Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-03-26
10y Morning Journal Special Leased wirel

10y Morning Journal Special Leased wirel
New York, March 27.-One humid
dred and fifty persons-about 1875 OF
them from the east side, We're crush
ed to death on the pavements, smoth-
cred by smoke or burned to a crisp
this afternoon in the worst fire New
YORK has known since SIC stcalnsill
General Slocum was burned tu the
waters edge off North Brother island
in 1904.
Nearly all, if not all, of the vic
Tins were employed by the Triangle
shirtwaist company on the eighth,
ninth and tenth floors of a ten-story
loft building at No. 2S Washington
place. on the west fringe of the down
town Wholesale clothing, fur and
millinery district. The partners of
the firm. Isaac Harris and Max Blank,
escaped unscathed from the top floor,
carrying with them over an adjoining
roof Blanks two young daughters and
governess. There was not an out
side fire escape on the building. How
the fire started will perhaps never be
known. A corner on the eighth floor
was its point of origin and the three
upper floors only We're swept ON the
ninth floor fifty bodies were found;
sxty-three or more persons were
crushed to death by jumping; more
than thirty clogged the elevator
shafts. Loss to property will not ex-
ceed s100, 900. Pedestrians going home
through Washington place to Wash
ington square at ten minutes to b
o'clock we're scattered by the whizzes
of smoke rushing through the air be-
fore them. There was horrible thud
on the pavement and a body flattened
on the flagstone Wayfarers on the
outside of the streets shaded their
eyes against the setting sun and saw
the windows of the three upper floors
Of the building black with girls
elinging to the sills.
Don't jump, don't jump yelled
the crowd. But the girls had no al
tentative. The pressure of the mad
dened hundreds behind them and the
urging of their own fears were toe
strong. They began to fan to the
sidewalk.
Four alarms were sounded within
fifteen minutes. Before the engines
could respond. before nets could be
stretched or the ladders raised. five
girls had fallen from the eighth and
ninth floors so heavily that they broke
through the glass and iron roofs oi
the sub-eellars and crashed through
the very streets to the vaults below
In an hour the fire was out; In hall
an hour II had done its worst. Prob
ably the death list was complete ir
twenty minutes.
The building stands on a corner
with exposure on two Sides but the
only fire escape was In the opening ol
a light air shaft In all there were
several exits--the single fire escape
two freight elevators at the rear
two passenger elevators In the front
and two stairways. All Of these
proved almost useless and practically
all who escaped either climbed to th'
roof and scrambled thence to the rool
Of the building occupied by the Am
erlcan Bank Book company adjoining
or fled IN the first rush for safety
before the crush and smoke grew toe
thick. The building stands tonight
with shell intact and barely Scared
rather only smudged. The partition
OF architectural tlling between flooi
and floor are sound and II is impos
sible for one who sees II TO imagine
how the flames In so short space
could have wrought such havoc.
Seven hundred hands, 600 of then
women, were employed by the shirt
waist company. They sat in rows a