New-York tribune., 1911-12-08
RAGS IN WAIST FACTORY
Witness Says They Had Not Been
Removed in Two Months.
LAYS LOSS OF LIFE TO THIS
Criminal Negligence, Says Prose
cution-Guard Harris and
Blanck at Luncheon.

The first bit OF evidence tending 10 show
criminal negligence on the part of Isaac
Harris and Max Blanck. proprietors Of the
Triangle shirtwast factory. was introduced
in the last few minutes yesterday. in Cen
eral Sessions. where the two men are on
trial for manslaughter. Louis Levy. Of No.
725 Claremont avenue. The Bronx. was on
the stand He testified that he had the
contract for the removal of the rags from
the Triangle company's plant and that the
last time he cleaned the bins under the
cutters table was on January Is. two
months and ten DAYS before the fire which
cost the lives of 14s employees.
Max Steuer, counsel for the defendants,
tried to exclude testimony indicating the
amount Of rags taken from the bins on
this occasion. but Judge Grain ruled against
him. Levy swore that on that date he
found 1852 pounds of rags under the bins.
1t is the contention Of the prosecution
that the defendants brought about the loss
of life by certain acts Of omission. amount
ing IN themselves to criminal negligence,
such as failure TO keep the bins free from
such accumulatons of rags and to leave
the doors unlocked.
Captain Howard c. Ruch Of Engine Com
pany Is, gave testimony strengthening that
of Levy. He said that when he reached
the eighth floor after the fire was under
control the interior was strewn with long
mounds of burned cloth.
Captain Ruch told OF finding bodies all
over the ninth floor More than twenty
were in one heap. These were eight or ten
feet from the Washington Place door,
which the prosecution charges was locked
thus cutting off the escape of many of the
workers.
What did you observe when you first
reached the building" asked Assistant
District Attorney Bostwick.
Il heard shrieks in the air" was the an
swer People We're jumping from the win
dows on the ninth floor"
Did you find anything in particular on
the ninth floor"
Yes a three-foot oil tank. II was be-
tween the Greene street exit and the fire
escape"
Carmela Igegno. of No 52l Atlantic ave-
nue.. Brooklyn, who was employed on the
eighth floor on the day of the fire, told
how the fire started.
II was about TO leave my machine, the
bell ringing for us to stop work." she testi-
fed. Il saw a little smoke. 1t came from
under a cutters table near the Greene
street door A man threw a pail OF water
on the fire I rushed out to the Washing
ton street elevator. ! rang. No elevator
came UP. | ran down the stairs. y
Were there men there, other than the
man who threw the pail Of water on the
fre?" asked Judge Grain.
You don't look for things like that in
such time" she answered. You only
try TO get out
William Bernstein. a cutter, OF NO. ~
9Th street, testified that it was he who
threw the pail of water on the flames. He
went into the hall and got two other pals
of water. but the girls came crowding
through the door in such numbers that he
could not get back. The fire, he said, was
among some rags.
No demonstration was made by relatives
of the victims yesterday. Harris and
Blanck were accompanied 10 a restaurant
at the luncheon hour by policeman armed
with a nightstck. The corridors were
cleared of all witnesses save policemen and
fremen. by order of Judge Grain. Rooms
for their accommodation were provided on
an upper floor No witnesses We're permit
ted in the courtroom, which was empty
save for lawyers. the jurors, reporters and
a few friends of the lawyers in the case.