The evening world., 1911-03-29
HOSE WAS ROTTEN,
STANDP|PE EMPTY
IN FIRE HORROR
Employees in Shirtwaist Fac
tory Tell of Poor
Apparatus.
O A DOOR LOCKED.
But Girls Blocked Escape, IS
Survivors Tell Whitman'S
Assistants.
10 A DOOR LOCKED.

Assistants.
When the FIRE broke out In tho Tri-
anr,e shir; Waist shops last Saturday
afternoon Irving Smith, a shipping
clerk. and another employee. Louis
~eundelman. ran TO the standpipe on
tie tenth foor and began TO unTeel the
line OF hose attached TO II.
They found the hose 30 rotten
that even II there had been any
water in the standpipe the hose
could not have been used.
rAst they turned the wheel OF
the standpipe. hoping that tLey
could do something toward sxtin-
gushing the IRE by dsluging the
place. But there was no water In
the standpipe.
II am sure that we could have put
the fire out before there had been any
serious loss OF life II We could have
used the s;andplpe and the hose Smith
told reporters to-day before going In
TO give his testimony 60 Assistant Die
trict Attorneys Rubin and Bostwick,
who are making the preliminary lnves-
tigaticns into the conditions surround
log the employees in the Washington
Place loft building at fhe time the fro
occurred. prior TO giving the case 10 tho
Grand Jury. Sundclman. who stood by
while Smith was making This state
ment to the reporters. corroborated him.
Not a Door Locked.
r.,. an, .,rg,. aoor ON Oh.
,-,.. So u.. ,oo,.d n. the tim.
~. g.. 49,. 90, w.. On. ,..,,.
..r- A., ,v.r,v.ovs .urv,vors of
saturdays IRE, who psarsd DO.
ore Assistant District Attorneys
Rubin and Bostwick to-day. .hcir
testimony agreed that the loss OF
life on that Aoor was due to the
panic of tho girls.
one OF the girls had run for the door
as soon as the fire broke out and was
swinging II inward when tho other girls
swarmed down upon her. They crowd
cd against her so tina her hold on the
door was broken and IL was swung
shut.
superintendent Brown. who was help
inS some Of the other girls 10 escape,
rushed over and pulled the girls aside
as fast as he could. fighting against
their momentary madness. and he
finally managed TO get the door open.
shipping Clerk Smith also told OF
starting one OF the women on the tenth
floor. where only two llves were lost.
toward the stairway. The woman. frcn-
zled with fear, turned back rs soon as
he let her go and ran toward the near
est window. Clambering out, she sat
for a momen. on the sill and then slid
or 10 her death.
m...L.t r.,.t... ,.,i.,
-,
rAne "ars"s' neers eo"'''"eu tl'S -"-
auny to-ua! o| "e"r''s '"' XII" va
49, ~, 80" sSa %rrn'sr ,sn,orr
I,sanb rre,scber ~ No 100 sa,ord
avenue vino was cashier a, the plant
added a ueN chauter which came ,o
him from "A cutter who seemed 10 hay
been tho contra OF the fire. ana who's,
Mia zinv ,rousers legs 90, fire 20 IN,
niiss NJ lawn an the cutting tables
which in turn blazed and precip.tated
tho nanic.
He added the damaging testimon,
that tho cutting. from the cutters
,.hias v.ra auo.sa "a rcuoin nm IA,
,oor Gov Ton dav. before IN. rapmat
came for ,bem
p.toro ,h. ,,v.s,ly,u o, c,osed IA,
narshol hoard ,ror r,rt,ln puch q,
s1,rc,, comn,,v M rs that ~. er,
,,,oya,s baa o,t,relv allied :, ms. ia.
~,,anao,oa nos. In "a. hu16irr v.,,,,
q, msaa would INV. mn, ont H.. fire
uas also oscertancd ,hat the s,orleI
-, 80 t,ck.d door. ware incorr,r. an,
,..n :. ,La "a. Ala. .he A.ar
onauad Inward ard wien the pIrl
nacked against them irving IN get ON
me- were tust az effectively blocked a
thourh they had been locked.
$500. u-.. Cd, cam
,
WINE inns was p.I"s "'''p'u J.
the o"'oia' 'es.'s"'''" """iV w.
es were I"e"'i"e" " ~ ''''''
Memor'al Nsso'i''lo" oi mas" '','
poser OF Tue ''l''lNeS 81 NV y WI
Iost thelr INes III 'ne lopuol ih'a''
hFe OF l'o'' sem cnech 10 'ne MAY
Tor WV 10 De useu III we re'iet WoF
maoe necessary ny tue i'''"s'e "a'S
~