at acute angles
Next let US have all inside stair
ways enclosed in ~ire-proof partitions.
Let us require fre-proof exit doors' anu
zee 10 II that all doors open outWarus.
Never allow an exit door to be locked
or blocked, and make the tfe-eScape
windows open TO the fioor level H"e
doors.
protect each floor with plenty OF
rood safety devices and s~prinklers.
Last but not by any means least, MAKE
ire drills at frequent intervals conf
pulsory in all factories, lo~dging-houses
and institutions"
There were similar statements today
from the coroner, the fire marshal, the
distrtct attorney. the Building Commits
sion. the Boare of Fire Underwriters,
The Women's Trade Union League and
othe- bodies which are Independently
Investigating the disaster.
Questions for Workers.
The Won1en's T nde Union League
the beginning OF an investi-
ration which is TO embrace every fac
tory in New York city where union
labor is employed. All union workers
will be asked TO write out confidential
answers to the following queries:
"Do you work in a fire trap?'
ARG the doors locked while sou
work?'
Are there bars on the windows?
Are there horoscopes on all floors
Are the escapes readily accessible?'
Are scraps and waste allowed to &C
cunluiate near the motors or steam
piant?'
The fire insurance men are inclined
to urge a complete revision Of the New
York building laws. The limiting Of
the height Of al buildings and even
The tearing down of existing skyscrap-
ers Is recommended by Theodore II.
Price, a FIRE insurance official. The
height OF every building should be gov
erned, he says, by the character OF its
occupancy. -Four or five stories should
bc tho legal maximum where manu-
featuring or Industrial pursuits are fol-
lowed.
Just AZ surely as the little frame
building was doomed, SO will the sky
scraper loft building go" says Mr..
Price. 1T is u crime against humanity
and beauty that we have permitted the
erection OF any of these monstrosities;
We should not build any more. A fire
in the financial district could, in a
small radius, wipe out the available
fire insurance capital of the United
States"
spike Saves Girls Life.
Ida Singer, u i7-year-old shirtwaist
maker, who lies at her home suffering
from a few minor bruises and cuts,
has perhaps the strangest story to tell
Of any OF the hundreds who escaped
death IN the Washington place fire hor-
TOR OF Saturday afternoon. Sho was
found by the fremen hanging half
conscious to a spike in the rear wall of
the building opposite the third floor
landing. She had fallen from the fire
escape at the ninth floor, but the point
ed spike caught in her clothing and
saved her life.
when / first heard the ~alarEa,' she
says, II was p~aralyzed with fear. l
was too weak TO run. ] half crawled
70 q back window and / remember 1
was crying bitterly as I raised a win
dow opening on the narrow fire-escape.
FLAMES were roaring out Of the
windows below, but I knew I had to
20 down the narrow fire-escape and
climbed out. AS / did 80 l looked back
and saw many girls rushing toward the
window / had gone through. / was
glad they were coming, and stopped
crying.
Iron Steps Hot.
Il felt / had to get down ahead of
kLnsA 1r1.A -. ,4@r, 20 a. I1--