Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-27
MORE THAN FIFTY DEAD
REMAIN Unidentified
Total Death Roll Is 141, With Dozen
Injured in Hospitals.
SOME MAY NEVER BE CLAIMED
Many of the Dead Girls Lived Alone
in Furnished Rooms or Flats,
and Had Few Friends
or Acquaintances.

NEW YORK. March T-Eighty-six
bodies of the 141 victims Of the fire in
the ten-story loft building on Washington
place Saturday night have been identi-
fed. Sixteen of the bodies were men.
There are twelve injured in the hospitals.
District Attorney Whitman started an
Official investigation today to fix. the re-
sponsibility for the fire in which several
hundred shirt waist makers, mostly wom-
en-, were entrapped by fire on three top
floors.
No arrests have been considered ~
the district attorney Of any persons in
connection with the fire, and none will
be made until the facts disclosed in the
investigation give sufficient evidence for
taking this action.
The building department was called on
for a report on the burned building and
every other department that is in any
way concerned also will be required to
make a detailed report.
Started on Eighth Floor.
Fire Marshal Beers began his official
investigation today. 1t is now definitely
known that the fire started on the eighth
floor near a window at the northeast COR
ner Of the building. The fire began under
a cutting table in a scrap heap and is
now thought to have been started by a
cigarette.
Crowds began to assemble early today
AT the morgue to view the bOdieS-ffty-
Two in ALL At least half of the corpses
We're unrecognizable. and only a small
trinket. shred Of clothing, will help to
show who the unfortunate was Some OF
these bodies probably will never be
claimed. The victims, living alone in fur
nished room or little fiat, may have had
no friends and few acquaintancee.
Managers Of the Triangle Waist Com
pany. which occupied the burned floors,
deny today that the iron doors leading to
the elevators and stairs were locked.
The fact that there was only one
IRE escape on the building will come
In for careful investigation to de-
termine what city official is to blame.
Borough President McAneny today.
IN reviewing the investigation made
following the recent Newark fire hor-
not included in the list of those build
1nEs returned as having inadequate
IRE escape facilities. This might well
be-" said Mr. McAneny. 'for the reason
to conform to the code. The natural
conclusion is. or ought to be. that the
code should suffer radical amendment"
Relief Fund Started.
Progress has been made by public
and civic organizations toward Offering
relief to those who have suffered as q
result OF the fire. The first contribu-
tion in this movement was made by
Mayor Gaynor. who headed the list
with 500, and made an appeal to the
citizens OF the city for a relief fund.
Industrial organizations and civic
bodies have also set in motion plans
for supplementing the relief fund
Fire Chief Croker said today: II do
not hesitate to say that a more appall-
ing loss OF life In office buildings and
big stores is likely to come upon New
York at any moment because of the
lack of safeguards"
Fire Marshal Beers summoned the
proprietorS of the Triangle Waist Com
pany and several employees of the Arm
TO testify at the public investigation
he instituted today. He has been busy
collecting all available information re-
gardinS the conditions in the factory
when the fire started. and will inquire
particularly into the truth of state
ments that doors leading to the exits
were locked.
Never Had Fire Drill.
so far as I have been able to dis.
cover" said Mr.. Beers. there has neve,
been q fire drill in this factory. In my
opinion it would take the 700 girls three
hours to reach the street by the fire
escape that was used In the building
can say that the shutters obstructeo
this fire escape.
There are a thousand other building:
IN this city in the same condition a:
the scene Of Saturdays disaster. The
buildings are passed as loft building e.
and are then converted into factories
Nine-tenths of the employees canno
read English. yet in the examination
have made j could not find a sign in
the Yiddish or Italian tongues which
Of he We
out Are exits"